...emotional development. Prenatal care is very important and will help you to make wise decisions and increase your chances for a happy and healthy outcome. You are no longer responsible for just one person but two. The little one growing inside of you depends on your for nutrition and a safe resting place for nine months. All of the lifestyle choices you make during pregnancy will not only affect your health but also the child as well. Bad habits like alcohol, smoking, and drug use may harm your baby and bring about developmental issues. Identifying developmental issues as early as possible allows early intervention that can lead to successful treatment. The brain begins developing although still in the womb and continues to grow over time. Research has shown that exposure to alcohol in the womb is one of the leading causes of brain disorders in infants in the United States. Exposure to environmental toxins can also cause slow brain development and mental retardation. Prenatal care is one of the best ways to protect babies from brain damage. Developmental delays can have future negative effects on your child, which may lead to speech and language difficulties, behavioral problems, and learning problems. Nutrition Your baby’s development depends on proper nutrition. My doctor informed me when I was pregnant that folate and folic acid, calcium, protein, and iron were the most important to your diet. All help to prevent birth defects and low birth weight. Healthy eating...
Words: 1395 - Pages: 6
...t TO ASSESS THE IMPACT OF PRENATAL CARE AND HEALTH CARE ACCESS ON INFANT DEATH OUTCOMES IN FIVE PUBLIC HEALTH DISTRICTS WITH THE HIGHEST AND LOWEST RATES OF INFANT DEATHS IN GEORGIA INTRODUCTION Infant rate mortality in Georgia is extremely high and is an indicator of the overall poor status of health among women and children in this state. Between 1990 and 2000, it is reported that Georgia was among the states with the highest rate of infant deaths. In 1990 the infant morality rate in Georgia was at 12.4 deaths for each 1,000 live births and decreasing to 8.5 per 1,000 in 1998. The infant death rate among the white population is 6.1 per 1,000 while the African American population was stated at a much greater rate of 13.5 per 1,000, which is over twice as high as infant death rates among the white population in the state of Georgia. (Georgia Department of Human Resources: Infant Mortality Fact Sheet, 2000) PURPOSE OF STUDY The purpose of this study is to investigate Infant mortality in African American women in Georgia for the years 2000-2005 in five public health districts with the highest rates of infant mortality and five public health districts with the lowest infant mortality rates (so we are looking at 10 public health districts total that can be found on the OASIS website) in the state of Georgia). LITERATURE REVIEW It is stated by the Georgia Department of Human Resources in the work entitled: “Infant Mortality: Fact Sheet” that the primary cause...
Words: 9604 - Pages: 39
...Prenatal Development Name: Institution Affiliation: Introduction Prenatal development alludes to an arrangement of development stages that starts from the fertilization of an egg by a sperm cell to the onset of conception procedure. It starts with the development of the zygote to the development of the baby. It includes three noteworthy stages to be specific, germinal stage, the fetal stage and embryonic stage. The developmental stages occur part of the way in the fallopian tube and the uterus. It typically takes a period of nine months in person yet changes starting with one types of creature then onto the next. The pre-implantation period, in the middle of fertilization together with implantation of the conceptus in the uterine divider, takes a normal of 7 days. The embryonic period is the real period of organogenesis, enduring around two months from conception. Amid the fetal period, enduring until around 38 weeks after conception, development, practical development, and further separation of tissues happen. Body There are a few standards of prenatal development which fundamentally controls the entire procedure. These standards are as per the following. Development happens in the head to toe course otherwise called cephalocaudal. That is the head creates first before the toes consequently the head and parts of the furthest point are constantly more created than the lower appendage at any specific time amid development. The essential...
Words: 1691 - Pages: 7
...Prenatal Care in the Community Prenatal Care in the Community Getting early and regular prenatal care improves the chances of a healthy pregnancy. Preconception and prenatal care can help prevent complications and inform women about important steps they can take to protect their infant and ensure a healthy pregnancy. Which is important to many mothers. It’s is also important to be informed because habits that may not harm an adult may still harm a baby’s development. A child’s health begins long before it is born. Common barriers to a healthy pregnancy and birth include lack of access to appropriate health care before and during the pregnancy. In addition, environmental factors can shape a woman’s overall health status before, during, and after the pregnancy. There are many free or low-cost services for pregnant women and their babies. Hospitals, Churches, State or local Health Departments Etc. Having prenatal care is important but it is not always what happens in certain situations for example people with addiction issues. Even though those certain people may know better they still risks of their actions. The use of substances by the mother can have devastating consequences to the fetus. Smoking is linked to low birth weight, which can result in a weakened immune system, poor respiration, and neurological impairment. Excessive maternal drinking while pregnant can cause fetal alcohol spectrum disorders with life-long consequences for the...
Words: 429 - Pages: 2
...Infants with Intrauterine Drug Exposure Between 400,000 and 440,000. That is the number of estimated infants affected by prenatal alcohol or illicit drug exposure each year according to the National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare. That is between ten and eleven percent of all births and frankly that number is way too high. Major maternal substances of abuse that affect newborns are amphetamines, opiates, cocaine, tobacco and alcohol. These substances can have severe adverse neonatal and long term effects. What is to blame for this extremely elevated statistic? Well, illicit drug use by a mother-to-be or even the use of legal substances such as alcohol or tobacco coincides with several other influences that can also impact a child’s life. Examples include lack of prenatal care, socioeconomic status, role of the father, support systems, and the caregiving ability of the mother, all of which play enormous roles in child development and maternal drug use. Almost all drugs of abuse follow a similar mechanism of action in the adult brain; this mechanism alters the pathways for reward by flooding the circuits with dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that exists in areas of the brain that power movement, motivation, emotion, and feelings of pleasure. The overstimulation of this system produces euphoric effects in response to the drugs. This reaction initiates the cycle that tells people to keep abusing drugs. As a person...
Words: 1204 - Pages: 5
...Assignment 2 Financing and Restructuring Health Care Dr. David Tataw HSA 500 Health Services Organization January 28, 2012 Abstract: This paper analyses the Financing and Structuring Health Care by analyzing four important notions. Firstly it Identifies and describe the three main types of health insurances in the U.S. Secondly it explains the three methods for categorizing health insurance in the U.S. This is followed by a synthesis of the pros and cons of managed health care for the health care provider, insurer, and patient. Finally the papers describe the impact of managed care on both the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Identify and describe the three main types of health insurances in the U.S. Rodts (2010) talks about the new Healthcare system in US and the challenges it brings for healthcare providers but there is always challenge when one has to select the certain type of health cover for himself. It is therefore important to understand main types of health insurance in the US. While Hall (2010) outlined the three different types of reinsurances brought about by the health reform, Health Insurance Info (2010) notes that are a number of different types of health insurance coverage designed to meet the needs and budget of a variety of individuals. In essence, health insurance is a risk management tool that ensures you and your family has access to the healthcare you need, when you need it without causing a tremendous financial burden. The cost of health insurance...
Words: 3928 - Pages: 16
...Perinatal and Prenatal Environmental Influences Jeremy Donna Glover, CHFD 308 July 18th 2011 Most child development causation research has focused on genetic inheritance, and environmental contexts such as social cultural and community influences as dominant factors in physical and cognitive development. I believe that prenatal environmental influences have been overlooked in much research to date. By reviewing the journal “Perinatal exposure in later psychological development and behavioral disabilities” I will emphasis the importance of healthy living to later cognitive development in infancy and early childhood. During the late 1950’s and early 1960’s the devastating thalidomide tragedy brought awareness to the public the causation between birth defects and use of chemical’s during pregnancy. An estimated 10,000 birth defects and thousands of fetal deaths worldwide as a result from failed animal testing. Women were prescribed the sedative thalidomide to reduce morning sickness. As these children grew older, many scored below average in intelligence by possible direct damage to the central nervous system (Berk, L. 2008). Damage to the central nervous system could have correlated with a negative bi-directional influence between child and parent. Subsequently, this event influenced researchers to develop a new branch of study into the causation of birth defects called Teratology. At the time researchers speculated that during the prenatal period...
Words: 810 - Pages: 4
...because of the risk of birth defects” (Balatbat, 2005, p.110). When a mother drinks during pregnancy the alcohol is in the blood. The alcohol travels through the placenta to the fetus through the umbilical cord, thus causing damaging complications such as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). According to "National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome" (2001-2004), “Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) is an umbrella term describing the range of effects that can occur in an individual whose mother drank alcohol during pregnancy. These effects may include physical, mental, behavioral, and/or learning disabilities with possible lifelong implications” (Facts About FAS/FASD). Drinking alcohol during pregnancy is harmful to the developing fetus because it can cause mental retardation, physical deformity, and central nervous system damage. First, mental retardation is one of the most common characteristics of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). Drinking during pregnancy has a damaging effect on unborn children, which can cause major social and emotional effects to the child’s life; this cannot be out grown or treated. Women who consume alcohol during pregnancy sometimes do not know they are pregnant, but on the other hand some woman that are aware choose to continue to drink throughout their pregnancy. According to National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (2001-2004), “FASD is the leading known preventable cause of mental retardation and birth defects, and a leading...
Words: 1275 - Pages: 6
...pregnancy as a high risk family type, will address common health problems and mortality data for this family type, and will identify three to four health promotion and disease prevention objectives that are applicable to this family type. Summary of Health Profile In the 1990s, in the United States, teen pregnancy and birth rates were on the decline. Data obtained from 2006 indicated that teen pregnancy rates were back on the rise. Latina teens, teens who are in the foster care system, and those who belong to gang groups are populations with a high rate of teen pregnancies. There are many downsides and negativities associated with teen pregnancies such as lack of education, they are more apt to live in poverty neighborhoods, are more likely to be on welfare and public assistance, and more likely to be in poor health. In 2004 teen pregnancy cost taxpayers more than $9.1 billion. Although the highest teen pregnancy increases were among African American teenagers at five percent, Caucasian pregnancy rates increased by three percent, and Hispanic pregnancies increased by two percent. Ironically, even though the Hispanic teens had the highest birth rate, they experienced the smallest rate increase. The Hispanic teen pregnancy rate is...
Words: 1692 - Pages: 7
...can directly impair prenatal development, most of the body organs and systems of the baby-to-be are formed within the first ten weeks or so of pregnancy during this stage. After about the tenth week, the fetus should grow rapidly in weight and size. At this stage, certain drugs may damage organs that are still developing, such as the eyes, as well as the nervous system. Continuing drug use also increases the risk of miscarriage and premature delivery. But the greatest danger drugs pose at this stage is their potential to interfere with normal growth “low-birth weight babies require special care and run a much higher risk of severe health problems or even death”. [1] Use of illicit drugs like cocaine and opioids during pregnancy can cause complications and serious problems in the developing fetus and the newborn. Growth of fetus is likely to be inadequate and premature birth defects are more common. Cocaine crosses the placenta, constricts the blood vessels reducing blood flow to the fetus. The reduced blood and oxygen supply to the fetus slows the growth of bones and intestine. Use of cocaine can also cause complications during pregnancy. Among women who use cocaine throughout pregnancy, 31% have preterm delivery and 15% have premature detachment of placenta. The chances of miscarriage also increase. Drugs that a pregnant woman takes can affect the fetus in several ways. They can act directly on the fetus causing damage or abnormal development leading to birth defects or death....
Words: 588 - Pages: 3
...preterm births in the United States of America. In fact, preterm births and low birth weight have negative consequences not only for the infants and their families but also on the society. Actual delivery before 37 weeks of gestation is the primary concern and low birth weights have a major impact on the functional domains, such as cerebral palsy, chronic lung disease, and hyperactivity disorder (Brooks-Gunn J., McCarton C. M., Casey P. H., McCormick M. C., Bauer C. R., Bernbaum J. C., Tonascia J. (1994). Babies who weigh 5.5 pounds (2500grams) or less at birth are low babies with low birth weight. Babies weighing 3.3 pounds (1500 grams) or less are Very low birth weight babies. There is a significant medical and social cost for low birth weight infants and preterm births. Low birth weight is a major predictor of infant mortality. Ethnic and cultural group’s disparities related to low birth weight infant and preterm infant are significantly disproportionate, affecting minority Americans. Although infant morbidity cannot be directly linked with low birth weight but it is a frequently used as a marker for poor health at birth because it amounts for the leading risk factor for infant morbidity and for subsequent mortality among the surviving infants. The extent of which ethnic and cultural disparities in low birth weight reflect socioeconomic inequalities, cigarette smoking during pregnancy, young maternal age and low educational achievements are also associated with low birth weights...
Words: 790 - Pages: 4
... there are large socioeconomic disparities in health. Although low birth weight is not a direct measure of infant morbidity, it is frequently used as a marker for poor health at birth because it is a leading risk factors for infant mortality and for subsequent morbidity among surviving infants. Cultural and ethnic disparities in health disproportionately affect minority Americans. One of the greatest challenges facing the US healthcare system is the persistence of disparities in infant and maternal health among the different racial and ethnic groups. Despite substantial research on determinants of cultural and ethnic disparities in birth outcomes in the United States, much remains to be explained. The differences in socioeconomic status, maternal risky behaviors example: cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption during pregnancy, prenatal care, psychosocial stress, perinatal infection, young maternal age and low educational attainment account for more disparities. The impact of extremely low birth weight babies on family and society is associated with more long term stress, even for well-educated nuclear families whose health care is financed by the government, the social impact and personal strain experienced is so overwhelming, the anxiety not...
Words: 403 - Pages: 2
...historical, economic, social and cultural factors. Normative age- graded influences- are similar for individuals in a particular age group Puberty Menopause Starting kindergarten Normative history-graded influences- are common to people of a particular generation because of historical circumstances. Living time during a historical event WWII, cold War, great depression, 9/11, The Great Depression Non-normative life events - Individual events that happen to people. Kindergarten parents died Hurricane Katrina, car wreck, young kid has a stroke. Development Stages Prenatal (conception – birth) from a single cell to a complete organism with a brain and behavioral capabilities. Infancy (birth – 24 months) – psychological activities (language, symbolic thought, sensorimotor coordination and social learning. Early Childhood (2-5 yrs.)- “preschool years” young children learn to become self-sufficient and care for themselves. Middle Late childhood (6-11) fundamental skills of...
Words: 2381 - Pages: 10
...Melanie Jeanes Alyssa Miller Repro 433 Prenatal Exposure to Atrazine: A Literature Review Atrazine (ATR) is a triazine herbicide commonly used in agricultural communities throughout the United States. ATR prevents and destroys the growth of broadleaf weeds particularly in corn and sorghum crops across the Corn Belt region of the Midwest (United States, 2007). The predominant herbicide used in U.S. agriculture, atrazine is a white, water-soluble, crystalline powder-like solid (United States, 2007). Once dispersed over crops or wooded areas, atrazine dissolves in water and subsequently contaminates groundwater, and later surface water and drinking water (Lazorko et al., 2009). ATR is detrimental to both human and animal populations because...
Words: 1587 - Pages: 7
...specific illnesses such as diabetes. It is an overall picture that is trying to be put forth so that everyone can live a better life. This is a program that everyone should look into due to the fact that it deals with issues that many people are not familiar with. It can serve as a basis for education, as well as motivation for certain individuals who want to change their lifestyle and their choices. Maternal, infant, and child health is a very important goal. Taking care of mothers, and their children stands for...
Words: 1588 - Pages: 7