Co-Sleeping as a Public Health Topic

Co-sleeping is a common public health topic that is important to consider. At this time I am a firm believer in not co-sleeping. Co-sleeping is when a baby sleeps alongside their parents in the same bed.  “A North American Internet survey found that 20 percent of the youngest babies were put to sleep in the parents’ bed; as were 18 percent of toddlers (Berger, 2012, 131).”

This is a sensitive topic and can cause tension among parenting groups. There are many points for both sides of the controversy. For example, one of the negative points of co-sleeping for me is the amount of time an infant will wake during the evening; studies have shown that infant that co-sleep wake twice as often as those who sleep in their own cribs. Solo-sleeping allows children to become more independent and transition into their own rooms in much easier. The other concern that I have with co-sleeping is the possible harm to the infant if a parent accidentally rolls over.

While my concerns are normal in the United States, in Asian, African and Latin American mothers traditional sleep beside their infants. Asian and African mothers worry about separation (Berger, 2012, 131).

Although this does not directly affect my work with children, I will discuss with parents their sleeping habits and how their children will nap. If our ideas are different I will need to provide valid information regarding my policies on napping and procedures.

Berger, K.S.(2012). The Developing Person through Childhood (6th ed.). New York: Worth Publishers.

Child Birth

As you may know from following my blog or as a colleague in my previous class, I am a new mom. My daughter was born on August 4, 2013 at 12:57pm. This experience is something that I will never forget (I am sure all mother's feel that way). I was in early labor with her for over a week and begin to have painful contractions on Friday. That was three days before she was born. I remember thinking this will all be over soon and then it was three days. 

Charlotte's arrival ended with her being "sunny side up" and getting stuck for over an hour. This is just my experience in child birth. I enjoy hearing stories of other children's entry into the world because every woman's experience is different. 

When it comes to a child's birth and their development, I believe that even the worst birthing experience can result in positive development if the parents/parent is willing to fight for the child. This holds true with my cousins' daughter. She was born at 29 weeks, and has several developmental disabilities and delays. At this time, the doctor's do not believe she will ever walk and she has a severe brain hemorrhage that will cause other disabilities in the future. Her parents fight for her and work towards helping her achieve her goals. 

I took some time during my pregnancy and looked at birth in other parts of the world. With all the buzz around William and Kate, I looked at what was normal for those woman getting ready to give birth in England. One news segment/article from Good Morning America discussed the fact that most women in England use midwives instead of doctors and this results in less c-sections. During my experience, I kept the on-call midwife instead of switching to the on-call doctor in the hospital. It was a positive experience and she encouraged me more than I believe a doctor would have in my experience.