The Center of the Master's of Science in Early Childhood Studies Program-Sherida Richards-Malcolm

   Natural Disasters occur every so often and harm many children and their families globally. Like those children, I have the experience of natural disasters in the form of hurricanes. However, Hurricane Gilbert, 1988 has been the most lasting and impactful experience, one that is still vivid in my mind. I was only 12 years old. We heard on the news that a hurricane was coming and it would make landfall at approximately 3:00 pm on September 12, 1988. I went to school that very day. While at school, the principal sent us home midday, for us to escape the eventualities. Besides, upon reaching home, I was in my community playing until the rain started. Not knowing what to expect, I was anticipating this hurricane as though it was a gift coming my way.  The wind and the rain started, and we were all inside.      Furthermore, Hurricane Gilbert slammed an unprepared Jamaica. No one battened their windows and doors, nor secured non-perishable food items and stoc...

I am going with the health issue of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), which is a global concern not only in the US, Korea and Africa, but worldwide. Laureate Education states. “healthy children are a prerequisite for healthy communities and healthy societies. Public health measures are designed to contribute to children’s health.” (Laureate, 2020). In the United States of America “sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) remains one of the most intriguing mysteries in medicine. The US National Institute of Child Health and Development defines this syndrome as the “the sudden death of an infant under one year of age, which remains unexplained after a thorough case investigation, including the performance of a complete autopsy, examination of the death scene, and review of the clinical history.” (Laureate, 2020). However, many risk factors contribute to SIDS such as prone sleeping position (lying face down), sleeping on the same bed with parents and higher ambient temperature (the aver...

  The Birth of My Child   It was a typical pregnancy that lasted approximately 38 weeks. I was so excited to welcome the birth of my son who was due Wednesday. I also had my last doctor’s appointment on that same day, which I attended. The baby was not ready “to see the light of day” for some reason. So, my doctor told me that he would have me sent to the hospital to be admitted on Friday and he would also make preparations to induce labour. “Another drug-based intervention is induced labour, in which labour is started, speeded up, or strengthened with Pitocin, which is artificial oxytocin” (Berger, 2018). Unfortunately, I met in an accident on Thursday, so I was taken to the hospital before my scheduled appointment. When I went in, I registered and was observed. The observation showed that I was having contractions. However, this was as a result of the accident. I was placed in the maternity ward, where I was observed daily. On Friday, I was transported to a room which was ...