Breastfeeding was not for me!

Hi Everyone! After having my daughter, I had to stay in the hospital at least three days before I could be discharged. During my stay, I had a couple of nurses that educated me on the importance of breastfeeding. They explained the breastfeeding procedure to me step by step and the benefits. They wanted to see how much I learned by seeing me breastfeed my daughter. It was challenge and quite painful however the more I did it, I became immune to the pain. I tried the breast pumps for quite a bit and decided that I didn't want to do it anymore. I breastfed my daughter for the first five or six months of her life and then decided to switch to the bottle.

Everything that we do in life has pros and cons. Here are some of the pros and cons of breastfeeding that I thought were important to share with you:

Pros:
Weight Loss
Healthier for baby(in taking natural minerals, no added hormones)
Saves Money
Promotes "mommy and baby" bonding
Keeps the mother's body healthy
Gives Flexibility(use the breast pump or natural breast to feed)

Cons:
May cause physical pain and dryness to the breast area
Takes more energy from the body(mom may become more tired than usual)
Can be emotionally uncomfortable(breastfeeding in a public area)
More challenging task than feeding from a bottle


Every woman is different, therefore I am glad that the United States gives women the CHOICE of whether to breastfeed their child(ren). Women in other countries may not be as privileged to make this decision themselves.

Reference:

More4Kids. (2012). Breastfeeding-Pros and Cons. Retrieved from 

          http://pregnancy.more4kids.info/138/breastfeeding-pros-and-cons/

On July 17th, 2009, My Angel Was Born: My Daughter's Child Birthing Experience

On July 17, 2009 at 7:52 am, I gave birth to my first and only child, Saniyah. I was told that labor and delivery was a very hard process. I never wanted to believe that I was going to have a baby right after college. Apparently, God must have laughed at my plans because he definitely placed her in them. My labor had to be induced because I wasn't feeling any pain and she just wasn't ready to pop out. She was born at Forsyth Medical Center in Winston-Salem, NC. As soon as I walked through the doors, I knew that I was at "home". The hospital was very clean, the staff was welcoming and kind and I had most of my family present. I was ready!!! The most challenging part of this process was what I called the "BIG E", my epidural treatment. I do not like needles of any kind and the nurses and my mom had to give me about three pep talks before I gave the anesthesiologist permission to do his job. I can say after everything was done, I felt so proud of myself. I jumped over what I considered a major hurdle.
A few hours later, I was prepped and ready to bring Saniyah into the world. The doctors were calm and made me feel the same. They were gentle and coached me through the entire delivery. Once Saniyah was born, I was given tips and suggestions on how to breastfeed, change a diaper and how to properly wrap her in her receiving blanket. I had to stay in the hospital for at least three days before I was discharged. Saniyahs's father was there with me throughout my stay and catered to my needs.  Overall, I had a wonderful child birthing experience and would not change one thing about it!

Giving birth should be one of the most memorable events in one's life.  So many emotions come into play during this time such as happiness, fear, and unfortunately depression which is known as post-partum depression.  Babies change lifestyles, therefore it is important to foster the most nurturing , safe and learning environment for them. As my daughter get older, I would want her to reflect back on the things that she can remember from her childhood(as much as she can) and feel as if I fullfiled all of her needs and provided her with most of her wants. My parents made me feel as if I was the most important thing on earth to them and I want her to feel the very same way because she is my angel!  

The Child Birthing Experience in China

I was so through after reading about the child birthing experience in China. In China, birth means having a boy so girls are not even thought of. The Chinese women will eat certain foods such as sunflower and watermelon seeds just to increase their chances of having a baby boy. They also believe in eating dumplings to have a baby boy, prunes for an early delivery and prunes for an easy delivery.

Another interesting fact is that pregnant women are given NO PRIVACY during their doctor visits. Other patients have the right to watch a ob-gyn doctor perform a pelvic examination and ultrasound UNBELIEVABLE!

Women are only allowed in the delivery room meaning if the woman has a husband, he will have to wait in the waiting area until the labor and delivery process is finished. Research states that this was put in place because a husband watched his wife go through so much pain and because of this, he punched the doctor.  Can you say WOW???

These are just a few things that I wanted to share about the child birthing experience in China. It seems as if being pregnant over in China is so strict and structured. Although pregnancy comes with its pros and cons, it is supposed to be a joy filled experience. It is very unfortunate that the Chinese women go through so much and they are the ones that are bringing lives into this world. I thank God for the United States and the freedom that we have. It is amazing the little things that we take for granted!!

Source: Kohri, N. (2012). Care the World: The Birth Practice of the World. Retrieved from http://www.caretheworld.com/eng/resources/birthworld.html

Inspiring Words from Present Early Childhood Professionals

"If you don't like the way the word is, you have an obligation to change it. Just do it one step at a time."
-Marian Wright Edelman. (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved November 26, 2011, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marian_Wright_Edelman

"We now have scientific evidence to support a belief that many of us have held for a long time: That children's environment of relationships in the first years of their lives shape the architecture of their brains, influencing their abilities long into adulthood."
 -Whitebrook Ph.D., Marcy (2010, April 26). [2020 Vision for the Early Learning Workforce speech]. Speech presented at Early Learning Tour, Denver, Colorado. [Transcript]. Retrieved from http://www2.ed.gov/about/inits/ed/earlylearning/denver-whitebook-speech.pdf

"And when I think about passion as a person, I also embrace who I am, who I am as a woman, who I am as a Latina leader, and what my family has taught me."
-Leticia Lara, LSSW, Regional Manager for Outreach and Professional Development, ZERO TO THREE

"I think, like I've said before, and I truly believe that I'm not here to save the world. I'm here to make a difference in the community I am working."
-Raymond Hernandez., MS Ed., Executive Director of the School of Early Childhood Education, University of Southern California

My Favorite Early Childhood Quote:

"We worry about what a child will become tomorrow, yet we forget that he is someone today."- Stacia Tauscher

Why "Little Tina" Touched My Heart!!!!

Being a educator in the early childhood field has so many perks: The young age group, the fun curriculum, listening to their stories and simply seeing them develop day by day. During my student teaching experience, I formed so many long lasting relationships with my students and their parents. There was one student that continues to hold a special place in my heart and I'm going to call her "Tina". "Tina" had a learning disability. She would meet with her intervention teacher once a week and my cooperating teacher would have to write up an IEP, Individualized Education Plan, to keep her on track. "Tina" was very involved with her center time activities and had great interaction with her classmates. Although she wasn't on their learning level, she had the will power to succeed just as they did. Sometimes, "Tina" would also try to use a learning disability to her advantage in certain way of speaking. My cooperating teacher and teacher assistant would ask "Tina" to sit down, clean up, or stop talking and she would not listen. They had a rough time dealing with her behavior. One day, "Tina" and I had a little talk about her behavior. She loved being up under me and expressing herself so our conversation went well. I explained to her that big girls are nice in class and do what their teachers tell them to do." I asked her if she thought that she was being a big girl and she said nodded yes." I told her that she wasn't and that she needs to show Ms. Faison better." She started to cry. I consoled her and told her that it was ok. I want to see her do better because I care. As I held her on my lap, I wiped her tears and told her to go play." From that day, her behavior started changing for the better. Yes, she still had her little moments but then didn't compare to her past behavior. I knew that "Tina" was special and that she was going to go somewhere in life as she grows up. It was something about how she called my name, how she loved being up under me, how she listened to me when I told her to do something and just her smile. I miss my little "Tina" and hope that she is doing well!!!!

My Favorite Childhood Story: "The Little Engine That Could"

My favorite childhood story is, "The Little Engine That Could". This children's story has such a deep meaning. The plot involves a train that has to go over a mountain but doesn't have an engine that's strong enough to pull it over. Some many of the larger trains made so many excuses to why they couldn't do the job. One day, a little engine came across the train and decided to give it try. Although he didn't think that he could because his engine was so much smaller. He had the will power and kept telling itself that "It thinks that he could." After repeating this chant over and over again, the engine reached it's goal by pulling the train over the top of the mountain. The little engine reassured itself that it made it through and knew that it possible all along.
This story's theme is so real that it compares to how children think in the classroom. So many children have doubts about making good grades and succeeding in their school work because of how hard it may be or the lack of support they have at home. We have to encourage our children to try and do their best. Explain to them that a challenge is not a negative thing. And to just know that they have overcome their obstacle can make room for a long term reward in the future. Children will have to do as  the "little engine that could" and have a little pep talk from time to time, repeating their favorite motivation phrase such as "I know I can", "I'm not going to stop" or "There is nothing that I can't do", to get them through. Once they overcome their hurdle, they can have a mental celebration and say " I did it" or "Ms. Faison, was right. I can do anything that I put my mind to".