Introduction

Local Topic

The topic I have chosen is improving maternal health. Since my wife is currently pregnant with our first child I have been very interested in maternal health.  I may be a nervous new parent but I have been reading and doing research online regarding maternal and fetal health. You hear so much conflicting information for people and in the media that it is necessary to ask numerous questions at each prenatal visit. The focus of my local paper will be maternal health and birth control in America and Idaho in particular. From this project I want to learn how to better care for my wife during her next pregnancy. Questions to answer:

•    How does drinking affect an infant?
• What causes Club foot?
• What causes a cleft palate?
•  How often are babies born with teeth?
• How does smoking affect an infant?
• Does caffeine negatively affect the infant?
• What is the increased risk of birth defects from maternal tobacco use?
•  Is there a relation between the number and type of anomalies?
• What are the effects of eating during an epidural?
• What are the benefits of a natural birth?
•  What are the effects of anesthesia during childbirth?
• What are the risks with episiotomy?

I ask these questions because I have had some of these things happen to my family members and I want to understand the care behind them. These questions could also help me better understand the care my wife needs.

References

I plan to interview Mrs. Carson because she has extensive knowledge in the interview. Mrs. Carson worked as a Neonatal Nurse, Private Practice Obstetricians Nurse and Labor and Delivery Nurse and is current the Boise School District Registered Nurse. I will also be interviewing my wife’s obstetrician and/or his nurse about the problems in our community. Our physician has traveled to Africa and Asia and may be able to give some insight to conditions in those countries. 

The references I already have are Idaho State Health in Welfare as well as book What to Expect When Your Expecting by Heidi Murkoff.  The resources I still need to find are local experts on the specific questions I want answers to.

I film I am going to analyze is No Woman No Cry (2010) by Christy Turlington Burns. This film that follows the story of various women will bring up issues on injustices those Third World countries face. I will have to think deeply about how living in American drastically changes the outcome of my wife’s maternal health. This video focuses on two of the countries I am analyzing in my project and will discuss the maternal health issues of the countries.

Global Topic

My global focus will be the contrast and comparison of our country and the third world countries.  The countries I will focus on are Bangladesh and the United States. To collect knowledge on these topics I plan to write letters, emails and read research online to gain more knowledge from different countries.

References

I am planning on writing a letter to the Kathleen Sebelius the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services of the United States of America. I will also contact CARE at 1825 I Street NW, Suite 300 Washington D.C. 20006, who did a learning tour in Bangladesh on Maternal Health. For information on the foreign countries I will contact Ellen Carnevale with the Population Reference Bureau at ecarnevale@prb.org. To find more references I plan to write more emails to OB doctors across America so I can have a broad span of knowledge for comparisons. 

My references to date are "Maternal Health Supplies in Bangladesh" by  Bergeson- Lockwood, Jennifer, Elizabeth Leahy Madsen, and Jessica Bernstein http://www.who.int/pmnch/activities/commodities/201006_maternal_health_bangladesh.pdf and "Maternal and Neonatal Health in Bangldesh." By Unite for Children http://www.unicef.org/bangladesh/Maternal_and_Neonatal_Health.pdf .

Conclusion

I plan to address the issues of maternal health and the outcomes of fetal development and the risks relationship in different countries.

Bibliography

Unite for Children. "Maternal and Neonatal Health in Bangldesh." Unicef.org. Unicef, 2009. Web. 9 Feb. 2013.

Bergeson- Lockwood, Jennifer, Elizabeth Leahy Madsen, and Jessica Bernstein. "Maternal Health Supplies in Bangladesh." Populationaction.org. Population Action International,, 2010. Web. 9 Feb. 2013.