Child Birth in Your Life and Around the World

I remember 15 years ago I was in the delivery room with a good friend of mine.  I remember her labor progressing rather quickly.  The nurses kept coming in to check to see how much she had dilated and I remember Christy (my friend) saying she was ready to push.  The nurses told her just a few minutes let’s wait on the doctor to get here.  Christy was screaming and said he better hurry up cause this baby is coming.  Well Christy couldn’t wait any longer and the baby’s head was crowning.  She began to push and the nurses were yelling telling her to wait.  Her husband began to get upset cause he felt as if they were trying to push the baby back in (sounds crazy right, but it did seem that way).  By the time the doctor came in the nurses was holding on to the baby and the doctor came in just in time to suction the mouth and cut the cord.  This experience made me wondered what if there could have been complications like the cord around the baby’s neck.  Maybe that is why the nurse wanted her to wait.  I know that many children are born without the assistance of a doctor, but it is vital to a baby’s development that it is born in the presence of a doctor, midwife or other health care professionals in case of any complications or emergencies.

I researched births in South Africa.  I read some of the women suffered from horrific birthing experiences.  Women experience verbal and physical abuse. They were pinched, slapped, and handled roughly during labor. Nurses continuously ignored calls for help. After delivery, the mother and baby are left unattended for very long periods.  Women are discharged inappropriately.  Women sent home with no antibiotics or pain medication.  Women in labor women were refused admission, they were not even examined. Women sent home after Cesarean section with no medications, painkillers, antibiotics, etc.

Upon reading this I believe that Christy’s experience wasn’t as bad as I thought it was.   Although I felt the nurses were harsh, she and her child did receive the proper care after the birth.  When she buzzed for the nurses they were there for her.    She received meds as needed and the baby was properly cared for until her release.    The maternal mortality rate is high in South Africa and it is due to the mistreatment of women giving births.      

Code of Ethics

These ideals were meaningful to me because when parents send their children to school they want to know that their child is safe and cared for.  It is important to advocate for those that have special needs to that they can receive the same treatment and education as others.  It is also important to recognize each professional in the field of early childhood education.  Each person is unique and every professional can learn from one another.  It is also vital that families are aware of all resources that are available to them.

NAEYC

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.

I-1.9—To advocate for and ensure that all children, including those with special needs, have access to the support services needed to be successful.

 I-1.10—To ensure that each child’s culture, language, ethnicity, and family structure are recognized and valued in the program

DEC 

We shall honor and respect the rights, knowledge, and skills of the multidisciplinary colleagues with whom we work recognizing their unique contributions to children, families, and the field of early childhood special education.

We shall empower families with information and resources so that they are informed consumers of services for their children.

We shall be responsible for protecting the confidentiality of the children and families we serve by protecting all forms of verbal, written, and electronic communication.

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/

Course Resources

Position Statements and Influential Practices

·         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, fromhttp://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.pdf

·         Zero 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.pdf

·         Turnbull, A., Zuna, N., Hong, J. Y., Hu, X., Kyzar, K., Obremski, S., et al. (2010). Knowledge-to-action guides. Teaching Exceptional Children, 42(3), 42-53.
Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

Global Support for Children's Rights and Well-Being

·         Article: UNICEF (n.d.). Fact sheet: A summary of the rights under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Retrieved May 26, 2010, fromhttp://www.unicef.org/crc/files/Rights_overview.pdf

·         Websites:

·          

o    World Forum Foundation
http://worldforumfoundation.org/wf/wp/about-us
This link connects you to the mission statement of this organization. Make sure to watch the media segment on this webpage

o    World Organization for Early Childhood Education
http://www.omep-usnc.org/
Read about OMEP's mission.

o    Association for Childhood Education International
http://acei.org/
Click on "Mission/Vision" and "Guiding Principles and Beliefs" and read these statement

Selected Early Childhood 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/

Selected Professional Journals Available in the Walden Library

Tip: Use the Journal option under Search & Find on the library website to find journals by title.

·         YC Young Children

·         Childhood

·         Journal of Child & Family Studies

·         Child Study Journal

·         Multicultural Education

·         Early Childhood Education Journal

·         Journal of Early Childhood Research

·         International Journal of Early Childhood

·         Early Childhood Research Quarterly

·         Developmental Psychology

·         Social Studies

·         Maternal & Child Health Journal

·         International Journal of Early Years Education

Additional Resources

In The Land Of Women: Being a Man in Early Childhood Education - The Wheelock Blog. (2012, December 18). Retrieved October 5, 2015.

Accounting For Missing Men in Early Childhood. (n.d.). Retrieved October 5, 2015.

2014 Working Groups. (n.d.). Retrieved October 5, 2015.