NUTRITION/MALNUTRITION

                            

According to the Merriam Webster dictionary malnutrition is “the unhealthy condition that results from not eating enough food or not eating enough healthy food: poor nutrition”

                                                              

 

         I chose nutrition/malnutrition as my topic. Before entering the education field, I was in the food service field for over 30 years including 26 in the military.  I still have a passion for food service so I keep abreast of changes and stay qualified with my certifications in the field.

 

Nutrition/ malnutrition are important to me because there are so many people today who are not receiving the proper nutrition to stay healthy.  In the Unites States, more than 47 million people lived in households that cannot afford to put putting food on their table. According to the USDA, about 85% of Americans do not consume the recommended daily intakes of the most important vitamins and minerals necessary for proper physical and mental development. There are over 15 domestic nutrition assistance programs in the United States to assist people with putting food on the table. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is the largest of the programs. The Women’s Infant and Children is another popular program that assists pregnant, postpartum and breastfeeding mothers, infants and children to ensure they are getting the proper nutrition. The program serves about half of all babies born in the United States.

   

Malnutrition is rampant in developing countries around the world.  Nutrition/malnutrition covers all aspects of health, growth, cognition, motor and social development of young children in developing countries.  Here are a few facts from Ghana concerning nutrition/malnutrition.

                                                      GHANA

                                             

                                                 

Ghana is a small country of West Africa that has a lot with natural resources. The people of Ghanaian diets consist of starchy roots, (yams), fruit (plantain) and cereals (rice). The starchy roots and cereals make up about three fourths of their diets.  Ghana has increased food production but under nutrition is still a serious problem .They need a more diversified diet to fight malnutrition. Here are some facts about nutrition in Ghana:

· 

•     8 in 10 children under 5 years of age suffer from some form of under nutrition  
•     More than one in five children in Ghana is stunted (suffering from chronic malnutrition)
•     In the Northern Region 37, percent of children are stunted due to childhood malnourishment.
• Gender inequality and constraints worsen food insecurity, under nutrition, and poverty 

 

In Ghana, low access to health services, poor sanitation, unsafe drinking water, malaria and malnutrition are an underlying factor among the main causes of death. Stunting and other forms of malnutrition pose a significant risk to a child's health and development, especially in their early years, increasing their vulnerability to diseases and infections.

 

 

The information I have will affect my future work because I will continue to stay abreast of all the changes in regards to nutrition and child develop. I may not be able to influence situations all over the world but I make donations through reputable charities to contribute to fighting malnutrition around the world.  In my preschool classroom, I incorporate health and nutrition into my curriculum and provide parents with information regarding nutrition. Every March during National Nutrition Month, I do activities and get the children to do projects about nutrition in all classrooms in the child development center.

Walls outside my classroom during National Nutrition Month  with nutritional  information and activities completed by the children   

                                          

           

 

                                           

                                                          References

              

Agriculture and Nutrition in Ghana. (n.d.). Retrieved July 11, 2015, from http://www.fantaproject.org/sites/default/files/resources/Ghana-Fact-Sheet-Ag-Nutrition-Feb2013.pdf

 Food and Nutrition | USDA. (n.d.). Retrieved July 11, 2015, from http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?navid=food-nutrition

Health and Nutrition. (n.d.). Retrieved July 11, 2015,from http://www.unicef.org/health_nutrition _7512.html

   

      Malnutrition (n.d.). Retrieved July 11, 2015, from http://www.merriam-  webster.com/dictionary/malnutrition

                                                       Resourceful websites

http://www.choosemyplate.gov/

http://www.letsmove.gov/

http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome

  

Anita Marve

“To Have or Have not” …. That is the question? Pain Medication during childbirth.

 

The personal experience that I would like to share is the birth of my first two children Robert and Nicole.

 I was so excited about giving birth to my first child, and having a natural childbirth. My OB doctor talked with me about the different options available in case of emergency, or if I wanted pain medication during birth. As I got closer to delivery, I decided to have medication. I chose to have an epidural, so that required me to sign paperwork and to be counseled about the different effects of getting the drugs and complication that may arise while getting the epidural. I felt a lot of pain during my labor, and they gave me so much medication that I could not feel my lower body. When it came time for me to push, I thought I was pushing but was not because I couldn’t feel anything.  Finally, they had to help with my delivery and used forceps to help me deliver. The forceps left a small mark in his head that you can still see today. My son Robert was born on 23 Oct 1978 I was happy that I didn’t have any pain after the medication but sad that I wasn’t able to experience natural childbirth.

When I became pregnant, three years later I was already prepared to have medication. I thought about natural childbirth and then snapped back to the reality that I wanted medication to ease the pain. When I went into labor  and came to the hospital I was they automatically prepared to I didn’t feel any pain and when it came time for delivery I had the same problem as I had when I delivered my son Robert. I could not push or feel my lower body so that had to assist with my delivery.  Nicole was born on 10 August 1981. Unfortunately, she suffered a fractured collarbone during childbirth because they had to pull her out because I was not proving any help.

I focus on these birthing experiences because it changed my thoughts about medication for pain during childbirth.  There are several types of medication that can ease pain during childbirth, but most women in the US choose epidurals. There are pro and cons to getting epidurals, and I have been on the receiving end of both spectrum's. While having an epidural made me pain free it complicated the birth and delivery of two of my children.   I decided that I would not use pain medication during my future pregnancies.  My next three children were all born naturally. Today when my children or young women ask me about childbirth I recommend natural childbirth and tell them my story.  Everyone is different and have different thresholds of pain that they can withstand. It is ultimately their decision to make.

 
There are not many studies on how pain medication used during labor affects child development. There are side effects because the drugs used enter the through the mother's bloodstream, and may pass through the placenta into the baby's circulation.

The following chart shows a few  differences between the United States and Britain on some childbirth practices and procedures including the use of medication during childbirth including the use of medication during childbirth.

United States                                                                 Britain

Epidural use during childbirth 50-70%	Epidural use during childbirth 40%
Cesarean rate 1 in 3 births	Cesarean rate 1 in 4 births
Most hospitals do not offer a blend of nitrous oxide and oxygen as pain relief	Uses a  blend of nitrous oxide and oxygen as a first resort pain relief
Expensive child birth costs	Having a baby in the U.K. is free of charge, unless you choose to go a private hospital . They have national health insurance.
Infant mortality rates. US ranks 34th	Infant mortality rates. UK ranks 25th
Infants may stay in nursery after childbirth	Infants stay in room all the time