Child Development and Public Health- Week 2 assignment

 The public health topic I chose to focus on this week is breastfeeding. I feel that breastfeeding is a very touchy subject, and one that often results in shaming of parents if they do not breastfeed their children. As long as a baby is fed and taken care of, it should not matter how they are fed. 

As a mother of four, I have experience with breastfeeding, however, my experience was not all that it is cracked up to be.  With my first born in 2011, I was excited to breastfeed because that is what I thought I was supposed to do. It would be a bonding experience for myself and my child. After about a month of breastfeeding, I was not able to keep up my supply and produce enough to feed him. At first I supplemented with formula and continued to try to breastfeed as well, but it did not work out, so I formula fed only. When I had my daughter in 2015, I tried breastfeeding again, but the same thing happened. I was not able to produce enough to feed her. When I had my third child in 2018, the nurse did not listen to my concerns and basically shoved breastfeeding down my throat, even though I knew my body. I switched him to formula about a week after getting home from the hospital. I recently had my fourth child in 2021. As soon as the nurses and doctors asked me about feeding, I told them I was not breastfeeding and would be doing formula. They listened, they understood, and they did not push. 

An area of the world I researched breastfeeding in was Islam. I learned that breastfeeding is mentioned in the Quran. One thing mentioned was that cultural practices get mixed and confused with religious practices, so it is important to help mothers understand the differences between the religious basis of breastfeeding and the cultural practices of some Muslims. It is the goal of mothers to breastfeed their children for two years, but it is not mandatory. In some cultures breastfeeding is frowned upon and in other cultures mothers wean their children between the ages of two to seven years old. 

The information I learned coupled with my own experience, reinforced how we should be mindful of others, their choices, and beliefs. We should always keep an open mind and try not to judge others. 

Childbirth in Your Life and Around the World

I was so excited to find out I was pregnant a month after my wedding. Unfortunately, the excitement was short lived as I found out at my ten week ultrasound that the baby had no heartbeat and had stopped growing at six weeks. The doctors diagnosed me with a missed miscarriage and I had to have a D&C. My husband and I were heartbroken. Four months later, we found out we were pregnant again, and although I was excited, I was also completely terrified. I remember going to my first ultrasound and no even looking at the screen because I was afraid I would receive bad news again, but there was baby- moving around and growing right on track. My pregnancy was healthy, however, I did develop gestational diabetes, which I was able to manage with diet and monitoring my sugar throughout the day. In October 2011, I gave birth to my first child, Anthony. 

I remember a lot about Anthony's birth. Because I had gestational diabetes, the doctor was going to induce me one week early. At my final ultrasound, he was estimated to weigh over nine pounds. I remember going out to dinner the night of the induction as one final date night as a family of two. My husband brought me to the hospital and I was so anxious and excited that I could hardly sleep. The next morning, they broke my water. As the day went on, my labor was not progressing. I remember asking for the epidural and it not working the first time, so they had to try again. My husband had gone down to the cafeteria to get something to eat and when he returned to the room, I was surrounded by 2 nurses and 3 doctors trying to administer the epidural for the second time. I'm sure that was quite the shock to walk back in to. After about another 2 hours and still no progression, my doctor discussed the option of having a c-section, so they prepped me for surgery. Anthony was born at 5:30 that evening. 

I chose this example because so many things happened that I wasn't prepared for. The epidural not working, the c-section instead of a natural labor. This just shows that even though you may have a plan, plans can change. Birth can have an impact on child development because there are many factors that can happen during birth, such as complications, that can affect child development. 

I chose to look at how births happen in Ireland. I learned that a lot of clinical practices in Ireland are not evidence based, which can be confusing to expectant mothers. Women in Ireland see a midwife, their obstetrician, or will do something called shared care with is with their GP and their midwife/obstetrician. Some women choose to give birth at a hospital while other women choose to give birth in their home. This is similar to my experience because I gave birth in a hospital and the doctors listened to me, my concerns, and I had a say in my care. This is different from my experience because I did not have a midwife and I did not give birth in my home. 

Insights I have gained is the importance of choice and doing what is best for you, your body, and your baby.