Blog #5- The Miracle of Life

The PBS video, found at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/miracle/program.html   “The Miracle of Life” was an amazing video of how life is created.  The idea of one cell multiplying to one hundred trillion cells, carrying our genes to create a life is astounding!   I understand the miracle of having a baby, because I have two, but seeing a video of how it all starts and develops inside the uterus really makes me thankful.  After my first daughter was born, I was holding her while she slept in my arms, and I couldn’t believe how our bodies could create such a beautiful thing.  The videos take you through each step from how the sperm and egg are developed in our own bodies to conception.   Then it shows the development of the baby, all the way to delivery!

This video also helped me understand a form of contraception, the morning after pill (EBC, emergency birth control).  I used to feel this was a form of abortion, but now realize it takes affect before the fertilized cell is implanted in the uterus or it prevents ovulation.

 I am anxious to see the long term studies of how it affects the number of unplanned or unwanted pregnancies.  My only hope is that the EBC will lower the number of abortions.  I cannot imagine aborting a miracle!

Blog # 4 "Sex Education In Today's Schools"

As the mother of two daughters I feel sex education should be taught in the schools, especially in today's world.  I also feel it should be taught in several different steps, depending on the child’s age.  The parents should also play an important role and be notified in plenty of time to prepare their child or to decide to opt out of the discussion if they do not want it taught.   

My oldest daughter is going to be 10 years old and has already started asking questions.  I feel this has to do with the media, peers, having older cousins, and the physical changes in her body.  I have gradually started talking about the difference between boys and girls and how babies come out of mommies’ bellies and about puberty.  I even gave my daughter a book for her to read, but not parents are the same.  So I don’t want mixed messages being sent to my daughters by her peers, everyone should be on the same page and kids should feel comfortable talking about sex education.  If a parent stays involved in their child’s life they can preach their own beliefs at home or at church. 

 

I feel abstinence should be taught at the early stage (5^th-7^th grade) gradually given the students more information about what is sex, how babies are made, but preach abstinence.  In the next stage (8^th grade) start talking about abstinence- plus.   But focus on unplanned pregnancies, STD s, and that saying no is OK!  The emotional piece is a huge part at this age and the teachers/counselors should spend lots time on helping teenagers make responsible decisions about sex.  I also feel that the sex education talks should continue into the high school (9^th-12^th) to help re-enforce the previous years and add more information about safe sex and homosexuality.  

There is a great article called “Sex Education in America” from the website http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1622610.  It is about the debate over sex education in the schools and its findings from the polls in 2004 by NPR, the Kaiser Family Foundation, and Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.  I was not surprised to see only 7% of Americans do not feel that sex education shouldn’t be a part of our children's education.

Teenagers and Healthy Behaviors!

Today’s generation of adolescents have lots of stress in life that can affect healthy behaviors.  They worry about self-image, peer relationships, sex and drugs, school, and sports, which are influenced by peers and the media.  To encourage teens to develop healthy behaviors, I think we need to spend more time and money working on building a child's self-esteem and body image.  “How we feel about ourselves can influence how we live our life”, a quote from a website http://kidshealth.org , that provides articles, resources, and activities for parents and kids, including a special section for teenagers. 

This is a strong and very true message to send to teenagers, but how can we get the message across?  Well, who are they mostly influenced by, peers!  Many summer camps teach these skills, but we are missing the kids that need it the most.   I think the health educators need to work with schools or after school programs to start groups that are peer led, to develop activities and discussions about improving self-esteem and body image.  Coaches and teachers are also very influential to teenagers so they can be trained in these programs for guidance to the peer role models.  Activities should include developing physical, social and emotional exercise to improve self-image by teaching healthy habits.  The more we improve a teenager’s self-image the more likely they will develop healthy behaviors.

 

blog #2 "Life, Liberty and pursuit of Happiness"

On July 4, 1776 congress signed The Declaration of Independence, and it stated:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”

I believe that health insurance should be included as a right!  Without health insurance we are not equal, and without health insurance we have to make choices that could affect our life!  In a document from the 2008 US Census Bureau reported that “46.3 million people in the US were uninsured.”  I believe the number Americans without health insurance will increase in this current census.  Because my family and I will be part of that percentage.

My husband and I, both born and raised in the United States of America, have worked full time for the past 15 years with wonderful health coverage.  Other than co-pays we were very lucky not to have any large medical bills, even with the birth of two beautiful girls.  Then my husband lost his job due to the downward spiral of the US economy and to manufacturing job being sent overseas to China.  He went back to school and got a degree as an electrician.  Jobs were still scarce in our rural community and we were forced to relocate our family.  My husband was fortunate to get a job with his Dad’s small company, but there are no health insurance benefits available.  As the wife and mother of two healthy girls, knowing we cannot go without some type of health insurance I started panicking.  I checked with several companies and couldn’t believe the cost of having private health insurance and with not qualifying for public health insurance; I had to make a decision.  Against my better judgment, we have to take a huge risk.  The cost of relocating and starting over is overwhelming so we have to go without health insurance! 

So yes, I believe my family and I have a right to be covered by some type of health insurance.  It is not a choice that we made for my husband to lose his job and not be able to make a living to support our family and not be able to afford health insurance.  So our right to life and pursuit of happiness is at a huge risk!

References:

http://healthcare.procon.org/

http://www.ushistory.org/Decloration/document

Blog #1

I am home in Pennsylvania for my 94 year old Grandmothers funeral. I have a very large extended family and just about everyone came to say goodbye to my sweet Grandma which everyone adored. The health issue that I am most concerned about is how to live a long healthy life like my Grandma, so that someday I may enjoy my children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and possibly great-great-grandchildren. I am a healthy 37 year old, for the most part, but I need to start taking better care of myself: eating healthy and exercising to help fight off any health issues in the future which I can control (high blood pressure, heart disease, high cholesterol). There are some cancers in my family history and I am hoping to learn some preventative care which would reduce my chances of getting this disease. I have many women in my extended family all of different ages that I could have asked about their concerns. I chose my niece who is 15 and my Aunt who is 65. They have different concerns due to their generation.




My niece’s concern is the peer pressure from friends, boyfriends and media about sex and alcohol and the effects it could have on her entire life. She understands the dangers associated with each of these but feels the pressure to take part to be “cool” and to be part of the popular groups because all the kids are doing it!



My Aunt’s concerns are what are in store for her future! She is retired and just had a hip replacement and has other health issues that are slowing her down. She is currently living with her daughter and knows that she is not going to be able to take care of her forever and knows the stress of the “sandwich generation”, and its effects and tolls on her own body. And she doesn’t want that for her own daughter.



I think the concerns are different due the generation and what each has going on in their lives of that time. Everyone has a variety of women’s health concerns but what concerns you the most is what is affecting you and your loved ones at that moment!