Assignment: Birth Journal
STEP 1: You may (a) consult with your parents about your own birth, (b) interview a new parent about their birth experience, or (c) consider the birth of your child. Please discuss the following in your journal response:
- Describe the events leading up to the delivery. Where did the delivery take place and who was present? Were any specific techniques or medications used?
- What were the first weeks at home like? Were there any difficulties, problems, or adjustments? Describe a typical day at home during the first weeks after the baby was born.
- If possible, write about the first year of life for the baby. Were they breastfed or bottle-fed and when were they introduced to solid food? How old were they when they: rolled over, sat up, crawled, cruised, walked along?
- What were some of the baby’s favorite toys, first words, and favorite books? What games or activities did they like to play?
- Was there more than one language spoken at home?
- How would you describe the child’s temperament? Were they an easy child, a difficult child, or a slow-to-warm-up child? If there are siblings siblings, how different or similar are the individual temperaments?
STEP 2: Submit your assignment as either detailed responses to the six questions, OR as a reflection essay (between 400-600 words) that describes the birth experience and early years in general terms.
| Criteria | Ratings | Points | ||
| Complete response | Writes in clear, descriptive sentences with no or few grammatical errors. Answers responses correctly and appropriately. | Does not provide enough detail in the responses, or responds incorrectly. | Incomplete responses or difficult to understand or follow. | __/6 |
| Personal reflection | Shows personal reflection and includes examples from own experiences. | Demonstrates some personal reflection but is not thorough. | Does not include personal reflection or demonstrate understanding of the material. | __/6 |
| Total: | __/12 | |||
