My childhood stressor

As a child I grew in a rural area and there were very few African Americans in my community.  To be honest I was the only African American person my high school graduating school.  I encounter a lot racism and was to expose to intense levels of hatred throughout my childhood.  I didn't cope well to my surroundings.  I went through levels of self-loathing and depression because I felt there was something wrong with me and then as I got older I became a very angry person.  I would fight with my classmates and say mean and hurtful things.  My thinking was I was going to hurt them before they hurt me.  I didn't explain anything to my parents and I would internalize and then with one instance just explode.  It wasn't until I was an adult I realized exactly what was going on and how their hatred toward me wasn't my problem but they were the ones with the issue. 

When I explored racism in Europe I was shocked to know this is still an ongoing issue.  Here in America I don't hear much about racism across the globe.  In Europe there is segregation but is based on socioeconomic status.  This is understandable due to the fact in their history they had the feudal system.  This effects the children because the kids who are from the lower economy will feel lesser than those higher up.  It has to be frustrating being locked into a status because it is very hard to climb up and gain a higher socioeconomic status.  There are social groups fighting for equality but because people are used it to being a certain way things aren't changing fast enough.   

Malnutrition in children

Malnutrition children is a huge problem across the world.  It is a topic I hold close to my heart.  It is one of my professional and personal goals to make sure all every child has access to the proper channels to receive the right foods, vaccinations, etc in order to be the healthiest they can be.  I have seen firsthand people in my own community struggle and this has lead to their children's' poor nutritional habits that will have long terms effects on their lives.  I have seen starving children.  I have seen children who eats only fast foods and junk foods.  I have children who didn't exercise. Seeing all these troubling children truly has affected me and are images I will never forget.  As well as seeing malnutrition children I have also seen healthy children and seen how they flourished.  I want to see all children be healthy.
In the world, malnourished children is all over.  I learned, according to UNICEF.com, that one in every three malnourished children in the world lives in India.  50% of all children's death in India are related to malnutrition.  It isn't just because of lack food but also due to the lack of health service access and also the poor health of the pregnant mothers while carrying their children.  One of the major causes of malnutrition is vitamin deficiencies because it affects the child's survival and development. 

The information I have learned has impacted my future work by making me more determined to help struggling children.  It is important and has to become one of my top priorities.  I feel the simplest changes could make a huge difference around the world.         

My birthing experience

First, I would like to begin with the fact I had a difficult pregnancy with my youngest son.  I had a lot going on in my personal life and I was in the final year of my undergraduate studies.  Stress had become a commonality in my life.  I had high blood pressure and I was borderline diabetic.  My doctor felt he might come early so I was on strict bed rest but this was difficult since I had two other children to take care of.

So the night I he was born, things went very quickly.  I started experiencing labor pains at 3am and by 5am I was having contractions 5 minutes apart.  I had to wait for my brother to get to my house because the hospital wouldn't allow my children to go into the room with my husband and I.  I almost gave birth to my child at my house.  We rushed to the hospital and by the time we got there the doctor informed me that it was too late to medicine so I had to give birth to him naturally.  I barely got comfortable in the bed and before I knew it my child was here.  We got the hospital at 5:30am and he was born at 5:46am. 

I chose this birthing story because the fact I had so many external factors going on it truly affected my pregnancy and my birthing experience.  It important to understand how powerful external factors are to prenatal development.  My child was healthy but things could have went another way.      

When examining other cultures around the world I became interested in the Chinese birthing rituals.  The actual birthing process is similar to American.  They can have them in hospitals or at home.  Men typically don't participate in the birth.  My husband was very much involved. What makes them different is after the baby is born the mother and child are separated for one month.  This is because in the past many women and children would die during this vulnerable time so both the child and the mother are closely monitored and the mother is on bed rest during this time.  Also it is a tradition for the mother to eats the placenta.