Devontae
came into the world on a cold night in December. Sasha and Julius couldn’t have
been happier. When Devontae came home from the hospital, the Jones had all of
their family there and many people from their faith community. They were
overjoyed.
A
few months went by as Sasha and Julius settled into life with a newborn. They
took Devontae to all of his pediatrician appointments, and he received all of
his vaccinations. For some reason, Devontae just seemed a little less
responsive than they might have expected – he seemed to be “listless” at times.
The pediatrician was concerned and wanted to run some tests to see if everything
was OK.
1)
Describe the major developmental milestones in all domains from birth through
six months of age.
2)
What does “failure to thrive” mean? To what extent might it apply to Devontae?
What else might be going on with him? What illnesses are a risk to children who
are 3 to 6 months old? Should Sasha and Julius have Devontae tested?
3)
Are vaccines safe for children? Is there any evidence that they cause Autism? Outline
the nature of the controversy in the last several years regarding vaccinations
and Autism. Would you recommend that Devontae continue to receive his
immunizations? Why or why not? What are the risks if he does not receive them?
4) Describe typical
practices in the three major Western religions with regard to the newborn baby.
If the Jones practice Islam, are there specific practices or actions they would
have undertaken when Devontae was born or shortly thereafter?
DECISION
POINT
*
Will Devontae continue to receive his immunizations?
Babies’ developmental milestones vary from baby to baby. Not all babies will reach and surpass obstacles as fast or as well as others. These major milestones will help guide parents expectations of what their baby should be accomplishing within the first six months of their lives. Around one month this baby can lift his or her head when they are lying on their stomach. The baby can respond to loud and sudden sounds and they begin to stare at faces. Some babies can follow objects and could start saying “oohs” and “aahs”. At two months the baby starts gurgling and cooing. They tend to follow objects and begin to notice their hands. Some babies begin to smile and laugh and can hold his or her head at a 45-degree angle. Babies at three months can recognize familiar faces and can hold their head steady. Some can blow bubbles and begin to recognize voices. A baby at four months begins smiles and laughs. They are just now starting to put weight on their legs. Some can roll over from their stomach to their back. A baby can start to tell between colors and play with his or her feet at around five months of age. They can usually recognize their own name and turn toward the direction of a sound source. Finally, at six months babies will turn to sounds and voices and even start mimicking sounds. Some start eating solid foods and can sit without support.
ReplyDeleteFailure to thrive means that a baby’s physical growth is much less than that of babies of the same age. Babies are incapable of taking in, retaining and using the calories needed for weight gain and normal growth. In early infancy, failure to thrive can have consequences, even death. Older infancy tends to have more diseases and complications. Some babies will develop food allergies, which can lead to weight loss due to the baby refusing to eat and even vomiting. There are even instances when the baby can have metabolic disorders and more serious diseases. It seems that Devontae is showing symptoms of infants who “give up” and become listless and refusing to nurse. If Devontae continues at this rate he may have many difficulties. We do not believe that Devontae will die. He is experiencing “failure to thrive” in older infancy rather in early infancy at about one month of age. Devontae could become very irritable, disinterested in his surroundings and he may not reach developmental milestones such as sitting up or rolling over due to lack of weight gain and muscle tone. If Devontae does not have “failure to thrive” he could just intolerance to milk protein, infections or a metabolic disorder. Babies who are three to six months old typically have issues such as allergies, asthma, the cold, flu, constipation, diarrhea, ear infections, fever, rashes and skin conditions. Babies have also been prone to getting bronchiolitis. We believe that Sasha and Julius should have Devontae tested for multiple causes for why Devontae is developing at a lower percentile than other babies. We think the family would feel much more relieved knowing they are taking proper precautions to help Devontae as much as possible.
Vaccines are safe for children as the most common side effects only include redness and swelling of the injection site. Most vaccines do not have any serious adverse side effects as the CDC requires a vaccine information statement be given to the patient and parent showing the side effects that they can cause. One of the only things that most people have to watch out is for allergic reactions since some vaccines like the flu vaccine is made from eggs which can be harmful to someone if they are allergic to eggs. The evidence shows that they cannot cause Autism directly and The American Academy of Pediatrics, the CDC, the World Health Organization, and the Institute of Medicine all agree. Since Autism appears normally around the same time children receive their vaccinations, it is nearly just a coincidence. The fact is that no one really knows what causes autism but there are some stipulations that it caused solely by genetics and the environment. The nature of the controversy of the last several years regarding vaccinations and Autism has changed where more scientific research is being produced. One of the debates is over Thimerosal, which is a preservative that keeps germs from growing. There is no compelling evidence to show that Thimerosal is dangerous but the government has lowered the amount that can be used in vaccines at which anything over that is a toxic dose and is safer than Mercury. The Thimerosal Generation is known as the kids who were vaccinated between 1989 and 2003. The debate in which vaccines cause Autism continues when vaccination rates dropped tremendously after a study Dr. Andrew Wakefield, a British doctor, who conducted in 1998. He altered his results which lead to incorrect data of 12 medical histories from patients though, which was not found out until later. Britain later stripped him of his medical license in 2011 after they discovered the elaborate fraud that he pulled off since he could reproduce his results to back up his study. We would recommend that Devontae continue receiving his immunizations because there are no facts rather stipulation from fraudulent research that caused the uproar leading to believe vaccines cause Autism. The risks if he does not receive them can really take a toll on his health because germs can come from anywhere being passed around the world without anyone noticing. Therefore if he does not receive the immunizations Devontae will be vulnerable to serious, life-threatening diseases along with putting his family and friends at risk.
ReplyDeleteTypical practices in major Western religions such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam in regard to the newborn baby include a ceremony where they are welcomed into their faith in a place of worship along with having a naming ceremony. Normally sacred passages are read that are special to the birth of a new child and they thank God for the new blessing, taking away any original sin. Sometimes the baby is given another name according to their faith along with what appears on their birth certificate. In the Western religions, circumcision is customary for baby boys to be preformed after birth by the time they are toddlers. Circumcision is when the foreskin, being the skin covering the tip of the penis, is removed giving the boy a rite of passage according to their faith. Devontae will most likely receive a circumcision shortly after his birth in a hospital setting and there may be a celebration given by the family to go along with it. There are two rituals that will be performed as the first one is the Call to Prayer. Words will be whispered into his right ear symbolically showing an awareness of Allah at the first moment of life as the Quran and other small rites are read. After a few days the naming ritual will be held with family and friends and a lock of his hear is cut from his head. There will be a meal prepared along with sacrifices and readings taking place as an act of almsgiving.
DECISION POINT
ReplyDeleteDevontae will continue to receive his immunizations as they have a greater benefit towards his health at this point providing him with prevention. We think that is best due to the research that we have conducted the past two weeks and stated about vaccines, FTT, and having a healthy development overall.
References:
Autism-Vaccine Link: Evidence Doesn't Dispel Doubts. (n.d.). WebMD - Better information. Better health.. Retrieved May 22, 2012, from http://www.webmd.com/brain/autism/searching-for-answers/vaccines-autism?page=2
Definition of Failure to thrive. (n.d.). MedicineNet. Retrieved May 23, 2012, from www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=6483
Failure to Thrive . (n.d.). KidsHealth - the Web's most visited site about children's health. Retrieved May 23, 2012, from http://kidshealth.org/parent/growth/growth/failure_thrive.ht
Islam, Life Cycle. (n.d.). Observances in Islam. Retrieved May 22, 2012, from http://uwacadweb.uwyo.edu/religionet/er/islam/islife.htm
Jewish Birth and Naming Ceremonies - ReligionFacts. (n.d.). Religion, World Religions, Comparative Religion - Just the facts on the world's religions.. Retrieved May 22, 2012, from http://www.religionfacts.com/judaism/cycle/naming.htm
Milestone chart: 1 to 6 months | BabyCenter. (n.d.). BabyCenter | Homepage - Pregnancy, Baby, Toddler, Kids . Retrieved May 23, 2012, from http://www.babycenter.com/0_milestone-chart-1-to-6-months_1496585.bc
Vaccine FAQ. (n.d.). WebMD Children's Health Center - Kids health and safety information for a healthy child. Retrieved May 22, 2012, from http://children.webmd.com/vaccines/news/20080306/vaccine-faq?page=3