Childbirth in my life and around the world

I do not have any personal experiences with child birth as of yet.  I am sure I will in the future though the only instance where I can remember coming close to getting an experience of child birth is when my Boyfriends cousin gave birth.  We were actually at the hospital with them and I did not get to go in the room but I did get to go in right after she gave birth.  The first thing that I remember is how small and cute the baby was and I remembered the look on her face. It was a sign of so much happiness and relief mixed with exhaustion at the same time.  She was holding her baby girl and gazing into her eyes and it was like it was the only thing she could see nothing else around her mattered.  The way she was looking at her baby girl brought tears to my eyes.  I do remember he saying "The pain was worth it."  She and the baby went to sleep soon after, but that was the closest experience I have gained as far as child birth once I have my own children I am sure that will be a great story to tell.

Germany

 In Holland, Germany women see midwives for their prenatal care. In fact, midwives are so respected that by law a midwife must be present at every birth, and a doctor is optional.
Malin Haugwitz, a Berlin resident who is originally from Bethesda, Maryland, says that German women focus on the event of giving birth almost more than the outcome. Following her second c-section, she heard many words of pity from friends and even from her midwife, who asked, "Do you see it as a failure?"
German women who hold full-time jobs can feel secure knowing their position will be waiting for them when and if they decide to return to work. As soon as a woman tells an employer she's pregnant, she cannot be fired. Thus, during economic downturns, being pregnant can essentially save your job. Women may stop working six weeks before their due date and are forbidden from working for eight weeks after giving birth, all with full pay. Mothers may even take up to three years of unpaid leave, the third being a floating year that can be taken at any time and by either parent.

It was very interesting to read the different birth customs from around the world and how they differ from that of the united states.  The united states does things mostly the same and the women give birth inside of a hospital under the care of Doctors and nurses and it was interesting to see that in other countries it is different and birth customs vary.  This is what makes each county unique in their own way.

Resource:

http://www.parents.com/pregnancy/giving-birth/vaginal/birth-customs-around-the-world/

Professional Thanks to all of my Colleagues at Walden University!

I want to take the time to send a special thanks to all of my Colleagues at Walden that I have connected with in my Early Childhood Foundations class.  I really enjoy beginning my journey with you all and I enjoyed gaining insight from you all throughout the course.  I have definitely learned a lot from different points of view and hope to continue to get to know you all more.  I wish you all the best of luck on your Journey as an Early Childhood professional! feel free to contact me and stay In touch!

Examining Codes of Ethics Ideals

NAEYC CODES OF ETHICS

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.

I-1.3—To recognize and respect the unique qualities, abilities, and potential of each child.

I-1.9—To advocate for and ensure that all children, including those with special needs, have access to the support services needed to be successful.

**Each of these ideals have great significance to my professional life because I do feel like it is important for my own personal career to stay informed and to continue to learn more and more throughout my career to help to guide me.  Also I plan to work with diverse children and I feel it is important for my own career to know how and what to do when working with diverse children and providing them with what they require to get a proper education. 

DEC CODES OF ETHICS

Professional and Interpersonal Behavior 
1. We shall demonstrate in our behavior and language respect and appreciation for the unique value and human potential of each child. 

4. We shall serve as advocates for children with disabilities and their families and for the professionals who serve them by supporting both policy and programmatic decisions that enhance the quality of their lives.

1. We shall demonstrate our respect and concern for children, families, colleagues, and others with whom we work, honoring their beliefs, values, customs, languages, and culture.


**All of the ethics in this section apply to me and my career specifically because I plan to work with different types of children.  So that mean being able to be an example to the children and being able to respect and acknowledge their disabilities is important as well as communication with the families is important.  Never passing judgment and staying informed and recognizing how special each child is. 

New Resources Found for the Early Childhood Field

Here are some of the additional resources I found that I feel will help guide me as I take my journey into teaching in the early childhood education field. 

-Critical Issues in Early Childhood Education By Nicola Yelland Open University Press, 2005

 

-Early Childhood Education: The Promise, the Challenges By Sadler, JoanneForum on Public Policy: A Journal of the Oxford Round Table, Spring 2007

-Pioneers of Early Childhood Education: A Bio-Bibliographical Guide By Barbara Ruth PeltzmanGreenwood Press, 1998

Course Resources For Eary Childhood Education

Position Statements and Influential Practices

• NAEYC. (2009). Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/dap
• NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on child abuse prevention. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/ChildAbuseStand.pdf
• NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on school readiness. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/Readiness.pdf
• NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on responding to linguistic and cultural diversity. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/diversity.pdf
• NAEYC. (2003). Early childhood curriculum, assessment, and program evaluation: Building an effective, accountable system in programs for children birth through age 8. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/pscape.pdf
• NAEYC. (2009, April). Early childhood inclusion: A summary. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/DEC_NAEYC_ECSummary_A.pdf
• Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families. (2010). Infant-toddler policy agenda. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://main.zerotothree.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ter_pub_infanttodller
• FPG Child Development Institute. (2006, September). Evidence-based practice empowers early childhood professionals and families. (FPG Snapshot, No. 33). Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://community.fpg.unc.edu/sites/community.fpg.unc.edu/files/imce/documents/FPG_Snapshot_N33_EvidenceBasedPractice_09-2006.pdf
• Turnbull, A., Zuna, N., Hong, J. Y., Hu, X., Kyzar, K., Obremski, S., et al. (2010). Knowledge-to-action guides. Teaching Exceptional Children, 42(3), 42-53.
  Retrieved from the Walden Library databases

Global Support for Children's Rights and Well-Being

• Article: UNICEF (n.d.). Fact sheet: A summary of the rights under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.unicef.org/crc/files/Rights_overview.pdf
• Websites:
• • World Forum Foundation
    http://worldforumfoundation.org/wf/wp/about-us
    This link connects you to the mission statement of this organization. Make sure to watch the media segment on this webpage
  • World Organization for Early Childhood Education
    http://www.omep-usnc.org/
    Read about OMEP's mission.
  • Association for Childhood Education International
    http://acei.org/
    Click on "Mission/Vision" and "Guiding Principles and Beliefs" and read these statements.

Selected Early Childhood Organizations

• National Association for the Education of Young Children
  http://www.naeyc.org/
• The Division for Early Childhood
  http://www.dec-sped.org/
• Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families
  http://www.zerotothree.org/
• WESTED
  http://www.wested.org/cs/we/print/docs/we/home.htm
• Harvard Education Letter
  http://www.hepg.org/hel/topic/85
• FPG Child Development Institute
  http://www.fpg.unc.edu/
• Administration for Children and Families Headstart's National Research Conference
  http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/hsrc/
• HighScope
  http://www.highscope.org/
• Children's Defense Fund
  http://www.childrensdefense.org/
• Center for Child Care Workforce
  http://www.ccw.org/
• Council for Exceptional Children
  http://www.cec.sped.org/
• Institute for Women's Policy Research
  http://www.iwpr.org/
• National Center for Research on Early Childhood Education
  http://www.ncrece.org/wordpress/
• National Child Care Association
  http://www.nccanet.org/
• National Institute for Early Education Research
  http://nieer.org/
• Pre[K]Now
  http://www.pewstates.org/projects/pre-k-now-328067
• Voices for America's Children
  http://www.voices.org/
• The Erikson Institute
  http://www.erikson.edu/

Selected Professional Journals Available in the Walden Library


YC Young Children

Childhood

Journal of Child & Family Studies

Child Study Journal

Multicultural Education

Early Childhood Education Journal

Journal of Early Childhood Research

International Journal of Early Childhood

Early Childhood Research Quarterly

Developmental Psychology

Social Studies

Maternal & Child Health Journal

International Journal of Early Years Education