STRESS AND ITS EFFECT ON EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT

Before I go into details of the stressor in the life of a friend I witnessed, I would briefly discussed Violence as a stressor that affects child development. I will also be discussing it from a point of view of a child witnessing violence and not necessary being the direct victim; this is because the person I intend sharing her story had that kind of experience.

The Effects of Violence on Young Children

Violent children usually come from violent homes, where parents model violence as a means of resolving conflict and handling stress (Page et al., 1992). Even if children are not abused physically themselves, they can suffer psychological trauma, including lack of bonding, from witnessing battering. As Lerner (1992) points out, attachment or bonding has far-reaching implications not only for the emotional well-being of a child, but also for a child's cognitive development and the child's ability to cope effectively with stress and to develop healthy relationships. Children who witness violence can display an array of emotional and behavioral disturbances, including low self-esteem, withdrawal, nightmares, self-blame, and aggression against peers, family members, and property (Peled, Jaffe, & Edleson, 1995).
 Research also shows that chronic exposure to violence adversely affects a child's ability to learn (Shore, 1997; Prothrow-Stith & Quaday, 1995; Kurtz, Gaudin, & Wodarski, 1994; Lorion & Saltzman, 1993). Learning itself is an essential tool for violence prevention (Prothrow-Stith & Quaday, 1995). Children who achieve in school and develop important reading, critical thinking, problem solving, and communication skills are better able to cope with stressful and perhaps dangerous situations. Also, academic achievement enhances the development of positive self-esteem and self-efficacy, both of which are necessary for children to experience emotional well-being and to achieve success. The relationship between violence and learning is particularly significant because cognitive skills are crucial in terms of academic success, self-esteem, coping skills, and overall resilience. As Prothrow-Stith and Quaday (1995) assert: "When our children's ability to learn is being dangerously undermined, the foundation of our society is being damaged in a manner that cannot be easily repaired" (p. 27). Interventions must begin early in order to help children develop higher-order thinking skills, empathy, impulse control, anger management, peaceful conflict resolution, and assertive communication.

What Caregivers, Parents, and Teachers Can Do

Children learn from what they see. To prevent violence, parents and teachers need to model appropriate behaviors in the way they manage problems, conflict, anger, and stress. Parents, teachers, and other caregivers can help children learn to deal with emotions without using violence.

In Conclusion, as Pransky (1991) explains, "Our behavior is shaped by conditions in our environment, particularly as we grow. This is the essential piece to the puzzle. The way our children are treated within their important environments will largely determine the shape they will be in and how they will behave" (p. 7). All children deserve the opportunity to "fly" and reach their highest potential--we must not allow them to become "hidden casualties."

My Experience

Growing up as a child, I had a brief interaction with someone who experienced violence at home. I knew her during by Arabic classes. The violence was not directly on her as a child but her mother by her father, He was a man with financial issues and verge all his frustration on the mother. We noticed that she was going though, because she was always quiet. He constantly beats her mother on the slightest argument and she always witness it since she was an only child ,she said she felt the need to protect he mother even though she was little but could not. I and some of her friends tried to involve a Muslim cleric but before he could intervene meaningfully, she lost her mother while trying to have another baby. Her mother was the only support she had, her mother parents had lost contact with their daughter years after her marriage, so she continued to leave with her father but was afraid he could transfer the aggression on her. She could not continue with her formal Education due to poor performance .The cleric eventually helped her find her mother’s parents and they took her away from the father. It took her sometime to get comfortable with her grandparents. She blamed them for abandoning the mother, but later realizes it was not their fault. Living with her grandparents gave her a chance to live a normal life. I believe if she had more support system, it would have helped her as well as her mother

WAR IN SOMALIA-IMPLICATIONS ON CHILD DEVELOPMENT AND EFFORT MADE TO MINIMIZE ITS EFFECT

Everyday thousands of Somali children are caught up in conflict, suicide bombs, destruction and displacement. Some of them not only merely as bystanders, but as targets also. Others fall victim to general onslaught and made to watch the slaying of their own families or of other civilians (Dini; 2005:pp23). Many others are psychologically traumatized after witnessing death and destruction while yet others suffer the effects of sexual violence or the multiple deprivations of armed conflict that expose them to hunger, displacement or disease. Many children have become orphans or lost entire families and thousands of young people are exploited as combatants by the Al-Shabaab militia group (idem). Multiple attempts to solve Somalia’s conflict have not been successful because solutions have often been short-sighted, not gender-sensitive and the role of women and youth have been overlooked and efforts to integrate lives and livelihoods into interventions underestimated.

Although government efforts are critical in addressing post-conflict reconstruction in Somalia, they are not sufficient in dealing with the challenges at hand. The nature and scope of the challenges in Somalia requires the full mobilization of all talents and resources that all stakeholders, including those that children have. (Koshin.S, 2012)

 One effort to minimize its effect is a project initiative- The Happiness Project. This project argues that for any post-conflict reconstruction, rehabilitation and reconciliation to make significant impact in Somalia, it must take into account the different needs of the various groups in Somali society through a child-friendly lens. Such gender-sensitive programs must be the eyes of the innocent and the voice of the voiceless. Even in war children must remain children and. Play is important for the development of children and for healing. Playgrounds and child-friendly centers in post-conflict countries can provide happiness as a healing therapy to these traumatized children. The social skills that children develop on playgrounds become lifelong skills that could be carried forward into their adulthood. Independent research shows that playgrounds are among the most important environments for children outside the home. Most forms of play are essential for healthy development, but free, spontaneous play—the kind that occurs on playgrounds—is the most beneficial type of play. (Koshin. S, 2012)

 The Happiness Project: Happy Parks for Somali Children in Somalia

"Play is essential to development because it contributes to the cognitive, physical, social, and emotional well-being of children and youth." - Kenneth Ginsburg

Research on existing theories reveals that there is a direct relationship between playground activities and the promotion of children’s self-esteem. Also personal development may be gained through the enhancement of skills, such as playing, communicating and cooperating with other children and adults in the playground. (Koshin. S, 2012)

 It takes a lifetime to make big changes, but it takes a split second and a compassionate individual to bring a smile to a child's face. Whatever the change will be, change doesn't happen on its own; people change things. The lack of children's play grounds in combination with the absence of any child-friendly spaces such as zebra crossings, creative corners, play grounds, happy parks, amusement parks, is contributing to the absence of HAPPINESS in Somalia. The goal of this project is to build a happy park, a play ground in Somalia where Somali children can play happily and safely and be just children. This project wants to mobilize resources for building a happy park for Somali children in war-torn Somalia. The environment in Somalia is such that there are huge and sharp stones everywhere and it is extremely windy as well as very hot. There are hardly any children playing safely outside. Many children are kept indoors for fear of the dangerous sharp stones laying everywhere, the extreme heat, or even the dangerous mines and other explosives. But children should be playing outside. Children shouldn't be kept indoors. Full of energy and life, children should be encouraged to play, draw, take up sports and be creative.(Koshin.S, 2012)

 References

http://www.kidsource.com/kidsource/content5/early.child.violence.html

http://www.worldpulse.com/node/48676

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Breastfeeding

I find breastfeeding a very important health impact on child’s development. This is because it has been proven and universally accepted as the best source of food and nutrient for the development of a child, so I believe it is the right of every child to be breastfed

Breastfeeding is the best natural source of food for an infant as well as protection against infections and diseases .For most newborns, good nutrition starts with mother’s milk, colostrums, a thick high calorie fluid, is secreted by a woman’s breast for about the first three days following the birth of her child. After that, the breast begins to produce ideal for infant food. Berger, (2009).The benefits of breastfeeding to both mother and baby is greatly enormous yet .babies who are exclusively breastfed are less likely to get sick Although not everyone might be opportune to breastfeed due to illness or diseases, yet some mother still see it a choice between infant formula and breast milk.

My experience of motherhood herein Saudi Arabia has exposed me to the fact that there is an obvious signifant decrease in breastfeeding among mothers in Saudi. Back at home in Nigeria, exclusive breastfeeding is highly publicized even though its advocacy is faced with challenges, malnutrition on the part of the mother, economic challenges; Mothers have to work and sometimes find it  difficult working and exclusively breastfeeding their babies. when I was in Nigeria, if you are a new mother you are expected to breastfeed your baby exclusively at least for the first six month, meaning that you are not expected to be seen with feeding bottles when you come for your baby’s vaccination, but here in Saudi Arabia, formula is given to babies as early as you can imagine, you can see it so publicly mothers feeding their one week old infant formula when they come for check up. I could remember when I had my baby and I could not breastfeed her frequently after my C-section, so she was introduced to formula while I was recuperating was breastfeeding as well as nurses giving her baby formula milk. When I was leaving the hospital the nurse specifically told me to continue feeding her formula because she seemed to love it, she even gave me some to take home. Immediately I left the hospital I stop the formula and did exclusive breastfeeding and my baby was okay.

Saudi Arabia places high priority on the health and well being of its population but it amazes me why so much priority is not place on breastfeeding since it contains the best source of nutrient accurate for the development of a child. Saudis attitude to breastfeeding is not so encouraging, in fact, the issue has raised concern because it is so ironical that a country which ways of life is largely determined by the tenets of Islam and Islam advocates breastfeeding for two years ,yet a large number of women do not breastfeed

Dr. Modia Batterjee, author of the book,’ Understanding Breastfeeding in the Middle East’ expressed concern over the significant decrease in breastfeeding in Saudi Arabia.

The book reports on a study Dr. Modia Batterjee conducted to understand the complex reasons that Saudi women rarely breastfeed exclusively despite recommendations by the World Health Organization to do so for the first six months. The reasons are similar to those in the western world–employment out of the home; lack of ability to observe other nursing mothers as the extended family structure dissolves, marketing by formula manufacturers, and lack of knowledge by health care professionals. In addition, older Saudi women, who generally do not breastfeed their own children, have a great deal of influence on their daughters’ feeding choices.

Full Article Here

Pitfalls in Saudi Arabia Leading to Breastfeeding Failure

There are many cultural practices and beliefs that prevent both exclusive and long-term breastfeeding of babies in Saudi Arabia and the rest of the Arab world.

1.      Separation after birth. Babies should be placed on the mother’s stomach immediately after birth, and kept with the mother throughout the hospital stay. Even in the case of a cesarean section the mother can breastfeed immediately after the surgery, as long as she is alert and has help. Early feedings are important to establish the milk supply and for baby to get colostrums, the early milk that coats the stomach and prevents harmful bacteria from entering the baby’s system.

2.      Teas and formula. In Saudi Arabia, babies are often served tea or formula to soothe tummy aches or help baby sleep. But these interfere with the mother’s milk supply, which works according to supply and demand. If the breast is not emptied frequently enough, they gradually produce less milk.

3.      Nipple confusion. Some babies start to prefer the bottle after having been fed a supplement. It’s not always the nipple itself that is the issue. Sometimes it’s the mother’s low supply, or the baby’s inability to breastfeed well that leads a baby to prefer the bottle. Fixing these problems usually reverses the preference.

4.      Questions about milk supply. This is a major concern among Saudi women. According to Batterjee the important signs are satiety after each feed, the number of urine-filled diapers, and the color of the stools. She emphasizes night-feeding as an important factor in maintaining supply. Her recommendation to nurse on only one side may not work well for all mothers especially in the early weeks when the supply is being established. Current recommendations are to let baby finish the first side at each feeding, and then offer the second.

5.      Correct latch-on. Babies need to suckle in a way that allows the nipple to reach back against the baby’s soft palate to avoid pain and transfer a good supply of milk.

6.      Birth. Pain medications during labor cross the placenta and affect both the baby and the mother in the early stages of breastfeeding.

 Full Article Here

I  have come to realize that although there is growing attention ,there is need for more education on how to go about it successfully, how important and beneficial it is for both mother and children especially because there is also growing number of breast cancer among Saudi women which might be associated to lack of breastfeeding amongst other factors.with  this knowledge I would try to encourage mothers on health benefits of  breastfeeding on their child and as well themselves,when I eventually have my own child care center 

Reference

Batterjee ,M. (2010).A Fading Art: Understanding Breastfeeding in the Middle East

http://www.greenprophet.com/2010/08/breastfeeding-fading-art/

Berger, K.S,(2009). The Developing person through childhood

                                        Childbirth in my life and around the world

                                                   My personal birth experience

The only birth experience I had was the birth of my daughter here in Saudi Arabia. She came into the world 11days before her due date. All throughout the pregnancy phase, most of the information I got was through the internet, my mum via telephone and friends I met once in a while. Even though most of my friends back in Nigeria had kids, the whole experience was totally new to me, I thought Saudi Arabia had an organized system like back at home in Nigeria, where they educated new mums about pregnancy childbirth and post-natal care, but I was not so, my ante-natal visit were just for the doctor to check the growth and development of the fetus as well as the health of the mother. They also prescribe drugs to be used.
The night before the day I delivered, I had gone for a long walk with my husband, so I guess that stirred up the contractions. It started around 1.30am, but I waited a while for the time intervals between the contractions to get closer. I went to the hospital around 3am.30minutes after I got there the contraction had become intense but my water did not to break, the doctor had to break it and I was taken to the labor room for delivery. I was in labor for 11hours-12hours, but I could not deliver because the position of the baby’s head was wrong, the midwives tried to change it with their hands but was not able too, I was injected twice during the course of labor to relieve my painful contractions, eventually the baby’s breathing was getting slow and there was need to invite a senior obstetrician because my dilation remained in the same position. Immediately the doctor came to check, I was scheduled for an immediate C-section. My baby finally arrived around 4.45pm in the afternoon. I was awake throughout the procedure; I wanted to see my baby immediately she was out. They had to quickly take her to check if everything was okay with her. I was to stay in the hospital for 7days, in order to recover, as well as for the doctor to check on me, in the case of any complications but I left after five days, I guess I was feeling much better and besides I was not able to breastfeed my baby the way I wanted to during the time I spent at the hospital recuperating I was educated a lot about post-natal care after C-section, breastfeeding, and contraceptive. I was told the benefits of not having another child until at least two years later for my wellbeing as well as that of my daughters’. I went through soft exercises, to ensure, I was not having any breathing problems or chest pain. It took at least three weeks for me to really feel strong to do certain things on my own.
I chose my birth experience because my experience after birth really made me understand and appreciate the need for expectant mother to be well informed as well as get the appropriate medical attention during, pregnancy childbirth and delivery.
I believe that if proper medication attention is given to a mother and her fetus from conception till delivery and after birth, it would help reduce child and mother mortality as well as advert life long side effects as a result of complications. Saudi Arabia places high priority on their health and well being. The major setbacks is the increasing rate of Caesarian birth as against natural virginal birth

Birth experience in Yoruba land-NIGERIA

I guess the reason why I choose this part of my country, which is the South-West of the country, is because I come from there and I also tend to appreciate a lot about my culture, there are things I do not accept as well but bottom line motherhood is an interesting journey for a Yoruba woman. The Yoruba birthing experience I am about to write about is based on information from a friend who went through the process but she died during childbirth some years back as well as from a site I read on birthing in the Yoruba culture. I am not condemning the process but I believe there is need to educate everyone involved the more.
Pregnancy and childbirth plays a very important part of our lives as a Yoruba woman. A woman without a child or unable to conceive is believed to have lost all there is to gain in life. When a woman gets pregnant she is pampered and given a lot of care both during and immediately after delivery
Despite the raising attention of ante-natal and delivery in hospital by professionals, a lot of people still go through the tradition birthing method, while some combine both methods
There are so many superstitions and myths attached with pregnancy and childbirth. When a woman gets pregnant, she does not make it a public issue, this is believed to protect the child from evil. Most times people discover when it has becomes obvious and some people also know true changes in the body; the elderly women usually observe this. The pregnancy is kept secret until it becomes obvious. The mother –in law as well as the mother of the expectant mother continually visits, bringing food, fruits required for her to eat during this period. The expectant woman is expected not to go out at noon when the sun is at its pick, and very late at night, this is to protect the baby from evil.
Women who adopt the traditional method fully, pay regular visit to the tradition birthing home for their ante-natal check up, there they are given herbal concoction to help baby develop. Women are told not to drink water directly placing the bottle in their mouth while pregnant or the baby while have problem with his speech. The expectant mother his educated on the need for regular exercise in order to ease delivery. Some women believe if you are close to your due date, activities like fetching big buckets of water, washing large numbers of clothes will help speed up the delivery process
In Yoruba land, the birth attendant is called Iya Abiye or Iya Agbebi and it means mother of safe birth.  Doulas play an important role in labor by helping the mother feel safe so she can have the birth experience she planned for.
The Yoruba, like many indigenous people, believe that the baby begins to spiritually develop in the womb.  I believe that childbirth can be a very spiritual experience, and that natural birth is usually safe.
A pregnant woman hears, "How's the baby?" more often than, "How are you?"  Doulas keep mom in the equation and praise her worth.  We exist to serve mothers.
For those that adopt both the traditional and medical, visits traditional birth attendant who give them traditional concoctions and they also take drugs prescribed from the hospital. It is believed that these concoctions’ prevent complications, it also prevent children from having jaundice after birth.
Most hospital organizes antenatal classes to educate pregnant mums; this gives the women opportunity to socialize. The nurses and midwives educate them on food to eat, exercises, care of their body, and showing up for regular ante-natal check-up. The pregnant women dance and sing songs that reflect their state; this is also form of exercise.
When it is time to deliver, those that visit traditional homes fully ,goes there to give birth, but sometimes when there are complications, the expectant mother is rushed to the hospital. Mothers that visit the traditional homes partially some are given herbal soaps to wash their belly with; it is believed that it would help ease the delivery process.
After delivery, it is tradition that the mother-in-law takes care of the new mother and her baby for 40days, she is to bath the new mother in the traditional way, this bathing is believed would help the mother recover quickly, bringing back her body elasticity. The new born is also bathe and their body massaged regularly till the mother-in-law leaves, the new mum s continue s these process even after the 40days.this is done so as to promote the physical abilities of the infant
It is interesting to know that most of these practices have long been part of the culture, even though the advent of medicated birth, a lot of women still go through the tradition birthing process of doulas knows as Iya Abiye.
The traditional Yoruba birthing offers a very supportive role all through pregnancy and birth and post-natal, which was missing when I experienced by birth here in Saudi Arabia, I think there is need for avenue for pregnant mum, especially because of the new mums to come together to learn and socialize for the benefit of both the mother and fetus, sometimes doing everything alone could be depressing.

Reference

http://yorubadoula.weebly.com/index.htmlb[]’[/