Consequences of Stress on Children’s Development

Environmental pollution

I have had asthma most of my life and the triggers that flare my asthma the most are environmental factors. Some are allergies to out door pollens, dust, or natural environment. The others are caused by environmental pollution. I grew up down wind of a pulp mill, an industrial port, and the Asarco Smelter. When air quality was moderate I had to limit my time outside and when it was severe I was unable to go outside at all. There have been times in my life when I could not understand the unfairness of how come friends and siblings could be outside and I couldn’t. My mom always tried to have special things for me to do inside like baking or crafts so that I would not feel to bad.   

I chose to look into China’s environmental pollution and the impact it has on the children of that country. China’s number one cause of death is cancer that is linked to pollution, hundreds and thousands of deaths alone are blamed on air pollution. Most cities in China are under a gray layer of air pollution and only 1% of the people of China breath air that is considered safe. “China is like a teenage smoker with emphysema. The costs of pollution have mounted well before it is ready to curtail economic development” (Kahn, 2007). Human health has been taking a toll and the number impacted are unknown because exact research on the subject is banned. “An internal, unpublicized report by the Chinese Academy of Environmental Planning in 2003 estimated that 300,000 people die each year from ambient air pollution, mostly of heart disease and lung cancer. An additional 110,000 deaths could be attributed to indoor air pollution caused by poorly ventilated coal and wood stoves or toxic fumes from shoddy construction materials. World Bank study done with SEPA, the national environmental agency, concluded that outdoor air pollution was already causing 350,000 to 400,000 premature deaths a year. Indoor pollution contributed to the deaths of an additional 300,000 people, while 60,000 died from diarrhea, bladder and stomach cancer and other diseases that can be caused by water-borne pollution” (Kahn, 2007).

I cannot imagine the impact that this level of pollution would have on children. However, aside form living with the pollution the amount of people impacted would surely have a different impact on children. Children would grow up knowing many who suffered cancer and other illnesses caused by pollution. The burden would be great.   

Kahn, Joseph & Yardley,Jim. (2007, August 26). As China roars, pollution reaches deadly extremes. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/26/world/asia/26china.html?pagewanted=all  

Child Development and Public Health

Access to Healthy Water:

Having assess to healthy water is meaningful to me because my oldest brother spent 3 years on and off in Nigeria, Africa building and designing a water purification system for small villages in the area. Through him I saw the hardship that not having access to clean healthy water has on people, families, and a village. These individuals walk for long distances to get much needed water and then are impacted because the water is not healthy. Water is not something, most Americans, need not worry on the safety of. I wish it could be like that for everyone world wind.

Clean water is essential for healthy living and a childhood without illness. “World wide, 1 out of every 5 deaths of children under 5 is due to a water-related disease.” “Half of the world’s hospital beds are filled with people suffering form water related disease” (The Water Project, 2011). Bacteria live in water naturally and are mostly harmless. It is the small percentage of bacteria that can cause disease in humans. “Infants and young children are especially susceptible to diseases because their immune systems are experiencing everything for the first time" (The Water Project, 2011). Clean water for all humanity is something that is worth working toward.   

This had already impacted my future work in some ways. The children, and their families, that attend my child care have signed up to participate in The Walk for Water through the not for profit organization World Vision. On the day of the event each family brings with them any size bucket they wish, they walk a trail to a local river (this is the same distance that people in Uganda walk to retrieve their water). They fill their buckets from the river and walk their water back to their “family bucket” (This bucket holds the amount of water that each Ugandan family would need for a day). This is a great way for not only adults to be involved but it also is very concrete for children to understand. Plus they get a wonderful outside day with their family and friends. 

The Water Project (2011) Improving health in Africa begins with water. Retrieved March 9, 2012 from http://thewaterproject.org/health.asp

Birth Experience

I have had the gift and privilege to be at four different births. Each time is a new experience and an amazing miracle. Each one of my friends faced their deliveries differently. One of the most memorable was when my friend Betty was giving birth to her first daughter. Most of the labor took place at home as she was in labor for a total for 56 hours. We played card games, watched movies, and had long talks in-between contractions. When her labor progressed to the point when she felt like she needed to push we went to the hospital and within two hours her baby girl was born. This process just seemed more relaxed, and more bonding with her husband and myself. We all have memories of those hours that are special and dear to us. This truly was a wonderful and long birth experience but I feel that because of the type of labor and birth the baby was more relaxed as were all of us.

I looked into a few other countries and their birth experiences. I was interested in Ireland and how births happen there. Women in Ireland usually give birth in a hospital with 97.3% of births taking place there. However, there are other options such as home births and Doulas. Doulas are becoming more common in Ireland to assist with childbirth. Even as of 2010 Ireland was fighting for birthrights to be aloud to have homebirth with a midwife without the midwife facing criminal charges. It seems like that Ireland and the US have a lot of the same challenges and options when it comes to women’s rights and labor and deliver.   

This was an interesting research experience and one I would like to do for other countries. I am interested to read other blogs to see what regions and countries others chose.

Comparing birth plan preferences among Irish and Nigerian Women. (March 2011) Retrieved March 2, 2012, From http://www.nurse2nurse.ie/Upload/NA6911comparing%20irish%20and%20nigerian%20birth%20plans.pdf