Stressors

I did not experience any of the stressors listed and was not or I am not aware of any of my family or friends experiencing any of those stressors. Although this is tough for me to share I will share a little and move on. I did experience sexual abuse by my grandfather from ages 3 to 12 until my parents found out. I think I survived because I had my immediate family that cared deeply for me and I had faith. The ramifications are I have poor body image, I am extremely modest, and I kept my feelings bottled up for years. I did get private counseling about a year and a half ago (I am 39) and received counseling through my church as well. I think sexual abuse happens all across the nation and in every country of the world. Cognitively I think the stress affected my learning. There

were times it was hard to concentrate in school. When the abuse stopped my love for school grew and my grades improved dramatically. As far as my psychosocial development it clouded my thoughts about family, trust, and even hindered my social skills. As part of my healing I had to tell my other immediate family members (my brothers) about the abuse because up until a year and a half ago it was a secret. In response both of my brothers (both police officers) said, “oh my gosh now I understand why you are the way you are.” 

In the United Sates there are laws against sexual abuse however many people still do not report or they handle it within the family. As educators of children and parents it is important to remember it is our job as mandated reporters to report any suspicion of abuse. We must educate as many people as possible to protect children!

Public Health Measures: SIDS

The public health topic I chose is SIDS or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. This topic is meaningful to me because babies are my passion in the early childhood field. I want to learn as much as I can and pass the information on to the families I serve. Also in my previous job I worked with a teen mom that lost her 4-month-old baby girl to SIDS.

SIDS is an unexplainable death of a baby in its sleep. SIDS has decreased since the public awareness campaign called "Back to Sleep" however the back to sleep method of sleeping is not a cure for SIDS. Risk factors for SIDS include, " low birth weight, over-dressed infants, low SES, formula feeding, and teenage parenthood," (Berger, 2009). Two ways to reduce the risk of SIDS besides back to sleep are breast-feeding as well as introducing baby to a binki during rest times.

The information I learned will allow me to teach new parents about the risks of SIDS. I will also be able to pass the information on to friends, family, and neighbors. Any information that can reduce infant deaths is important information!

Other interesting information I learned while researching SIDS includes, "African-American infants are twice as likely and Native-American infants are three times more likely to die of SIDS than Caucasian infants," (Kids Health, 2008). Boys die more often from SIDS than girls (Kids Health, 2008). Most internet resources I reviewed list Asian babies as the lowest risk race and ethnic group for SIDS. I found this interesting because several articles listed Japanese families as common co-sleepers which is not recommended in the United States because infants can over heat or parents can roll onto their babies.

Josie Zbaeren 

Berger, K. S. (2009). The developing person through childhood. (5^th ed.). New York,
            NY: Worth Publishers

Kids Health, (2008, Novemeber 1). Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Kids Health.
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