Child Development and Public Health

                      Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)

A few years ago a friend of the family, 4 month old baby died from sudden infant death syndrome. She was asleep in her crib and  never woke up. She was lying on her back, covered with a blanked (in January), and it was no toys in the crib. The autopsy found nothing out of the ordinary which contributed to her death. They said it was SIDS. It was a very painful moment for family and friends.

What is SIDS:

SIDS is suspected when a  infant, usually younger than 6 months of age, is found dead in bed (while they sleep).

Facts about SIDS: from

http://www.emedicinehealth.com/sudden_infant_death_syndrome_sids/article_em.htm

• About 90% of SIDS deaths occur in infants younger than 6 months of age.
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  SIDS is not predictable or preventable.
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  SIDS is not caused by immunizations or bad parenting. 
•  SIDS is not contagious or hereditary. 
  
•  SIDS is not anyone's fault
• African American babies are twice as likely to die of SIDS as white babies

The U.S. SIDS rate remains high, compared to other developed countries.

For example, in 2005, the US. rate ranked second highest (after New Zealand) among 13 countries in a research study by Fern Hauck and Kawai Tanabe.

Some of the lowest SIDS rates in other countries were in the Netherlands and Japan.

As a future child care professional I will utilize everything that I learned about SIDS to keep parents informed.

My birthing Experience

I have two boys and both of my kids birth was a blessed experience. I had both my kids through a planned c-section. I remember thinking about how I am going to have a bundle of joy coming into the word in a few minutes. The procedure was rather quick and the babies were out within twenty minutes, but the after effect is what was hard. I had trouble walking for a few days, and I also had lower stomach pain for a few weeks.  Giving birth to my children is the best birthing experience that I could elaborate on.  I also remember the hospital staff taking his footprint and the small little band around their hands, for identification and security.

                                                                 My youngest son footprint from the hospital

        My 2 pride and Joy                            

Birth is something that should be taken seriously. The whole process involves patience and obedience.  A mother has to be careful what is transferred to the unborn baby. No matter how much you want the baby to be delivered it is a waiting game. If the baby is delivered prematurely, the child will be impacted with their development. Now through this week’s reading, plasticity brings hope that children can outgrow or their ability can change over time.

Preparing for the medication to take effect!!

 Trinidad and Tobago birth

My family is from Trinidad and Tobago, an Island in the West Indies. In the past a lot of the births use to happen at home with midwives. Most deliveries were natural with limited medication for the mother, to me more painful. My grandmother had no medication at all with any of her 5 deliveries. Within the past few years more and more women is going to the hospitals to give birth, much like we do in the United States. My cousin, who is younger than me, went through a medicated delivery in the hospital. In the United States it seems like the percentage of women that gets c-section is higher than other countries or Islands, like Trinidad for one. I think a lot of the Islands are starting to modernize and adapt too many things that are done in the United States.  

Most of the hospitals in Trinidad are free, so they don’t offer much extra’s in the hospitals. But if you want a better level of care then a mother would have to go to private hospitals. The newborn child would still get tested for the diseases, but the extra amenities like footprints and pictures would not occur.

                                   Map of Trinidad and Tobago