Childbirth In Your Life and Around the World

The birthing experience that I would like to share is my own through the eyes of my mom.  I can’t remember this experience because I was too young.  However, I have a scar where tubes were that will always remind me of why I am here.  I was born at 28 weeks weighing 2 lbs. 6 oz.  My mom had to have an emergency cesarean due to severe preeclampsia.  Preeclampsia is a serious condition that affects about 5 percent of pregnant women and typically starts after 20 weeks of pregnancy.  Elevated blood pressure is the primary symptom, but there may be others such as protein in the urine, or liver or kidney abnormalities.   My mom had a lot of swelling beyond the normal pregnancy weight gain. The preeclampsia was so bad that she could have died having me.  She said looking back on the situation if she would have had proper prenatal care throughout her pregnancy this condition would have been detected earlier.   According to the Preeclampsia Foundation, proper prenatal care is essential to diagnosing and managing preeclampsia.  I feel prenatal care is very important.   I made sure I went to every appointment with both of my children.  The advice that was given at those appointments made me want to take care of myself mentally and physically.  Thank God my mom is still here to tell my story!  I am a healthy young lady, and if you look at me now you would never know I was born premature.

I read an article about childbirth in Africa.  Africa has a high maternal mortality rate due to childbirth.  One out of every six children in the continent dies before the age of five.  For women, the chance of dying in childbirth is three times higher in Africa than in industrialized nations.  The reason why the mortality rate is higher is because the lack of medical care in those places.  A lot of the childbirths happen at home.  There are countless numbers of women in Zambia and around the continent that have died from botched abortions. They also die from the delay to seek medical care and the lack of appropriate treatment.  Dr. Mulindi Mwanahamuntu, who headed a study on maternal mortality in Zambia, says that rural women who do manage to get to medical facilities often "are in such bad shape that we can't save them." Medical care is crippled by a lack of resources, he says.  Midwives are the front line fighters to try to reduce maternal mortality. But they are leaving the country because the government can't pay them enough.  After reading this story, I realize how blessed we are to have access to good medical care in the United States.  I couldn’t imagine having to give birth in some of the conditions these women experience childbirth in.

References:

http://www.preeclampsia.org/

http://www.babycenter.com/0_preeclampsia_257.bc

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5628726

Examining Code of Ethics

I chose the ethic codes below because they are related to me opening up an early childcare learning center.  I want to make sure that all young children have access to high quality education and early learning programs.  I would like to hire my staff with a very nice compensation and benefits package because teachers at every level don't get the compensation they deserve.

To work through education, research, and
advocacy toward a society in which all young children
have access to high-quality early care and education
programs. (NAEYC, 2005).

To strive to secure adequate and equitable
compensation (salary and benefits) for those who
work with or on behalf of young children. (NAEYC, 2005)

We shall advocate for equal access to high quality services and supports for all children and families to enhance their quality of lives. (DEC, 2000)
 

References:

NAEYC. (2005, April). Code of ethical conduct and statement of commitment. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/PSETH05.pdf
 
The Division for Early Childhood. (2000, August). Code of ethics. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from
http://www.dec-sped.org/

Course Resources

Part 1: Position Statements and Influential Practices

• NAEYC. (2009). Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/dap
• NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on child abuse prevention. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/ChildAbuseStand.pdf
• NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on school readiness. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/Readiness.pdf
• NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on responding to linguistic and cultural diversity. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/diversity.pdf
• NAEYC. (2003). Early childhood curriculum, assessment, and program evaluation: Building an effective, accountable system in programs for children birth through age 8. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/pscape.pdf
• NAEYC. (2009, April). Early childhood inclusion: A summary. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/DEC_NAEYC_ECSummary_A.pdf
• Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families. (2010). Infant-toddler policy agenda. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://main.zerotothree.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ter_pub_infanttodller
• FPG Child Development Institute. (2006, September). Evidence-based practice empowers early childhood professionals and families. (FPG Snapshot, No. 33). Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://community.fpg.unc.edu/sites/community.fpg.unc.edu/files/imce/documents/FPG_Snapshot_N33_EvidenceBasedPractice_09-2006.pdf
• Turnbull, A., Zuna, N., Hong, J. Y., Hu, X., Kyzar, K., Obremski, S., et al. (2010). Knowledge-to-action guides. Teaching Exceptional Children, 42(3), 42-53.
  Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

Part 2: Global Support for Children's Rights and Well-Being

• Article: UNICEF (n.d.). Fact sheet: A summary of the rights under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.unicef.org/crc/files/Rights_overview.pdf
• Websites:
• • World Forum Foundation
    http://worldforumfoundation.org/wf/wp/about-us
    This link connects you to the mission statement of this organization. Make sure to watch the media segment on this webpage
  • World Organization for Early Childhood Education
    http://www.omep-usnc.org/
    Read about OMEP's mission.
  • Association for Childhood Education International
    http://acei.org/
    Click on "Mission/Vision" and "Guiding Principles and Beliefs" and read these statements. 
   

Part 3: Selected Early Childhood Organizations

• National Association for the Education of Young Children
  http://www.naeyc.org/
• The Division for Early Childhood
  http://www.dec-sped.org/
• Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families
  http://www.zerotothree.org/
• WESTED
  http://www.wested.org/cs/we/print/docs/we/home.htm
• Harvard Education Letter
  http://www.hepg.org/hel/topic/85
• FPG Child Development Institute
  http://www.fpg.unc.edu/
• Administration for Children and Families Headstart's National Research Conference
  http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/hsrc/
• HighScope
  http://www.highscope.org/
• Children's Defense Fund
  http://www.childrensdefense.org/
• Center for Child Care Workforce
  http://www.ccw.org/
• Council for Exceptional Children
  http://www.cec.sped.org/
• Institute for Women's Policy Research
  http://www.iwpr.org/
• National Center for Research on Early Childhood Education
  http://www.ncrece.org/wordpress/
• National Child Care Association
  http://www.nccanet.org/
• National Institute for Early Education Research
  http://nieer.org/
• Pre[K]Now
  http://www.pewstates.org/projects/pre-k-now-328067
• Voices for America's Children
  http://www.voices.org/
• The Erikson Institute
  http://www.erikson.edu/

Part 4: Selected Professional Journals Available in the Walden Library
Tip: Use the Journal option under Search & Find on the library website to find journals by title.

• YC Young Children
• Childhood
• Journal of Child & Family Studies
• Child Study Journal
• Multicultural Education
• Early Childhood Education Journal
• Journal of Early Childhood Research
• International Journal of Early Childhood
• Early Childhood Research Quarterly
• Developmental Psychology
• Social Studies
• Maternal & Child Health Journal
• International Journal of Early Years Education

Additional Resources 

http://www.edweek.org/topics/earlychildhood/

http://www.earlychildhoodnews.com/default.aspx

http://www.stanleygreenspan.com/ 

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