Childbirth in Your Life and Around the World

I was 23 years old when I had my first birthing experience. From the day I found out I was pregnant I was so excited. Immediately I change things about my everyday well being. I started to eat healthy, read more books, and safety proof my apartment. As I travel down memory lane, I can remember the day I went into labor. I started having contractions early in the morning; at least that is what I thought they were. I went to my doctor and told him that I was having contractions; my doctor explained to me that I may be having Braxton-Hicks contractions. Braxton-Hicks contractions are something like false labor pains, although it does not mean the baby is coming. The doctor checked me to see how far I had dilated. Low and behold the doctor became shock to know that a baby was about to be born in his office. He hurry and had me transported to the hospital where I had a beautiful 7lbs 4oz little girl.

My thoughts regarding birth and child development are very important to me. The expecting mother has to make sure that she takes care of hr self as well as the unborn child. The mother goes through three trimesters during pregnancy that cause the mother to follow some strict guidelines to ensure the baby is healthy. The mother has to start taking prenatal vitamins as soon as possible to contain folic acid, calcium, and iron. The doctor will explain to you the risk of not taking prenatal vitamins. The baby can be born with birth defects. Birth defects will cause an impact on the child development.

 I have a friend that lives in China; she shared with me the difference of having a baby in China. My friend shared with me that when a baby is born he/she is considered to be one year old at the time of birth. The mother is order to be in confinement for 40 days and not allowed to eat cold foods or take cold bathes. Also the mother has to wear layers of clothes to keep their body temperature to a certain degree. I can’t imagine not being able to eat ice cream after having a baby.

NAEYC and DEC codes of Ethics

1-2.3 - To respect the dignity of each family and it's culture, customs, and beliefs.

                                              -NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct-

• This code of ethic is very important to me because; in order to be successful in the educational field we must learn to respect others belief first.

1-1.3 - To recognize and respect the uniqueness and the potential of each child. 

                                             -NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct-

• As an educator it is my duty to recognize that all my students are unique in different ways.  I must respect their uniqueness in order to meet the needs of each one of them.

We shall build relationships with individual children and families while individualizing the curricula and learning environments to facilitate young children's development and learning.

                                             -DEC Code of Ethical Conduct-

• It is important to me as an educator to work on building relationships with the children and families in order to implement the curriculum to enhance young children's development and learning.

Growing Your Collection of Resources

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://www.fpg.unc.edu/~snapshots/snap33.pdf
  
  Note: The following article can be found in the Walden University Library databases.
  
• 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.
  Use the Academic Search Complete database, and search using the article's title.

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/main/about.cfm
  
• 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//AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home
  
• 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.preknow.org/
  
• Voices for America's Children
  http://www.voices.org/
  
• The Erikson Institute
  http://www.erikson.edu/
  

Additional Resources

• Norris, J,. 2002. Teaching Young Children. Evan-Moor Educational Publishers
• Feldman, R., 2006. Development Across the Life Span. Pearson Prentice Hall
• Charlesworth, R., Lind, K., & Fleege, P., 2003. Math and Science for Young Children 4th ED. Thomson Delmar Learning