Saturday, September 29, 2012
WK 5 Blog Assignment
No week 5 Assignment. Hopefully I can take advantage of the free time I never have...
WK 4 Blog Assignment
Well, I am sad to say that I wrote a huge blog and then my computer overheated and I lost it. Good thing the new computer arrived this week, I just hadn't switched all my stuff over yet and wanted to get my work done before playing with all my files while I move them. So, I guarantee this post is not nearly as good as it had been.
So this assignment is about my experience with sickness/disease in the family, which was a huge stresser to my brother an I as we grew up, and even today. My father has been sick since before I was officially a teenager, I believe they call them tween's now. My brother is four years younger than me, and was in elementary school. Our first health encounter was a spine problem, the solution was to fuse some disks in my fathers spine. During recovery, my father was practically paralyzed from the waist down, gaining control very slowly. Soon we discovered there was a blood clot which needed to be removed but was risky. Being from MA, it was unusual for a procedure to happen out of state, but my father found a procedure that could be performed which he felt was a good risk to take. It went well, but paralyzed one of his vocal cords, his voice at 10% of what it used to be- something devastating to our family, as my fathers livelihood was being a radio DJ. Another experimental surgery placed a silicone implant next to his working vocal cord, which vibrated the paralyzed one, giving him back about 80% of the voice he had. Then, they found cancer in his lung. Chemo and other treatments left us at the option to remove his left lung. More chemo to ensure everything was in remission and we thought we were good to go! Pneumonia hit, and landed dad on oxygen. Gradually he was able to function without it, and then pneumonia hit again, and he was on oxygen full time. It almost killed him. He's on oxygen permanently. Pneumonia hit a third time, and thankfully he recovered. It has been over 10 years, and the doctors have cleared him of any possible return of lung cancer. He can walk, usually without a cane. He is on oxygen but makes a habit of remaining active. This includes getting three oxygen hoses each 10 feet long so he can go lounge in the lake while we're on vacation! He frequents the local gym and sits in the hottub and the pool regularly, keeping the tank away from the water, but using long hoses so he can roam a bit. He can drive. He can talk. He can laugh (and complain, for that matter hahaha). and most importantly, he lives. My father is turning 65 this year. The past 15 years have been a roller coaster for my brother and I. Four years apart, I never realized how much he missed or doesn't remember. We used to go roller skating regularly with my dad, weekend trips to the lake to spend time on our boat, cuddle time watching tv, daddy used to cook dinner too. My brother remembers little of this, and seems to have suffered emotionally. He distances himself from my father because he's afraid of getting too close, we have almost lost him too many times in our life. He spends a lot of time with my mom, though. Me on the other hand, I'm daddy's girl. I call him and chat a lot, while my brother who is still home- barely talks to him. Some might think my brother simply doesn't get along with my father, but the problem is that they are similar and that he is secretly just as sentimental as dad. My brothers college essay was all about his struggles with my fathers illnesses, he let only me read it. It was difficult to focus on school when there was a health problem, but for me it was easier to keep going and doing my school work because there was nothing I could do to fix daddy. Staying at home and crying didn't help. Now that I'm older, I am still striving for greatness in order to impress my dad. I am who I am because of his problems.
I don't have a special affinity for any specific region in order to research stresses there. One frustrating part of this class, is i'm simply not interested in other regions at this time. Randomly, I found an article about obesity in Portugal. This article discusses "Prevalence of overweight and obesity are elevated among children of the Sintra region in Portugal compared to most other regions of Europe"(Ferreira & Marques-Vidal, 2008, p1) and that the "The relationship with the parents’ nutritional state stresses the need to target families for preventing obesity" (Ferreira & Marques-Vidal, 2008, p1). It is decieded that "parental BMI and dietary selectivity appear to exert a higher effect than birth weight, breastfeeding, or school meals."
Ferreira, R. J., & Marques-vidal, P. (2008). Prevalence and determinants of obesity in children in public schools of sintra, portugal. Obesity, 16(2), 497-500. doi: 10.1038/oby.2007.74
So this assignment is about my experience with sickness/disease in the family, which was a huge stresser to my brother an I as we grew up, and even today. My father has been sick since before I was officially a teenager, I believe they call them tween's now. My brother is four years younger than me, and was in elementary school. Our first health encounter was a spine problem, the solution was to fuse some disks in my fathers spine. During recovery, my father was practically paralyzed from the waist down, gaining control very slowly. Soon we discovered there was a blood clot which needed to be removed but was risky. Being from MA, it was unusual for a procedure to happen out of state, but my father found a procedure that could be performed which he felt was a good risk to take. It went well, but paralyzed one of his vocal cords, his voice at 10% of what it used to be- something devastating to our family, as my fathers livelihood was being a radio DJ. Another experimental surgery placed a silicone implant next to his working vocal cord, which vibrated the paralyzed one, giving him back about 80% of the voice he had. Then, they found cancer in his lung. Chemo and other treatments left us at the option to remove his left lung. More chemo to ensure everything was in remission and we thought we were good to go! Pneumonia hit, and landed dad on oxygen. Gradually he was able to function without it, and then pneumonia hit again, and he was on oxygen full time. It almost killed him. He's on oxygen permanently. Pneumonia hit a third time, and thankfully he recovered. It has been over 10 years, and the doctors have cleared him of any possible return of lung cancer. He can walk, usually without a cane. He is on oxygen but makes a habit of remaining active. This includes getting three oxygen hoses each 10 feet long so he can go lounge in the lake while we're on vacation! He frequents the local gym and sits in the hottub and the pool regularly, keeping the tank away from the water, but using long hoses so he can roam a bit. He can drive. He can talk. He can laugh (and complain, for that matter hahaha). and most importantly, he lives. My father is turning 65 this year. The past 15 years have been a roller coaster for my brother and I. Four years apart, I never realized how much he missed or doesn't remember. We used to go roller skating regularly with my dad, weekend trips to the lake to spend time on our boat, cuddle time watching tv, daddy used to cook dinner too. My brother remembers little of this, and seems to have suffered emotionally. He distances himself from my father because he's afraid of getting too close, we have almost lost him too many times in our life. He spends a lot of time with my mom, though. Me on the other hand, I'm daddy's girl. I call him and chat a lot, while my brother who is still home- barely talks to him. Some might think my brother simply doesn't get along with my father, but the problem is that they are similar and that he is secretly just as sentimental as dad. My brothers college essay was all about his struggles with my fathers illnesses, he let only me read it. It was difficult to focus on school when there was a health problem, but for me it was easier to keep going and doing my school work because there was nothing I could do to fix daddy. Staying at home and crying didn't help. Now that I'm older, I am still striving for greatness in order to impress my dad. I am who I am because of his problems.
I don't have a special affinity for any specific region in order to research stresses there. One frustrating part of this class, is i'm simply not interested in other regions at this time. Randomly, I found an article about obesity in Portugal. This article discusses "Prevalence of overweight and obesity are elevated among children of the Sintra region in Portugal compared to most other regions of Europe"(Ferreira & Marques-Vidal, 2008, p1) and that the "The relationship with the parents’ nutritional state stresses the need to target families for preventing obesity" (Ferreira & Marques-Vidal, 2008, p1). It is decieded that "parental BMI and dietary selectivity appear to exert a higher effect than birth weight, breastfeeding, or school meals."
Ferreira, R. J., & Marques-vidal, P. (2008). Prevalence and determinants of obesity in children in public schools of sintra, portugal. Obesity, 16(2), 497-500. doi: 10.1038/oby.2007.74
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Saturday, September 15, 2012
WK2 blog assignment
SIDS is important to me as a public health issue for families of infants because I work with infants on a daily basis. Sudden infant death syndrome is the term used when an infant dies suddenly without any cause or known medical reason. There does not appear to be any indicators prior to death that there is something wrong. There are some preventative measures, such as infants sleeping on their backs in a well ventilated room.
In Asutria, they have a "Safe Sleep" campaign to make parents and families aware of SIDS prevention methods. "The current focus is to convey a clear and uniform message in personal conversations before and after birth of the child. These conversations with parents are the most important tool to detect SIDS related anxiety and a possibly increased risk of SIDS. In the last 30 years various polysomnographic parameters were published that were associated with an increased risk of SIDS.Today there is international consent that polysomnography is not an efficient screening method to demonstrate increased risk of SIDS. Therefore the use of polysomnography, besides research purposes, has been limited to investigating clinical symptoms of infants and children. Concerning monitoring it is important to note that--in contrast to the undisputed importance of monitoring breathing disorders--the effectiveness inSIDS prevention is unproven. State of the art are instruments that monitor heart and breathing rate and have adequate storage functions. The duration of monitoring should encompass the symptomatic period as well as a safety period of three months. The monitor should not be routinely prescribed for a year. The guiding principle is "As short as possible with stringent indication". Prerequisite for the monitoring is good instruction of the parents and a continuous consultation by competent outpatient clinics." (Ipsiroglu, Kerbl, Urschitz & Kurz, 2010)
Ipsiroglu OS, Kerbl R, Urschitz M, Kurz R.(2010) Wiener Klinische Wochenschrift; Vol. 112 (5), pp. 187-92.
My future work is impacted by SIDS knowledge, and I have taken training about it. without knowledge of what SIDS is, I believe state guidelines here in MA would be different. We are not allowed to place an infant on their stomach, but can allow them to sleep that way if they roll over themselves. There are to be no loose items in the cribs while in the facility, all blankets must be tucked in tightly or the baby must be swaddled. Toys are not allowed in the cribs. As always, constant supervision is required at all times. Generally, each facility has good air circulation as well.
Saturday, September 8, 2012
WK1 Blog assignment
I have had very little personal experience with the child birthing process so far. One experience I clearly remember was when I was four years old. My grandfather was a doctor and helped my mother with delivering me, and was doing the same by delivering my baby brother. I remember being in the hospital waiting room with my dad when my grandpa came in and told my dad that the baby was blue. Being a naive child, I asked confused "Isn't he going to be white, like us?". My grandpa explained that he was going to look just as we do, but currently had a blue tint because the cord was wrapped around his neck. I was then given a choice of Joshua, Jason, Jonathan, or Jacob to name my brother. Of course, I choose the longest of Jonathan! For my development, this experience allowed me to ask questions about where babies come from. It allowed me to watch as my mothers body and emotions changed. It showed me that I can make big decisions. It let me be curious. For my brothers development, his lack of oxygen could have presented problems with further growth, but this was not the case for him.
I choose to research Mexico as a different place of comparison for births.
"Mothers aged 14-19 account for roughly 480,000, or 24 percent, of Mexico's 2 million annual births, the Health Secretariat said Saturday." (EFE news service, 2012) "A teen pregnancy is considered high risk due to the immaturity of the (adolescent's) body, which puts them at risk of preeclampsia or hemorrhages, conditions that are among the main causes of maternal mortality," (EFE news service, 2012). We have seen similar trends in the US of teen pregnancies, but the education of teens and the support given to them gives them provides benefits that mexico does not. "The CDC reported the birth rate for teens ages 15 to 19 had declined 35 percent from 1991 to 2005. The news isn't quite as good in New Mexico, which has seen only a 21 percent decline in teen births from 1991 to 2004. New Mexico remains third highest in the nation for teen births, said Sylvia Ruiz, executive director for the New Mexico Teen Pregnancy Coalition" (HOLT, 2006), In Mexico, There is a higher risk of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases because of a lack of protection, which is a result of poor sexual education. The baby is also at a higher risk due to the young age of the mothers physically, as well as the fact that they may not be aware of proper prenatal care.
EFE News Service (2012, Apr 07) Teen mothers account for quarter of all births in mexico. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/971956853?accountid=14872
Gwin, K., Schrader, R., Peters, K., Moreno, A., Thiel, K., & Leslie, K. (2012). An exploratory study of the variables impacting preterm birth rates in New Mexico. BMC Pregnancy And Childbirth, 1253.
HOLT, L. Journal, S. W. (2006, Nov 24). Teen births in U.S. at record low ; new mexico's rate is third highest in nation.Albuquerque Journal, pp. 1-A1. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/324396971?accountid=14872
HOLT, L. Journal, S. W. (2007, Jan 10). Violence tied to risky births ; poor pre-natal care also cited in new mexico pregnancy health assessment. Albuquerque Journal, pp. 1-B1. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/324354410?accountid=14872
I choose to research Mexico as a different place of comparison for births.
"Mothers aged 14-19 account for roughly 480,000, or 24 percent, of Mexico's 2 million annual births, the Health Secretariat said Saturday." (EFE news service, 2012) "A teen pregnancy is considered high risk due to the immaturity of the (adolescent's) body, which puts them at risk of preeclampsia or hemorrhages, conditions that are among the main causes of maternal mortality," (EFE news service, 2012). We have seen similar trends in the US of teen pregnancies, but the education of teens and the support given to them gives them provides benefits that mexico does not. "The CDC reported the birth rate for teens ages 15 to 19 had declined 35 percent from 1991 to 2005. The news isn't quite as good in New Mexico, which has seen only a 21 percent decline in teen births from 1991 to 2004. New Mexico remains third highest in the nation for teen births, said Sylvia Ruiz, executive director for the New Mexico Teen Pregnancy Coalition" (HOLT, 2006), In Mexico, There is a higher risk of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases because of a lack of protection, which is a result of poor sexual education. The baby is also at a higher risk due to the young age of the mothers physically, as well as the fact that they may not be aware of proper prenatal care.
EFE News Service (2012, Apr 07) Teen mothers account for quarter of all births in mexico. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/971956853?accountid=14872
Gwin, K., Schrader, R., Peters, K., Moreno, A., Thiel, K., & Leslie, K. (2012). An exploratory study of the variables impacting preterm birth rates in New Mexico. BMC Pregnancy And Childbirth, 1253.
HOLT, L. Journal, S. W. (2006, Nov 24). Teen births in U.S. at record low ; new mexico's rate is third highest in nation.Albuquerque Journal, pp. 1-A1. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/324396971?accountid=14872
HOLT, L. Journal, S. W. (2007, Jan 10). Violence tied to risky births ; poor pre-natal care also cited in new mexico pregnancy health assessment. Albuquerque Journal, pp. 1-B1. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/324354410?accountid=14872
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