Coping with Death of Toddler

The stressor I chose was the tragic death of my four-year old cousin.  Many times we don’t understand how a child feels because they are unable to express themselves or their feelings in full detail and a way we can clearly understand them.  They don’t voluntarily share that information because being unable to connect with the person they’re trying to explain their emotions to makes them more frustrated then anything else.

Seeing a sibling fighting to be rescued helplessly from a fire, which in a matter of seconds, faces life then death and then trying to come to grips with the fact and finally realizing she didn’t make it out alive is very traumatic for anyone.  Death is never easy no matter how old an individual is.  Though it is a little more understandable when the deceased person has lived a full life, has seen all but the moon and finally has been called from labor to rest for whatever reason (illness, aging, etc.).  Questions arise when it’s a toddler, questions where answers aren’t always available, questions as to what could have been done to prevent such a tragic event.  Furthermore, why did such a thing happen?

            Death changes every aspect life once had.  Later in life that same toddler who witness that death is still affected and questions what this person possibly would of become in their life.  A child’s coping method is totally different than an adult and whereas we have learned different coping methods and still struggle when it comes to the actual test.  We must learn ways to assist children when expressing themselves.  Toddlers have emotions which we sometimes label as unhappy times especially when those times are uncertain or seem impossible. 

The coping I can remember that was used during this tragedy was just being around loving family and being comforted.  We were told my cousin was in Heaven and that we would see her again.  Day after day the conversation about the event grew fewer and fewer and within two to three months very little was being said returning life back to normal. 

Similar incidents such as this one have happened in Africa where the young children have lost their lives due to a fire.  I would like to research how the death from a fire is compared to children dying from living in poverty or being diseased stricken and see what coping methods are used and if it is different for each incident. 

Good nutrition is so important in a child’s life.  Cognitive development is a term that covers human perception, thinking, and learning.  Nutrition, genes, and environment are three major factors impacting cognitive development (www.nfsmi.org).  As a caregiver for children it is our role to provide and encourage children to eat nutritious food.  We also can introduce them to new foods, food out of the ordinary.  Children are more likely to eat what they see their caregiver eating which is a way to encourage variety and those new foods.  Children love raisins and marshmallows.  Unfortunately, celery is not a well-liked food.  But by making “Ant on a Log” and allowing the children to decorate it with the marshmallows or raisins children usually will eat their creativity.

The effect of nutrition on the brain begins before birth – with the nutrition of the mother.  Undernutrition and the resulting negative effects on brain development during pregnancy and the first two years of life may be permanent and irreversible (www.nfsmi.org).  Children who lack good nutrition have low levels of energy.  They have no interest in playing for long periods of time or interacting with other children who are energetic.  Poor nutrition provides the energy and nutrients people need to meet their physical and mental potential.  Proper nutrition fuels the body, which gives children the energy they need to play and exercise. (www.livestrong.com). 

The reason good nutrition is meaningful to me is believe it or not there are children suffer from poor nutrition.  I know for certain the children I provide care for do at least receive one nutritious meal while in my care.  Depending on the time frame they’re in my care they may receive two or three nutritious meals.  As a future director of my day care facility my goal is to push nutrition knowing the lasting impact it has on the child as a whole.

References

www.livestrong.com

www.nfsmi.org

My personal birthing experience was the birth of my oldest daughter.  Books can only teach you so much but when reality really strikes you tend to forget everything or at least just about everything you learned or read about the dos and don’ts of childbirth.  Administering the Epidural wasn’t around during the time of my childbearing days and I experience great amounts of pain.  I remember the nurse telling me how I would be okay in the middle of a contraction, which is definitely something someone in that type of pain does not want to hear at that particular moment.  But in the end, the birth of my firstborn erased that pain shortly after.

I choose this example because I have never experienced anything like it and I’ll never forget it.  Even though at that time it was very painful and I’m sure even more before my time having a baby in this day and time seems to be a whiz.  While thinking back I understand some of things the book tried to fore warn me but I do believe experience was my teacher and if I could I probably would do it all over again.

The region I chose was Nigeria.  Only 57.7% pregnant women receive prenatal care (www.tradingeconomics.com).  At first I didn’t realize how important it was to seek prenatal care.  It literally thought it was a waste of time but having this available made so much of a difference and helped my to think of what was expected even though I didn’t remember much during that time.  What was interesting about this was that this is on a decline when in January of 2000 over 63% pregnant women sought prenatal care.  Prenatal care can depict early signs of defects and it monitors the baby’s growth.

References

http://www.tradingeconomics.com/nigeria/pregnant-women-receiving-prenatal-care-percent-wb-data.html