Birthing Experience

                                      NOE JEY OCHOA

                                      November 25, 1992

The first birthing experience I was exposed to was at the age of 19. The mother giving birth was myself. Although it was excruciating pain, the thought that I was going to be holding that little creature that had grown inside of me was all worth it. Since I was very young and it was my first time giving birth, I was afraid I was going to "break" my son by holding him when the nurse placed him in my arms. The only one there to support me through the whole experience was my older sister Lorena and my parents outside in the waiting room. Since I was a single mother, I viewed my son as very fragile, unprotected and depending on me for survival. That was were I grew up and I had to do it very quickly too. My son came to the world in November 1992. It was a natural birth and no medication was used. At that time, I was not aware the medication existed to make the birth less painful. All I could keep thinking in my head was that my beloved brave grandmother was able to go through this 15 times and survived, I was also going to come through just like her.

Since then, I had two other girls. So I went through this experience 3 times not 15 like grandma. All of my births were natural so I never knew what a cesarean  feels like.

This lead me to research that topic and I came across an article that mentions China as being the Cesarean Nation.

In September 2010, the Chinese Web portal Netease posted a page titled “Why Are Chinese Women Afraid of Natural Childbirth?” The headline might have sounded hyperbolic, but it was anything but. The World Health Organization had just released the results of a survey examining delivery methods in Asia.

In Chinese hospitals studied in 2007 and 2008, 46 % of babies were born through cesarean section—the highest documented rate in the world.

 Top reasons why women in China might opt for cesarean section.

Reasons on the list included “I’d like to have a natural birth, but I’m afraid it will influence my sex life.”, another reason was linked to culture such as my mother-in-law is superstitious about dates and wants to pick the time of birth.The primary  reason on the list was “everybody else is having surgery.”Although these reasons might sound lame, the similarities between the rate of China and the United States when it comes to cesarian births is not that far apart. According to the article; increased numbers of cesarean births are hardly unique to China. The U.S. rate rose by 53% between 1996 and 2007, according to a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Today, nearly one in three American babies are born via cesarean section.

I believe this is a very interesting topic and by reading this I learned that cesarian sections can be part of a birth according to culture, peer pressure, and lack of education. I find this interesting because I used to think the only factors taken into consideration were exclusively linked to medical isues.

References

Cesarean Nation

The cautionary tale of how China came to have the world's highest C-section rate.

By Mara Hvistendahl

Retrieved from

http://www.slate.com/articles/double_x/doublex/2012/01/cesarean_nation_why_do_nearly_half_of_chinese_women_deliver_babies_via_c_section_.html

A note of Thanks!

I want to express my deep appreciation for the help and support to Walden University and my classmates for helping me complete the Foundations of Early Childhood Course . I believe we have all grown professionally and personally in knowledge and wisdom as this class comes to an end.

I consider myself blessed for having the opportunity to work with professionals who are already in the Early Childhood field. It was a great learning experience for me. I really value the knowledge and insight I gained and everyone's willingness to share valuable experiences.

I wish all my colleagues very good luck in all your professional and personal endeavors.

Thank you,

- Dina

Codes of Ethics

NAEYC and DEC codes of ethics that are meaningful to me

We shall continually be aware of issues challenging the field of early childhood special education and advocate for changes in laws, regulations, and policies leading to improved outcomes and services for young children with disabilities and their families. 

As educators, we need to stay abreast of current information and research that affects our children. There is constant research being done to help diminish the rates of conditions associated with children such as autism, a.d.h.d, and a.d.d to name a few. BY staying informed, we are able to implement techniques that are evidence based for the benefit of the child.

We shall not participate in practices that discriminate against children by denying benefits, giving special advantages, or excluding them from programs or activities on the basis of their sex, race, national origin, religious beliefs, medical condition, disability, or the marital status/family structure, sexual orientation, or religious beliefs or other affiliations of their families.

Every child has a right to an education regardless of their socio economic status. As teachers, it is our responsibility to be aware of available services and perform linkage of services to every respective child that needs it. Teachers should work with all families from diverse cultures and be able to respect and treat every family with dignity regardless of their beliefs.

 

We shall create and maintain safe and healthy settings that foster children’s social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development and that respect their dignity and contributions.

This ideal is very important to me because I am aware how important social and emotional skills are in the early developmental years. Being able to acquire these skills at an early age will help children transition into adulthood and succeed in whatever they strive to accomplish. Being able to maintain a safety setting for children to learn is essential and it will foster their potential. Teachers need to put on their social emotional lenses and be able to promote each child’s capacity.

Course Resources

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://www.fpg.unc.edu/~snapshots/snap33.pdf
  
  Note: The following article can be found in the Walden University Library databases.
• 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.
  Use the Academic Search Complete database, and search using the article's title.

 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.

          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/main/about.cfm
• 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//AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home
• 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.preknow.org/
• Voices for America's Children
  http://www.voices.org/
• The Erikson Institute
  http://www.erikson.edu/

Personal Recommended Resources

Fishful Thinking

http://www.goldfishsmiles.com/

This website offers a wealth of resources with activities to do with children. I specifically like it because the ideas offered here help children expand their creativity and different ideas are offered for parents and educators.

Dr.Longorias Website

http://www.drmike.info/

This website offers ideas for teachers, materials, and music that can be ordered through the website. It also contains many more resources like printouts for teachers and a link to a website with phonological awareness activities. I found it to be very informative and fun to navigate.

The Marshmallow Experiment

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yo4WF3cSd9Q&feature=related

This link takes you directly to a link where you can watch a video of the recreated Stanford University marshmallow experiment. The marshmallow experiment is very interesting to watch and helps you observe how children perceive things different than adults.

Words of inspiration and motivation

                      Dr.T Berry Brazelton

Attachment to a baby is a long-term process, not a single, magical moment. The opportunity for bonding at birth may be compared to falling in love—staying in love takes longer and demands more work.
T. Berry Brazelton (20th century), U.S. author and pediatrician. Touchpoints, ch. 3 (1992).

I find this quote by Dr.Brazelton very inspiring and educational. It conveys the message that a baby needs nourishment throughout the early childhood years and not only at birth. Parents  should be providers of activities that enhance acceptance and teach children problem-solving skills. Teachers should response by being sensitive to each child's individuality.By being physically and emotionally available to children's needs; children are taught the skills necessary to help them set and acquire goals in their adultlife.


 

Piaget and education

“The principle goal of education in the schools should be creating men and women who are capable of doing new things, not simply repeating what other generations have done; men and women who are creative, inventive and discoverers, who can be critical and verify, and not accept, everything they are offered.”


- Jean Piaget



          
Every new generation should surpass the past one in accomplishments and expanded knowledge. These two quotes by Piaget reveal that  we must not be content when our children reach us.We should  always expect our children to go farther than we have ever been.It is  vital  to show younger generations to excel in everything they set out to do. Teachers play a very important role in a child’s life. It is never too early to start building tomorrow’s leaders….


            

 

“It is with children that we have the best chance of studying the development of logical knowledge, mathematical knowledge, physical knowledge, and so forth.” –Piaget

There is a large amount of things we can learn from observing a child’s behavior. Children teach us everyday interesting logical things. A child can teach adults to find happiness in simple things. Children enjoy having friends. They admire, value, and trust their friends. If only that perspective would stay through adulthood, the world would not be so complicated. Children live by their instincts. They do not hesitate to make decisions making the task more difficult than it usually is like adult’s do. Children do not dwell on mistakes; instead they examine the error with curiosity. This opens a window of opportunity to learn.

CASA

Volunteer Your Time to Change a Child's Life

Nobody longs for a safe and loving family more than a child in foster care. As a CASA volunteer, you are empowered by the courts to help make this dream a reality. You will be the one consistent adult in these children’s lives, vigilantly fighting for and protecting their fundamental right to be treated with the dignity and respect every child deserves. You will not only bring positive change to the lives of these vulnerable children, but also their children and generations to come. And in doing so, you will enrich your life as well.

- Complete Information can be found at http://www.casaforchildren.org/site/c.mtJSJ7MPIsE/b.5301309/k.9D58/Volunteering.htm

 

CASA I AM FOR THE CHILD CAMPAIGN

I am for the child who has attended eight
schools in four years. Because she’s in foster care.
Because her birth mother, debilitated by mental
illness, neglected her. That is the child I am for. And
because I am, she will be half as likely to
languish in foster care, and that much more likely
to find a safe, permanent home...........
I am for the child who lived in
motels, cars and shelters. The child
who now stands in the entryway
of a group foster home. Clutching
a makeshift suitcase. A garbagebag. As black as the tar heroin that killed his dad.
That is the child I am
And because I am, he will be
half as likely to languish in foster
care, and that much more likely
to find a safe, permanent home.
I am for the child who’s had seven addresses
in a single year. Because she’s in foster care.
Because her father abused her. And because
her mother couldn’t believe her. That is the
child I am for. I am a Court Appointed
Special Advocate (CASA) volunteer.
I am you.