A Very Sad Situation

Forty-three percent of active duty service members have children. http://cs.mhf.dod.mil/content/dav/mhf/QOL-Library/Project%20Documents/MilitaryHOMEFRONT/Reports/2007%20Demographics.pdf

Many of these children have to deal with parents that return from war acting totally different from when they left. Vary young children may exhibit separation anxiety, temper tantrums and changing in eating habits.

However, I believe it is far worse for the Iraqi children. Up to 95% of all pregnant women in Iraq suffer from anemia and in turn will deliver weak, malnourished babies. Most of these infants will either die before reaching age five due to lack of food and basic medicine, or will be permanently scared, either mentally or physically http://www.armymedicine.army.mil/reports/mhat/mhat_v/Redacted1-MHATV-OIF-4-FEB-2008Report.pdf  

Crosby Stills Nash Young Teach Your Children - War Video

Early child development

• Early childhood is the most important phase for overall development throughout the lifespan.
• Brain and biological development during the first years of life is highly influenced by an infant’s environment.
• Early experiences determine health, education and economic participation for the rest of life.
• Every year, more than 200 million children under five years old fail to reach their full cognitive and social potential.
• There are simple and effective ways for families and caregivers to ensure optimal child development.

To reach their potential, young children need to spend time in a caring, responsive environment that protects them from neglect and inappropriate disapproval and punishment.
Parents and families are the key to early child development, but need support to provide the right environment. Children benefit when national governments adopt “family friendly” social protection policies that guarantee adequate family income, maternity benefits, financial support, and allow for parents and caregivers to devote time and attention to young children. http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs332/en/index.html

Perinatal Mental Health Disorders Prevention and Treatment Act

http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=2932&ChapterID=34

"The Philosophical Baby" - Dr Alison Gopnik Interviewed on Freedomain Radio

Learn Something New Everyday

   After doing all the research in just the first week of class I have found out that my pregnancy with the twins had many factors that could have molded their lives. I had a very high risk pregnancy. I was constantly sick and under complete bed rest, in fact, that’s all I wanted to do was rest. I was in the hospital every other day for IV and I could not keep anything down, including my prenatal vitamins. I lost weight the whole time, in the sixth month I lost over twenty pounds. The twins lived off of my stored fat, lucky there was plenty?

   I delivered my son and daughter at seven in-a-half months, my daughter weighed 4.10 and my son weighed 4.9. My daughter had jaundice as well as my son, but my son had many more issues, my doctor said he had three strikes against me. He was white, second born and premature. All of these factors made him a weak little (tadpole) as my friend called him. He was taken to another hospital for neonatal intensive care and he came home four weeks later at three pounds.

   The twins not only had a traumatic birth, but a very bad prenatal experience with other factors during my pregnancy. I was definitely stressed the whole pregnancy. During this week of studies, I have discovered why my twins are the way they are. I would have never guessed it started at conception, but it did. This is another story. I just found all the things I have learned this week are very true and answered many of my questions.