Childbirth in my Life

My only child, a son, is my birthing experience and I am proud to say that he is now twenty years old and an excellent student in a university. My son decided to come into this world on Friday the 13^th and in the United States this is known to be a day for bad luck, but for me that date happens to be the best day of my life.  An hour after arriving home, my water broke and I was driven to the nearest hospital, which was over 45 minutes away.  

As soon as I was admitted into the hospital, I starting experiencing the worst pain of my life, for over six hours; refusing any type of pain medication and delivered a 9 lb and 2 ounces baby boy.  My mother cut the umbilical cord and we all welcomed him into the world.  Although the pain was terrible, my memories of my son have eclipsed the pain and I can truly say having him was a beautiful experience.

We all know that about the only thing a child can do at birth is eat, cry, eliminate waste, and sleep, but by the age of three, the child is showing self-control, can talk and understand.  At the age of twelve the child is capable of athletic accomplishments and his or her intellectual ability is now more adult-like than child-like.  I think the child's attitude, beliefs, and desires that are being formed will affect him or her for the rest of their life.  In this respect, understanding children and the way they grow is important, because the study of child development is significant in understanding the behavior of adults, whose characteristics are primarily formed during childhood.

 

Childbirth around the world

CHINA

According to Chinese custom, a husband should carry his bride over a pan of burning coals when entering his home for the first time to ensure she will pass through labor successfully.  Once pregnant, a woman guards her thoughts. It is believed everything she does and sees will influence her unborn child and sex is absolutely forbidden during pregnancy.

During my pregnancy, I was told not to raise my arms over my head, because it could result in the umbilical cord wrapping around the baby’s neck.  I was also warned not to buy anything for the baby, until after the seventh month, because it would bring bad luck.  Although, now I think the latter warning was meant to ease heartache in case the child was born prematurely and died, leaving the mother with things for the baby and reminding her of her loss.  Even in China many believe it is unlucky to throw a baby shower for an unborn baby and the parties come after the little one arrives.

Chinese women will often drink a strong herbal potion to ease the strain of labor. I was advised that drinking mineral oil would hasten delivery, as well as driving down a bumpy road. 

After delivery, Chinese women "sit the month." The first month is considered an intense healing time for new mother. She is freed from household duties and sits in her bed alone to look after her new infant. In strict households, even the husband stays away. I was given six weeks off and now even fathers have time off from their job to help out at home with the newborn. 

Although there are differences, as well as similarities, it does not seem to matter how far apart mothers are in miles and/or traditions, they all possess the same goal: to be the best parent possible.

Reference:

Birth and baby in China. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.4panda.com/chinatips/culture/baby.htm

Examining Codes of Ethics

I-1.5—To create and maintain safe and healthy settings that foster children’s social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development and that respect their dignity and their contributions.

This ideal is significant to me because I think it will be my responsibility to create and maintain safe and healthy settings.  It is my responsible for the setting to be safe, clean, and well maintained with a positive climate and culture.  This should require the involvement of everyone in the school, from the students, administrators, teachers, counselors, and so on.  The school environment should be able to promote expectations that all students can succeed.  There should be policies and programs to meet the needs of students and the staff must support these environments.  Every child’s social-emotional development relate to the change that occur in a person’s feeling, ability to handle feelings and situations, and moral ideas; cognitive development is associated with the changes in a person’s reasoning and physical development is characterized by patterns of physical growth and maturation.

I-1.9—To advocate for and ensure that all children, including those with special needs, have access to the support services needed to be successful.

I am obligated to this ideal,  because if both the family and the teacher feel there is a potential problem, the task is to help identify it and secure the services needed.  A teacher’s role is to observe the child and provide the necessary current information, to support the family through their concern, to help them find appropriate resources (social services agencies, public health office and private & public schools) to assist with future placement for child care, and to be available for consultation with others who are working in the best interest of the child.  We all should be effective in helping families with special kid’s secure proper referrals and treatment.  American with Disabilities Act which was passed in 1990 made it unlawful to discriminate against people with disabilities and requires that people with disabilities have equal access to public and private services, and also reasonable accommodations.

I-2.3—To welcome all family members and encourage them to participate in the program. 

It is my responsibility for families to have a unique contribution to make in the child’s schooling.  A family has different knowledge about the child from what the teacher has.  They know the child’s history:  physical, medical, social, and intellectual.  The family should know the child as a member of a family and the role that child plays in the total family group, the extended family, and the community.  For example: the family already knows what makes their children happy or sad or how they react to changes in routines, but as a teacher, we have to learn these things.  We are only just beginning to discover what the families already know.  Teachers can support families in their roles as teachers of their children by: (1) keeping them informed about each stage of the child’s development (2) showing them how to encourage language and thinking skills and (3) educating them to children’s social needs at any give age.  Let’s remember that a family-centered approach to school relationships supports the growth of the family as well as the child.

Reference

NAEYC. (2005, April). Code of Ethical Conduct and Statement of Commitment. Retrieved on June 10, 2012 from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/PSETH05.pdf