Thomas is now 35 and decides to have a
family with Magda. He decides that the number one thing in his life is to make
her happy so he goes through with having children. Magda is not aware of his
hesitancy to have children which could potentially cause problems when the child
arrives. He decides to make a vow to her and she does the same. When Thomas’s
parents find out, they are very upset. Thomas parents, Taylor and Marcus are
very upset because they are a very traditional family and expected Thomas to
follow the same values. They are upset that he is not married to Magda and
believe that this should occur before the two of them pursue having a family.
Also, they have only met Magda a handful of times and don’t know if they are
comfortable having her raise their grandchildren. Despite all this, Thomas and
Magda start a family and baby Isaac is born.
Around
age three Isaac starts to show some ADHD tendencies. Thomas has always believed
that ADHD was caused by environmental causes, but after having a child with
ADHD , he realizes there is a greater genetic component. After doing his
research he realizes there is strong
evidence that the primary cause of ADHD is genetic, due not to any single gene,
but to combined effects of a number of genes, meaning ADHD runs in families. If
a parent has ADHD, their child has more than 50 percent chance of having ADHD;
for siblings of a child with ADHD, the risk is 32 percent. Causes of ADHD are
linked to chronic problems in the release and reloading of two specific
neurotransmitter chemicals, dopamine and norepinephrine, that are crucial for
effective communication in the management system of the brain. The brain of
someone with ADHD apparently makes these chemicals, just like everyone else,
but often it does not release and reload them effectively. This may lead to
significant inconsistency in the individual’s ability to focus and get things
done, especially if the task is not a high-interest activity.
Thomas is trying to find ways to raise a
child with ADHD. He has begun writing a little book explaining his experience
with ADHD, discussing his own ADHD and how it has affected him in his life and
how he has handled it. He can include what has worked, what has been most
difficult, and what he has learned most. This is something he plans to share with
Isaac once he reaches about age ten.
Thomas’s parents, Taylor and Magda are
upset that Thomas and Magda never had a traditional wedding ceremony. Despite
their frustration, they are thrilled to have a grandson and they come and visit
all the time. They also watch Isaac during the week since both Thomas and Magda
work. Living only 2 hours away from Thomas, they make many weekend trips to
visit Isaac. Thomas starts to get annoyed because he feels like they are coming
too often.
After having Isaac, Magda has been having a
lot of health complications. She developed Gestational diabetes when she was
pregnant. This occurs when blood sugar levels get too high during pregnancy.
Between 5% and 6% of pregnant women are diagnosed with the condition every year
in the United States. Luckily Isaac was still born at a healthy
weight. However, after the pregnancy, Magda is still experiencing symptoms
related with diabetes. She is trying to control her blood sugar levels through
a healthy diet and exercise since her blood sugar values remain high. However,
she is a nanny all week every week and is having trouble finding time to
exercise and to eat healthy.
Thomas has had at lot of offers to travel
for his work at Julliard. He is thrilled because this has always been his
dream. However, now he has a family at home and Magda doesn’t think he should
travel. Thomas still really wants to travel and think that Magda and Isaac will
be fine for the time that he is gone. He doesn’t want to go for long periods of
time he only wants to go for a week here and there so he doesn’t see and issue
with it. However Magda is very frustrated and believes that this is not a good
choice and after making that known to Thomas, the two begin to argue about this
situation. However, Thomas’s music class has been offered the chance to play in
Italy so he takes it up and leaves for the week. He comes back from the week
and Magda has moved out.
1) Do Taylor and Marcus have a right to be upset that Magda and
Thomas didn’t get married in a traditional wedding ceremony?
2) How much should grandparents be allowed to see their
grandchildren?
3) Besides diet and exercise, what are some other treatments
that will help with Magda’s diabetes?
Decision Point:
Did Magda have the right to leave? What
does Thomas do next? Does he try to get back with her, or move on?
http://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/preconceptioncare/conditioninfo/pages/health-problems.aspx
1) Do Taylor and Marcus have a right to be upset that Magda and Thomas didn’t get married in a traditional wedding ceremony?
ReplyDeleteTaylor and Marcus definitely have a right to be upset with Magda and Thomas getting married without telling anyone. Marriage is a big time in everyone’s lives, especially in the parent’s lives. When you are a parent you raise your child to be the best they can and be the man/woman their parents know they can be. So when they went through with getting married, Taylor and Marcus were extremely hurt. They were also upset that they pursued with getting married without telling them, but they were more hurt and sad that they weren’t involved in such a big decision and day. It’s every parents dream to watch your child get married and have a ceremony to celebrate their big day, so there was much disappointment in not having a big wedding ceremony either.
2) How much should grandparents be allowed to see their grandchildren?
Grandparents should be allowed to see their grandchild as frequently as they want and as frequently as the parents allow them. I think seeing their grandchild every weekend is a tad much because it doesn’t give the parents much alone time with their new child, but I think that at least once a month is an extremely fair deal. I think Thomas and Magda shouldn’t be so selfish when it comes to having his parents seeing their new child because if anything, they are doing Thomas and Magda a favor of watching their kid when they are busy so they don’t have to pay for day care. If there is not a legitimate reason why the grandparents should not see their grandchild as frequently then there really is no excuse. Thomas and Magda could have them cut back how frequently they come and maybe have them come every other weekend that way they get to spend time with their child alone and the grandparents get some quality time also.
3) Besides diet and exercise, what are some other treatments that will help with Magda’s diabetes?
ReplyDelete• Eating a balanced diet. After you find out that you have gestational diabetes, you will meet with a registered dietitian to create a healthy eating plan. You will learn how to limit the amount of carbohydrate you eat as a way to control your blood sugar. You may also be asked to write down everything you eat and to keep track of your weight. In general, it is not a good idea to diet while you are pregnant. Most doctors recommend that women gain 25 lb (11.3 kg) to 35 lb (15.9 kg) during pregnancy. But if you are overweight or obese, your doctor may recommend that you eat less and gain less weight than other pregnant women. Overweight or obese women have a higher risk for high blood pressure and a blood circulation problem called preeclampsia.
• Getting regular exercise. Try to do at least 2½ hours a week of moderate exercise.4, 5 One way to do this is to be active 30 minutes a day, at least 5 days a week. It's fine to be active in blocks of 10 minutes or more throughout your day and week. Regular, moderate exercise during pregnancy helps your body use insulin better and helps control your blood sugar level. If you have never exercised regularly or were not exercising before you became pregnant, talk with your doctor before you start exercising. Low-impact activities, such as walking or swimming, are especially good for pregnant women. You may also want to try special exercise classes for pregnant women.
• Checking blood sugar levels. An important part of treating gestational diabetes is checking your blood sugar level at home. Every day, you will do a home blood sugar test one or more times. It may be overwhelming to test your blood sugar so often. But knowing that your level is within a target range can help put your mind at ease. Talk to your doctor about how often to test your blood sugar.
• Getting regular medical checkups. Having gestational diabetes means regular visits to your doctor. At these visits, your doctor will check your blood pressure and test a sample of your urine. You will also discuss your blood sugar levels, what you have been eating, how much you have been exercising, and how much weight you have gained.
• Taking insulin shots. The first way to treat gestational diabetes is by changing the way you eat and exercising regularly. If your blood sugar levels are still too high after changing the way you eat and exercising regularly, you may need insulin shots. Insulin can help lower your blood sugar level without harming your baby. Some doctors are using pills called glyburide and metformin to treat women who have gestational diabetes.
Decision Point:
ReplyDeleteDid Magda have the right to leave? What does Thomas do next? Does he try to get back with her, or move on?
I don’t think that Magda has a right to just leave when Thomas is gone for a week. If this was a big concern for her then she could have waited a week to talk about her concerns with him leaving frequently for his Julliard classes. I don’t see a huge deal in leaving here and there for a week at a time when Thomas is pursuing a goal he has always had. The biggest part of being married is compromising and making sure your significant other is happy. It seems to me that Magda is only concerned about herself and is worried she won’t be able to care for Isaac on her own. That is where the grandparents could come into play though. They don’t charge their kids for babysitting and take good care of Isaac, so having them come for a few days could help alleviate stress on Magda. I think it’s important that Thomas sits down with Magda and come up with a plan to make their marriage work. They planned to have Isaac together so it’s important that they work something out where they both get what they want out of the situation and are happy. If there doesn’t seem to be a resolution point or compromise, then they will have to reevaluate their marriage.
• Diabetes Treatment: Read About the Guidelines. (2014, February 17). MedicineNet. Retrieved July 16, 2014, from http://www.medicinenet.com/diabetes_treatment/article.htm#what_is_the_treatment_for_diabetes
• Gestational Diabetes Treatments: Diet, Insulin, & More. (2013, November 3). WebMD. Retrieved July 16, 2014, from http://www.webmd.com/baby/tc/gestational-diabetes-treatment-overview