Childbirth Experiences

I have not given birth myself. I do however,  have 2 nephews that I was honored to be a part of their births. For the purposes of this blog entry, I will discuss my oldest nephew's birth. I was 16 when he was born and could not have been more excited when my brother and sister-in-law told me they were going to have a baby. The morning that my sister-in-law went into labor, we all piled into the car and drove 45 minutes to the hospital. I remember seeing a yard sale and she wanted to stop and buy a little red wagon! We all thought she was silly for wanting to stop!  We got to the hospital, and they allowed me to stay in the room with them which was the thrill of my life at that time. I watched my sister-in-law show a strength I did not know was possible as the monitor showed each contraction. It seemed as if she was only in a little pain compared to the image on the screen with it's zig zag lines and numbers rising and falling. We waited and waited for his arrival. 36 hours to be exact. Then my precious nephew seemed to decide it wasn't time at all for him to come into the world. He got stuck in the birth canal. They decided the best option was to preform a c-section. My brother and sister-in-law were rushed into the operating room and in a matter of what seemed seconds to us waiting, Elijah Christian was born. He was perfect. I never thought I could love someone so completely that I had just met. My sister-in-law recovered quickly, she was up walking around that evening and after tey released her from the hospital, they came to stay at my mom's house with us for the first few days. Talk about a thrill when they needed a nap and they let me, ME, keep Elijah in my room in his bassinet while they rested. He of course was sleeping and I just stared at him! :) He and I have a special bond. He is the one who made me Aunt Rachael. He is 19 now and I am proud of who he is becoming. I love to tell him his "birth story" and try to on his birthday every year. His mom always talks about how we had time to get that little red wagon before going to the hospital!

I wasn't sure where to begin when looking at births around the world. I found an interesting article on Parenting.com. They look at different birthing traditions around the world. I was shocked at some of the things I read. For example, in Uganda, a woman is given no grace when she is struggling with morning sickness or needing rest because she is growing a human inside of her. Often times she is sent back to her mother's house until she feels stronger. A c-section is viewed as a failure by the family and community and if a woman has complications or dies during child birth it is considered her fault. Honestly, these facts made me sad for the women in Uganda. Birth in my opinion is supposed to be a beautiful, intimate affair. Without a c-section we would not have Elijah or his brother Jordan. It's not a failure in my opinion. It is a way of giving birth. Women should be honored in their becoming mothers, from conception to birth.
Here is the link to the article: http://www.parenting.com/article/birth-maternal-health

We've Only Just Begun.....A Note of Gratitude

Many many thanks to all of my classmates and Dr. Embree as this course comes to an end. I am encouraged by each of you week after week and hope to continue this journey with you all. I am not sure if any of my current classmates will be taking future courses with me, but a girl can hope! :) 

Thank you Lynette for your passion and for challenging me to gain a new passion of inclusion! Thank you for showing us your heart each week. 

Thank you Tara for your encouragement and kind words throughout the course. 

Thank you James for being so honest about your life and your faith with us! 

Thank you Dr. Embree for your guidance and always being willing to answer all the questions I had and for encouraging us to find something we are passionate about and stay tremendously interested in it! 

Thank you all for your support in this journey! I pray that God blesses each of you mightily and you fall more and more in love with this field and all it entails! 

I wish you well! 

Rachael 

Examining Codes of Ethics

While all of the ideals in NAEYC’s code of ethics resonate with me, these are three that I feel are close to my heart at this time in my journey.

I-1.1—To be familiar with the knowledge base of early childhood care and education and to stay informed through continuing education and training (NAEYC, 2005).

This ideal is one of the driving forces for my continued education. I want to stay current with my knowledge of child development and the field of early childhood. I feel that by continuing my education, my professional goals can be met and new goals can be established.

I-1.12—To work with families to provide a safe and smooth transition as children and families move from one program to the next (NAEYC, 2005).

Families are one of my passions. Establishing and maintaining relationships with parents and extended family only deepens connection with children. With deepened connections, trust is established and learning can take place. That’s my goal. Respect families, learn from them as the experts on their child and hopefully help them in some area or another.

I-3A.1—To establish and maintain relationships of respect, trust, confidentiality, collaboration, and cooperation with co-workers (NAEYC, 2005).

This ideal correlates with a new found passion of mine. I have a strong desire to establish and maintain relationships with other professionals in the field. I have these relationships with my immediate co-workers and the team of professionals at the center I currently work in, however, I am hoping to learn how to network and establish relationships with those professionals outside of my small immediate circle. 

NAEYC's Code of Ethics can be found:

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