Is breastfeeding really the best?!?

Well, according to many, "yes", breastfeeding to the most nutritious and health way to feed your infant. On UNICF website under nutrition there is an entire page dedicated to informing people about the undeniable benifts of breastfeeding. They explain, "Optimal breastfeeding of infants under two years of age has the greatest potential impact on child survival of all preventive interventions, with the potential to prevent over 800,000 deaths (13 per cent of all deaths) in children under five in the developing world (Lancet 2013)." 

I'm curious to know why breast milk has so may beneficial qualities and what research has to say about breast-fed children compared to children who have not been fed breast milk? 

What I discovered about breastfeeding:

•Supplies balance nutrition and adjust to age of baby

•Decress infant death, illness, childhood asthma, and allergies.

•Higher IQ and more likely to attend college

•Less likely to be come obese or suffer from illness due to obesity.

•Simulates mother-child bonding

•Reduces the risk of breast cancer for the breast feeding woman. 

You can check out the UNICEF website for more amazing facts about the benefits of breastfeeding! http://www.unicef.org/nutrition/index_24824.html  

While researching I found this interesting document on a blue print for breast-feeding in Europe. In the document called, "Protection, promotion and support of breastfeeding in Europe: a blue print for action", it addresses a plan for the country to institute to help promote breastfeeding in their country. Their goal was to develop strategies to encourage mother to breastfeed their infant until at least six months which they believed would give the optimal health benefits. Some of the strategies they implemented to encourage breastfeeding was developing polices and procedures for encouraging breastfeeding, provide information, educate and communicate to families and health care provide about the overwhelming advantages of breastfeeding, provide trainings to health care professionals so that they can properly support families in the breastfeeding process, provide protection for mother's who breastfeed by promoting support of public breastfeeding, and careful monitoring to ensure and chart success.    

If you would like to view the document in it's entirety just click here! http://iblce.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/eu-blueprint-english.pdf

I learn that breastfeeding is the most natural way to feed your infant and that feeding you child up to the age on one can have everlasting health benefits for the child and mother. Children who are breastfeed tend to have more successful lives; having a higher college graduation rate, marriage rate, less deceases and illness, and decreased infant death rate. So I guess "breast is the best"!

Resources

Berger, K. S. (2012). The developing person through childhood (6th ed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishers.

UNICEF, http://www.unicef.org/nutrition/index_24824.html

Reference this document as: EU Project on Promotion of Breastfeeding in Europe. Protection, promotion and support of breastfeeding in Europe: a blueprint for action. European Commission, Directorate Public Health and Risk Assessment, Luxembourg, 2004. It can be downloaded from: http://europa.eu.int/comm/health/ph_projects/2002/promotion/promotion_2002_18_en.htm   

Childbirth In Your Life and Around the World

Childbirth is one of the most remarkable experiences a women can endure and yet the outcome of the experience depends on a multitude of factors. The physical and emotional state of all parties involved including the mother, father, siblings, extended family, and even the new born child. The economic status of the family and the country that they live in can all contribute to the outcome of the birth.

I have not birthed any children and have never had the pleasure of being pregnant. I do not remember much of my childhood and certainly not the day I was born. I have a niece and nephew but did not experience their births either. So to reflect of my personal childbirth experience I had to refer to my mother to tell me about the day I was born.

As my mother always starts the story, "It was a cold winter's day on the sixth of February and I woke up feeling like I was in labor. I was already familiar with the pain from having your sister. I woke your dad up and told him that it was time. I got in the shower and got dress. Then I sat down to drink some tea.  I waited around a little bit until I felt like I was ready. After about an hour, your Dad rushed me hospital.  We had planned to drop your sister off at grandma's house first but I told him that you were coming too fast and that we needed to go straight to the hospital. Once we arrived at the hospital, your father left to drop your sister off and your grandmother's house which was only ten minutes away. You were coming so quick that I could not even get any medicine and about two minutes after getting placed in a bed I was pushing and out you came as fast as can be. I was so tired and drained afterwards. I started bleeding and I lost a lot of blood so the doctors had to work on me a bit. When your dad came he busted in the room trying to make sure he didn't miss anything. The doctor nicely informed him that it was over. After about 30 minutes, I finally asked the doctor, "So what did I have?" and he said, "It's a girl!"."

After listening to her story about the day I was born, I realized a variety of factors:

• My mother and father were a married happy couple who loved each other and was excited about expecting a child.
• Both of my parents worked and were consider middle-class.
• My mother received prenatal care and participated in a healthy life style.
• 30 years ago when I was born there were no sonogram so my mother did know what the sex of the baby was going to be before birth.

Childbirth Around the World

I wanted to compare my childbirth to another child in another country. For this comparison I chose Kenya, Africa in the slum village of West Java. West Java is a poor village in east Africa. Most of the women there are abandoned by their husbands and are left to care for their child on their own. Work is hard to come by and food is scarce. Women often are left to birth their children on their own without any medical assistance. Most pregnant mothers do not have the luxury of prenatal care and must rely on any assistance that can be provided by neighbors in the community. I was able to find a video of a women who had 7 children and was giving birth to her 8th that lives in the Java village. Her husband has abandoned her and their children. He visited from time to time but does not show interests in establishing a relationship with his children or providing long-term care for the family he has created. The mother worries about feeding her children; most days she has no clue where the next meal comes from. She works an illegal bootlegging job just to feed her children. In the video, the mother is seen giving birth in her home, which is the common in Java, she has a neighbor assist her in delivering the baby. The woman stands and pushes through contractions and delivers the child quickly without the use of any medication. She recovers quickly and continues to care for the newborn child even giving him a bath. She is up and walking and even says, "Giving birth is the easy part; it's feeding them thats difficult."       

When comparing this birth experience to my own I was able to recognize the following similarities and differences.

Similarities

• We were born quickly
• Both of our fathers were not there for delivery
• Both mothers did not use any medication
• Both mothers did not know the sex of the child before birth

Differences

• My mother received prenatal care
• My parents are together and my father is and has always been in my life
• Economical status were different
• I was delivered in a hospital
• My mother felt tired and sluggish after delivering and the other mother was up and moving around afterwards
• The other mother delivered standing up

  I was shocked to find out that people in the world are suffering in this way. I was hard for me to watch the video and my heart was saddened for the children. It made me appreciate the life I have been able to live and motivated to figure out what I can do to help struggles mothers and their children. 

Please watch 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XKrIeMRNAA 

  

Examining Code of Ethics in ECE

Things have changed in the world of teaching, over the past years, but somethings must remain the same to ensure the health, safety, and wellness of children. Here are a list of three Ethical ideals and principles that, I believe, defy time and should be at the heart of every teacher. Here are  the ethical ideals that work now and forever.

NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct and Statement of Commitment 
Conceptual Framework
Ideals
  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. (It is important for every child to feel that they are valuable and bring a certain uniqueness to the classroom. They should feel that the class would not be the same if they were not there and that their presence is needed and appreciated.) 

Ethical Responsibilities to Community and Society
Ideals
I. 4.6-To promote knowledge and understanding of young children and their needs. To work toward greater societal acknowledgment of children’s rights and greater social acceptance of responsibility for the well-being of all children. (Early childcare professionals have a responsibility to be an advocate for you children, we must support the rights of younger and educate social awareness to the issues that effect young children. We have the power to create and utilize resources to promote the well-being of all children.)

The Division of Early Childcare Code of Ethics 
III. Responsive Family Centered Practice

-Enhancement of Children and Families Quality of Lives
        4. We shall serve as advocates for children with disabilities and their families and for the professionals who serve them by supporting both policy and programmatic decisions that enhance the quality of their lives. (We must ensure that children with disabilities are given equal opportunities to succeed and that their families are given the support needed to ensure the quality of their lives are sufficient.) 


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/

Resources That Works!

As childcare professionals were are always looking for good resources to aide us in providing education, care, and assistance to children and their families.
Here is a list of a few good sources:

Articles
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, fromhttp://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, fromhttp://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, fromhttp://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/DEC_NAEYC_ECSummary_A.pd

fZero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families. (2010). Infant-toddler policy agenda. Retrieved May 26, 2010, fromhttp://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, 

fromhttp://community.fpg.unc.edu/sites/community.fpg.unc.edu/files/imce/documents/FPG_Snapshot_N33_EvidenceBasedPractice_09-2006.pd

Websites

• World Forum Foundation
  http://worldforumfoundation.org/wf/wp/about-us
• World Organization for Early Childhood Education
  http://www.omep-usnc.org/
• Association for Childhood Education International
  http://acei.org/
• Teacher Tube
• http://www.teachertube.com
• Library of Congress- Teacher Resources
• http://www.loc.gov/teachers/

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/
• Early Childhood Resource Center
• http://www.ecresourcecenter.org   

Quotes: Myths and Misunderstanding about Professional Collaborative

Successful collaboration is not about "like"; it is about respect. It has intrinsic value to the extent that professionals who have high regard for and better understand one another are more likely to take the risks involved in working together.- Marilyn Friend, Ph.D.

Quote from "Staying True to Our Profession"

To implement individually, culturally, and linguistically appropriate curriculum is not possible without family involvement. -Sue Bredekamp, Ph.D

Personal Childhood Web

When thinking about how to educate the children of today. It is important to look back at your past and reflect on the people who helped you develop. Who were the people who encouraged and nurtured you?

For me it was:
My mom- She is the corner stone of the family. My mom was one of my first teachers; she educated me on her values and beliefs. She demonstrated excellence in her abilities to parent and maintain a career. My mom showed me the importance of inner strength, spirituality, and community.

My dad- My dad is the foundation of the family. He is an honorable man who shared his love for all of us. My dad was "big" on education and I consider him to be one of my first teachers as well. My father encourage us to do our best in school he would always say, "All you have to do to be successful is try and if you try then you will be successful". I still live by that statement to this day it is the encouragement I need when I feel like my back is against the wall.

My siblings- I'm extremely close to my brothers and sisters and it through them that I credit my love of teaching too. I started teaching my helping them learn various skills and the grew up. My siblings have been open to allowing me to help them through their academic struggles and personal ones as well. We support and believe in each other. I can always depend on their for moral support.

Ms. Swann- Ms. Swann was my kindergarten teacher. She was my first introduction to traditional school setting because prior to kindergarten I was in a home daycare. She was nice, caring, and friendly. She made me love school. I remember being happy to go to school each day and I couldn't wait to see what cool thing we will discover next. Being a kindergarten teacher my self, I credit my experiences with her to why I value my position as a Kindergarten teacher today. I know that I set the educational tone for the students when they enter the classroom and it is important for me to provided them with a loving and welcoming environment where they can learn and grow.

Dee- Dee is my best friend and we have been friends since my junior year of high school. Our friendship is important to me because I moved lot when I was younger and had not established any long lasting friendships. Dee has supported me through everything I have ever wanted to do. She helps me through school and gives me guidance. Education is important to both of us and we have made it our goal to accomplish various educational goals.