Malnutrition and the importances in every child's life

The topic I chose for this week’s blog is malnutrition. Malnutrition is the condition that develops when the body does not get the right amount of the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients it needs to maintain healthy tissues and organ function. This is one of the most important public health measures that impact children’s development all over the world. In any community or service, if healthy nutrition is learned we would have better health for every child and their families. Malnutrition is common in the United States, but is not as bad as in countries likes Africa and South Asia. Malnutrition may lead to severe illnesses, weight loss, or even death. Just having knowledge and distributing these public health practices may save millions of lives each year. 
Some symptoms that may be meaning ful to families, teachers and staff, this information may help and impact an infant, child or adult to better health...
Symptoms of malnutrition in children can include:
• Failure to grow at the expected rate, both in terms of weight and height
• changes in behaviour such as appearing unusually irritable, sluggish or anxious
• changes in hair and skin colour
• hair loss
• swelling of the stomach and legs (this last symptom usually only occurs if a child is severely malnourished)
• Vitamin and mineral deficiency
Physical signs that you may have a vitamin or mineral deficiency include:
• skin problems or rashes
• swelling of your tongue
• poor vision at night or in dim light
• you feel out of breath and tired all the time (due to anaemia)
• you experience a constant ringing or buzzing in your ears (tinnitus)
• paleness inside the mouth or eyelids (due to anaemia)
• pain in the bones or joints

In Africa, malnutrition is very common. Their condition in many instances is called wasting. This is where a child is severely underweight as a result to having bad nutrition. 15 percent of the children’s population in Africa lives in households of children hunger. The main reason is not only plundering resources but the knowledge that is not given to these households. Also in Africa, one in ten children suffer from severe malnutrition. 50 percent of these children being in preschool. This not only causes things like illness and diseases, but stunted growth.

This information is going to impact my work now and in the future with my own family and the families I work with. Prevention is better than treatment. With some knowledge we are more likely to protect the ones in our lives and our own. 
Resources-
http://www.feedthebabiesfund.org.za/News/FactsInfo/ChildPovertyandMalnutrition/tabid/108/Default.aspx
http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Malnutrition/Pages/Symptoms.aspx 
Berger, K. S. (2012). The developing person through childhood (6thed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishers. Chapter 5. 

My birthing experience

      The birthing experience that I have chosen was my best friends birth to her daughter Sophia, four months ago. I waited in the waiting for 6 hours waiting until she was born. The only people that were in the delivery room was her husband, the nurse and the doctor. They do not allow anyone else unless  the family gives permission. I have never experienced a birth before and still haven't. What I remember is the excitement of her arrival. Her father was so ecstatic and emotional that it made the experience one never to forget.
     It took about two hours after her birth that we could see her and her mom. The nurse came out to let us know that they wanted the mother to relax a bit and get the baby all cleaned up and ready for her visitors. I chose this example because its fresh in my mind and its the first experience I had when I was waiting at the hospital for her arrival. I believe in the United States, hospitals for the most part women and their babies are treated the same and taking care of to the best of their ability. This impacts their child development because the pregnancy and the birth are the beginning process of their development for the rest of their lives.




Japan-
Most births take place in a hospital or doctors clinic in Japan. This is similar to the United States. What is not similar is that most labors in Japan are handled by midwives. The United States less than 8 percent of births are attended by midwives. Japan strives for natural birth and non pain reliefs during birth. Japan also doesn't have a good support from others during births. There is a lack of family and close friends. There is also a difference in language and culture that makes the approach to the biting experience different for every family.  www.tokyoweekender.com/2009/birthing-in-Japan-2/