Nutrition/Malnutrition

"Everybody-as basic human right-has a right to food.  The right to food is as basic as life itself."
-Tom Arnold, CEO, Concerned World Wide

Each night all around the world children go to bed hungry.  And every year about 1 million children die from severe acute malnutrition (concernusa.org).  

This topic is important to me because each morning when children are eating breakfast and I am observing, every once in a while I see a child who seems more hungry than the rest of the children, and cries until he eats.  I think to myself that maybe this is the only meals that the child is getting is when they are at school and may not be getting the proper nutrition that he needs at home.  When I think about children who are hungry, some of them not getting one meal a day and some not eating for days it really saddens me. 

There are many causes for malnutrition in India such as gender inequality.  Women of a low social status don't receive good quality nor quantities of nutrition.  When women are not receiving the proper nutrition is contributes them it decreases the chances of them having normal babies.  Being malnourished can lead to so many other health issues as well including but not limited to TB, pneumonia and an increased mortality rate. 

Subodh Varma's writing The Times of India states that the Global Hunger Index India is on place 67 among 80 nations having the worst hunger situation which is worse than nations such as North Korea or Sudan (ifpri.org). 

In my present and future work I will continuously educate parents about the importance of good nutrition and the importance of eating right and of the consequences of when they don't. 

References

www.concernusa.org/Public/Program.aspx



www.ifpri.org/publication

Childbirth In Your Life and Around the World

The first child birth I took a part in was when my sister gave birth to my niece Alaysia. I was so excited about her arrival that my sister allowed me to be in the delivery room when she gave birth. It was the scariest but most beautiful thing that I had ever witnessed. When my sister got to the hospital she had already dilated 6cms. She acted like she was on a routine visit and didn't ask for any medication. She ate well during her pregnancy and she exercised a lot and in return had a 6lb. 5oz. baby girl. This little girl became the apple of my eye; however I love all my nieces and nephews just the same. When Alaysia was born both me and my sister were still living at home and I was able to see her grow from an infant to a toddler and all the changes that her little body made as she developed. I think that childbirth is a beautiful thing and whomever experiences it should consider it a blessing. The topic of childbirth and prenatal development is a bittersweet topic for me because my husband and I have been trying for 10 years with no luck but I'm staying faithful that it will happen one day.

There are options for expectant mothers in China. They can choose a western-style hospital or a Chinese hospital. The hospitals that are located in major cities in China are available to anyone who chooses to go there, however they are much more expensive and don't offer what most traditional hospitals offer. In China they stay in the hospitals far longer than mother's who have given birth in the US. The average time that a mother stays in the hospital in the United States is two to five days; however, expectant mothers in China should expect to be hospitalized weeks prior to giving birth and weeks after. Unlike hospitals in the United States mothers to be who go to hospitals located in China are not provided with the same necessities such as pain killers. They have to bring pain medication in with them. Mothers in China are entitled to 90 days of leave after giving birth and up to 10 weeks prior to having their child which is much longer than what is given in the United States.

When comparing the United States to China both provide personal affects for families although in different ways. A mother in the US goes into the hospital and a lot of amenities are provide such as pain medication and sheets to sleep on where as mothers who arrive in hospitals in cities in China have to bring those types of things in with them.

Birth experiences vary from country to country but the overall goal it to deliver healthy, well developed children.

Reference

Giving Birth-http://china.angloinfo.com/healthcare/pregnancy-birth/giving-birth/