Poverty= Stress

Poverty was the stressor that I chose to talk about in this weeks assignment. Few topics in American society have more myths and stereotypes surrounding them than poverty, misconceptions that distort our ideas on this topic.They include the notion that poverty affects a relatively small number of Americans, that the poor are impoverished for years at a time, that most of those in poverty live in inner cities, that too much welfare assistance is provided and that poverty is ultimately a result of not working hard enough. Poverty is a mainstream event experienced by a majority of people in this country. For many of us, the question is not if we will experience poverty, but when. I feel that this is just a cycle that will continue to happen until we take a look at the root of the problem instead of throwing the finger out in blame. That seems to happen more often that not. I work in a Head Start Program, and I am in the homes of people WELL below the poverty line on a daily basis. These parents aren't trying to live off of the system, and they aren't just lazy people who don't want to work. Many times they don't know the questions to ask to get the answers they need for help. I decided to look at the poverty in Kenya. I chose this because Kenya is one of the more agricultural and industrial areas in all of Africa. I would like to think that we have some similarities with that here in the US. The difference is that Kenya is a LOW-Income country with many of its people in poverty.One big factor I found is that there is a very high population with HIV/AIDS. This causes many families to be run by woman, and too many children being orphaned. Woman don't have the opportunities to provide for their families like we do here in the US. If the bread winner for the family passes away, that automatically puts the family into financial trouble they will be unable to get out of.

Breast Feeding

I chose to take a closer look at the area of nutrition and malnutrition. I believe this is a huge part of development and should be taken into account when researching all aspects of childhood development. The signs of malnutrition show themselves in tooth decay, childhood diseases, poor reflexes and muscle tone, delayed development, lack of color to skin, lower weight or obesity, poor performance in school, brittle hair and dry skin. This list can continue of the symptoms of malnutrition. The worst part is malnutrition can be prevented. The real question is can education and services be effective enough to help fix this serious problem? There are many services and agencies galore in the United States that are there to help people who need it, malnutrition is huge issue. Many times the money given is used for nutritionally void food such as white bread, soda, cookies and chips etc. This is not the type of diet that will help children out of the dangers of malnutrition. The website I found states that India is like the ground zero for malnourished children over any place else on the planet. "South Asia, in fact, has the greatest concentration of deadly acute malnutrition on the planet, while India alone accounts for 54% of all under nutrition- related child deaths worldwide." This is caused by several factors: -widespread poverty -endemic hunger -rapid population growth -pockets of weak governance -poor health systems and unreliable national indicators All of these factors are compounded by issues of the caste system (which doesn't formally exist any more but is still very prevalent in every day life), ethnicity, religion and gender. Information on India retrieved from:

Births

I have to say that I have not been involved in to many babies being born as I am an only sibling and it was just 2 of my friends who had babies. They both had them in the hospital, and neither of them stuck to the "birth plan" so I was told after the they were out of the hospital. One of my friends did get to spend some time in a hot bathtub at the hospital, but when it was time to actually have the baby she had to get out of the tub and go back to the bed. I find it very interesting that we as a society seem to think that having babies in a lying down horizontal position with your feel above your head is the best way to have a baby. Gravity pulls things down and we are developmentally created to be vertical. Why would birth be any different? I have heard many times that there are complications and c-sections are happening more often. It makes me wonder if they are really needed or are we just using them to get the babies out so that the next mom can come on through the door? I know that might sound like a harsh reality, but in my undergraduate studies I actually studied hospitals as a business for making a profit. This would fit the scene that has been painted. Why not let the child come on their own, yes I know that in some circumstances it is necessary to operate for the health of both the child and its mother, otherwise, let it happen the way its supposed to! I have already spoken to my husband and we are both in agreement that if we decide to have children, then I want to have a midwife. I want someone who is going to advocate what is best for me and my child at the time, instead of pushing meds and a quick birth. I would like to be able to move freely and not be constrained to a bed with my feet in stirrups. I looked up a website that was . This was just what I was talking about. This group helps you to decide if you want to have a child in a birthing center, hospital, or at home. They are there to assist you with labor and delivery and they are even there to support the mom after the child is born and keeps and eye out of PPD during those home checks after birth. They seem to be supportive from start to finish and then some. This is WAY different in comparison to those children who are born here in the United States. In Korea you are not just a number but a mother (and father/mother) going through a life changing experience together and they seem to be there every step of the way. I have included the website in case anyone wanted to take a closer look.