Western vs. Inuit Childbirth Practices

The assignment for this week in my Early Childhood Development class is to provide a reflection on a personal birthing experience and share information on childbirth in another culture.  It is hard to believe that the most recent birthing experience for me was on February 19, 1981.  My experiences with the Inuit culture in Alaska have inspired me to learn more about the ‘traditional’ birthing experiences of the Inuit women.

 

From the day I found out I was pregnant I knew my baby would be born in a hospital.  At the age of 21-years-old, I did not know I had alternate ways to give birth.  I was very lucky in that I had the best prenatal care offered in the state of Montana.  As with many new moms across our great American lands, I had mixed emotions and had many questions about pregnancy and the upcoming birth; will I go full term?, will caffeine hurt my baby?, will my baby be healthy?, will I need an epidural during the childbirth?.  From the minute I found out I was pregnant the joy I felt in my heart is beyond words; these feelings of joy were overriding my fears. After nine months of taking extra care of my body and my baby, the time finally arrived!  At about 2:00 pm on February 18, 1981 I began to feel short intermittent labor pains. At a little after midnight on February 19, 1981 I went to the hospital as I was fearful if I waited much longer the baby would be born in the living room of our home with a father whose high blood pressure would not allow him to be of good assistance. My husband had the support of his mom and step dad while I was giving birth.  At 3:10 pm a beautiful, healthy, 6 pound 4 ounce, baby girl was brought into this world.  She was greeted by mom, dad, grandma and grandpa.  I was home the next day with our beautiful bundle where family and friends greeted us with balloons and baby gifts.

While I was working in rural Alaska several of my colleagues would have to fly from their home village to a hospital in Nome or Anchorage two to four weeks before they were to give birth.  Since federal funds were used to transport and pay for the medical expenses of having the baby, many women could not afford to bring family members with them; therefore not having a support network of family to help them during the last weeks of pregnancy and through the childbirth experience.  Many Inuit women were also leaving other children behind to be taken care of by dads, grandparents, and aunties.  This type of childbirth is a very stressful experience for the entire family including the village population where family and friends live. 

Having a midwife was not an option in my six years of living in rural Alaska which was the practice before Western practices were adopted with funding from the government.  There are now programs in place to train midwifes so Inuit families can be together when a new baby is born.  In the article “The Evolution of Inuit Women’s Birthing Practices in Northern Canada”, Purdon provides an example of how an Inuit community in Canada is working to train midwives, “The women of the North are now speaking out about alternatives to the government standard on birthing in the North. A traditional midwifery program has been brought to Nunavut Arctic College, and these first steps have begun to weaken the strong-hold the government has on women’s birthing practices. There seems to be a shift in control back to the women who this affects and they are in turn, taking this control and creating healthier, more appropriate experiences for women” (2008). 

We know the stress a pregnant mom feels in her life can have a negative effect on the baby in the womb.  Eliminating the stressor of leaving their home villages to have a baby will ultimately result in healthy, happier infants and their families.

Reference:  Purdon, H. (2008, February).  The Health e-Zine.  The evolution of Inuit's women's birthing practices in northern Canada.                               

Three Meaningful Standards of Excellence from DEC

• Before we can support a child in overcoming his/her challeges, each early childhood educator needs to make a commitment to building on each child's strengths and learning styles. "We shall use individually appropriate assessment strategies including multiple sources of information such as observations, interviews with significant caregivers, formal and informal assessments to determine children’s learning styles, strengths, and challenges."
• Children with special needs can be our most vulnerable population, keeping up on research and best practice is needed to support children and families. "We shall engage in ongoing and systematic reflective inquiry and self-assessment for the purpose of continuous improvement of professional performance and services to young children with disabilities and their families."
• When families are thriving they are able to be educational advocates for their children.  As a professional in the field of early childhood education I am commited to building trusting relationships with all children and families I work with.  "We shall recognize and respect the dignity, diversity, and autonomy of the families and children we serve."

Reference: http://www.dec-sped.org/uploads/docs/about_dec/position_concept_papers/Code%20of%20Ethics_updated_Aug2009.pdf

Three Meaningful Standards of Excellence from NAEYC

• With an increase in social issues such as homelessness, domestic violence, higher numbers of challenging behavior and diverse family situations it is vital that professionals in the field understand the individual needs of each child to support their success at home and in school.  "To advocate for and ensure that all children, including those with special needs, have access to the support services needed to be successful."
• Because of this ideal, I have witnessed families achieve personal goals such as working towards a college degree or moving into a home after being homeless, "To participate in building support networks for families by providing them with opportunities to interact with program staff, other families, community resources, and professional services."
• With so many struggles for Head Start staff to meet the teacher qualifications outlined in the Head Start Act, this ideal means so much for the future of some long term teachers who have been working for years with the minimal teacher qualifications of a Child Development Associate.  "To support co-workers in meeting their professional needs and in their professional development."

Reference:  http://www.naeyc.org/ecp/resources/ethics 

Collection of Resources for Early Childhood Educators

"The greatest genius will never be worth much if he pretends to draw exclusively from his own resources."  Johann von Goethe

Resources from my Early Childhood Studies Class

Position Statements and Influential Practices

Resources from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)

• Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs Serving Children from Birth Through Age 8.  http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/dap
• Where We Stand on Child Abuse Prevention.  http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/ChildAbuseStand.pdf
• Where We Stand on Responding to Linguistic and Cultural Diversity.  http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/diversity.pdf
• Early Childhood Inclusion:  A Summary.  http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/DEC_NAEYC_ECSummary_A.pdf

Resource from Zero to Three:  National Center for Infants, Toddlers and Families.

• Infant-Toddler Policy Agenda.  http://www.zerotothree.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ter_pub_infanttodller

Resource from UNC FPG Child Development Institute

• Evidence-based Practice Empowers Early Childhood Professionals and Families.  http://www.fpg.unc.edu/~snapshots/snap33.pdf

Resource from the Council for Exceptional Children

• If you are a member of the Council for Exceptional Children, you can download the Knowledge-to-Action Guides: Preparing to Be Partners in Making Educational Decisions, a wonderful article to support your families in becoming education advocates.  http://www.cec.sped.org/scriptcontent/orders/ProductDetail.cfm?section=cec_store&pc=JTEC42_3_5

Global Support for Children's Rights and Well-Being

• Fact Sheet:  A Summary of the Rights Under the Convention of the Rights of the Child.  http://www.unicef.org/crc/files/Rights_overview.pdf

Websites

• World Forum Foundation - http://www.worldforumfoundation.org/wf/about.php
• World Organization for Early Childhood Education - http://www.omep-usnc.org/
• Association for Childhood Education International - http://acei.org/about

Additional Resources I Use Often

• Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center - http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc
• NAEYC Publication - Extending the Dance in Infant and Toddler Caregiving by Helen H. Raikes and Carolyn Pope Edwards
• NAEYC Publication - Anti-Bia Education for Young Children and Ourselves by Louise Derman-Sparks and Julie Olsen Edwards
• Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning (CSEFEL) - http://csefel.vanderbilt.edu/
• National PTA Document:  A How-To Guide on Father Involvement - http://www.pta.org/Father_Involvement_How_To_Guide.pdf

Passionate and Inspiring Words

Quotes from Renatta M. Cooper from the Laureate Education, Inc. video webcast titled, The Passion for Early Childhood:

"All education is a civil rights issue."  Ms. Cooper explaining her passion for wanting all children to feel  empowered as a result of quality education.

"Lack of 'family policy' is an issue in this country."  Ms. Cooper's passion for necessary policies so families have better choices to support them should they choose to stay home and take care of their children.

Inspirational Words for Strength Based Assessments

Recently I read an article written by Samuel J. Meisels, ED.D., President of Erikson Institute, titled, "The High Stakes Testing Trap."  Mr. Meisels discusses how we are so obsessed with testing our children in our classrooms here in America and many of these tests are not in the best interest of our children.  A quote from the article that I hope will make early educators aware of how damaging these tests can be to our children is:

"Of great concern are high-stakes tests, which may result in long-term negative consequences for children.  High-stakes refer to significant rewards or sanctions such as retention in grade, placement in special classes or extra-year programs, or designation as either a gifted or slow learner.  Research has shown that the labeling that accompanies these high-stakes tests can have long term impact on teachers' perceptions of children's ability to learn; stigmatization of children and tracking them into low achieving groups; and also on children's self-perceptions, estimates of their own abilities, and motivation and achievement."

Mr. Meisels also discusses the importance of strength based assessments rather than focused on identifying weaknesses.  "the best way to assess a child's performance is to study performance, not something else, and the best way to improve a child's performance is to teach the child, not test him."

Read more at:  www.winnetkaalliance.org/PAST_ARTICLES/testingtrap.asp

Personal Childhood Web

I must admit this assignment was intimidating to me as I was afraid I would not be able to provide five people who influenced my life as a child.  My mom was a single parent raising two children in a city not too close to our relatives making for a small childhood web.  I am one of those children who grew up to lead a successful and happy life in spite of not being the center of the microsystem of Bronfenbrenner's Model of Development.

My mom worked two jobs to support us and provide a nice home.  She modeled for me a strong work ethic and how to take pride in all that I do.  My little brother has had special needs all through his childhood and into adulthood.  Whatever little extra time my mom had, she was making sure the special needs were met for my little brother.  As I got older, I was able to help take care of my brother and I was happy to help ease some of the stress from my mom's life.

Every once in a while we would go visit my grandma who lived 180 miles away.  My grandma would always greet me with a big smile and hug and remind me that I was her oldest and special grandchild.  She would always make sure we had time for lunch with just the two of us; allowing me to order shrimp since this was my favorite meal.  A meal not affordable for a single parent.  As I got older and started driving my own car, everytime I would visit her she would always insist on paying to fill my gas tank.  To this day, I enjoy filling my own daughter's gas tank and brings back fond memories of the trips to the gas station with my grandma.

I had a neighborhood girlfriend for about 5 years before we moved.  She would help me take care of my brother.  We were always busy building tents, playing games, using big Magtag boxes to build secret forts and trading in our collected pop bottles for a rare candy bar.  We also enjoyed going to the book mobile which came to our neighborhood every week.  I bet we read every Nancy Drew book written.  We also taught ourselves how to sew with books we checked out from the book mobile.  We started making our own dresses and one year made our prom dresses.  I have not sewed much lately but I used to sew quite a bit before I started working full time and taking college courses.

For three summers as a teenager I went to live with my aunt and uncle in Glacier National Park.  This was a lovely experience as I was able to enjoy living in a home where my aunt would have home cooked meals ready for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  With these meals came conversations; I was typically a very quiet girl, my aunt and uncle inspired conversation from me as they showed a sincere interest in my hopes and dreams.  My aunt taught me how to bake and my uncle taught me how to fish.  I can still remember the days I would come home from working as a maid in the local hotel to the smell of home made bread or sourdough pancakes.  My aunt and uncle are very important in my life today.  We have maintained a close relationship and with the passing of my mom in 2009, we have become a lot closer.

My small childhood web set the foundation for who I am today; a strong woman who loves her children and with a desire to support families to become strong advocates for their children.