In todays society more women are having children and the ages of these women range from young teenage moms at fifteen years of age to older women in their forty’s that are about to enter menopause.
No matter how old the woman is they all have one thing in common to help them have a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby: prenatal care. Prenatal care is not only very important for the baby’s overall health, but also for the expecting mother. Having good prenatal care will drastically reduce the chance of medical complications of mom and child. There are many different types of prenatal care and many factors to consider as a pregnant woman. A woman's diet, the different types of medical testing while she is pregnant, and the amount of emotional support she has are a few types of prenatal care.
A healthy diet is important for every person to have, but it is especially important for an expecting mother. When a woman is pregnant she is supporting another life inside her and what she eats and drinks that baby eats and drinks. Foods with a high nutritional content and having a balanced diet is necessary for a healthy pregnancy. Often women have cravings for different foods or they might think its okay to eat whatever they want because they need to gain weight. These thoughts are often incorrect. Overall a woman only needs to gain about twenty to twenty five pounds during pregnancy. Becoming overweight while pregnant can lead to gestational diabetes and other medical problems. Women need a good amount of protein and calcium in their diet while pregnant since the baby will be using up some of their own stores of these two things. Vegetables with high iron content such a leafy, green spinach and whole milk are g...
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...eving this goal. Prenatal care is not only necessary for the baby, but also the mother. If the mother is not healthy the baby will not be healthy or worse she could have a miscarriage. The resources for good prenatal care are endless from books like What to Expect When Expecting, to online articles, asking friends and family for advice, and coming prepared with good questions for your OBGYN. Eating right and taking supplements will help with the mothers health and her ability to carry her baby well. A woman getting the proper prenatal testing done can prepare her for any challenges her baby might have when born such as having Down Syndrome and if some issues are detected early enough issues can be changed such a low birth weight by eating better or quitting smoking. Having emotional support at home will give a woman joyful and less stressful pregnancy.
At some point in a woman's life, she may think of the idea of having a child. Some young girls are taught at a young age that when she grows up, someday she can have a family of her own if she chooses. When I was a child, I remember my mother and other womanly influences telling me that when I'm older, I might have a family of my own; and in result of this, ever since I was little, I have planned out how many children I want to have, and my expectations of my family life. However, while many women see themselves having children someday, and understand the process of carrying a child, some women might be in the dark about the complications that can come along with pregnancy. Life can throw curve balls, and everything that may have been planned, and thought out clearly might not go as smoothly as expected. There are many complications that can occur from pregnancy for mom and baby. In fact, one of the most common complications to occur is Down syndrome. And while Down syndrome may be very common, many women are making the decision to abort their fetuses once they are aware of the disability.
sure that the baby receives a healthful and nutritious diet. Unfortunately, it’s not always obvious
Two-thirds of infants die during the first month of life due to low birth weight (Lia-Hoagberg et al, 1990). One reason for this outcome is primarily due to difficulties in accessing prenatal care. Prenatal health care encompasses the health of women in both pre and post childbearing years and provides the support for a healthy lifestyle for the mother and fetus and/or infant. This form of care plays an important role in the prevention of poor birth outcomes, such as prematurity, low birth weight and infant mortality, where education, risk assessment, treatment of complications, and monitoring of fetus development are vital (McKenzie, Pinger,& Kotecki, 2012). Although every woman is recommended to receive prenatal health care, low-income and disadvantaged minority women do not seek care due to structural and individual barriers.
It is important to understand what women commonly experience during pregnancy. With a better understanding of what happens during prenatal development and childbirth, physicians can competently develop the best plan for the mother and baby. I interviewed two women who have been previously pregnant in order to evaluate how the ideas in the book translate into real-life experiences.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one out of every eight babies each year in the United States is born premature. This affects approximately 500,000 babies yearly. Premature babies are defined as babies born more than three weeks before the baby’s due date. Full term babies are born at approximately forty weeks, and premature babies are born at less than thirty-seven weeks. In the final months and weeks of pregnancy, important growth and development occur in the fetus. This is why premature babies are considered to be at-risk for a number of issues. The earlier that a baby is born, the baby’s risks drastically increase for developmental issues.
For the duration of prenatal development, the unborn offspring may be affected by a multiplicity of teratogens, which are different factors which can have negative effects on the fetus, and can even cause birth defects. While there are countless factors that can affect an unborn child, the most commonly seen teratogens that should be avoided by a pregnant woman including alcohol, drugs, and tobacco. The intake and ingestion of alcohol during pregnancy is the cause of a disorder which is fetal alcohol syndrome. Fetal alcohol syndrome can cause a birth defect which can cause mental and physical disabilities, as well as cardiac defects in the heart for some situations. Some people believe that small amounts of alcohol in moderation can be acceptable, but there are proven facts that show no alcohol should be consumed during any time of pregnancy. Another dangerous teratogen to refrain from is the use of drugs, prescription and illegal. Many kinds of prescription drugs can influence a fetus and can cause physical and
the mothers' life is at risk and the baby will die anyway. A lot of
The woman who wants to get pregnant should give herself six months to a year to change her diet and lifestyle. Taking white foods, preservatives and processed food out of the diet should help to start the process of changing the dietary side, as well as cutting sugar, alcohol, caffeine and tobacco out (‘Minimizing Risks’, ‘Avoiding Toxic Exposures During Pregnancy’). Losing weight helps to prevent risks once the woman becomes pregnant, and daily exercise helps to improve blood flow. (‘Before Pregnancy’). Around the house, the woman and her spouse should minimize toxins in cleaning, as well as changing to eco-friendly cleaning products for surfaces and for personal care. Probiotics, vitamins and Omega-3s taken regularly should help, and avoiding mercury, the flu shot and pesticides (‘Minimizing Risks’). After becoming pregnant, the woman should continue her diet and take vitamins and antibiotics, as well as consuming more protein. Finding a midwife and having a natural birth at home can help, as well as avoiding ultrasounds during the pregnancy and inductions or pain medications during labor. Children born by cesarean section have a higher risk of having autism than babies delivered naturally. Even though a cesarean section may seem easier, it has more potential to cause harm in the end for the baby (‘During Pregnancy’, ‘Minimizing Risks’). Bonding with the baby after its
March Dimes Foundation: Pregnancy and Newborn Health Education Center. Retrieved from http://www.marchofdimes.com/materials/teenage-pregnancy.pdf
... of the baby. It will also decrease legal issues during pregnancy, which make access to care harder, and decrease the stigmatized situation that the mother maybe placed in.
When it comes to eating right, it is important that the diet of a pregnant woman has food energy, protein, with many vitamins and minerals, as this is essential for the pregnancy to support the metabolic demands of pregnancy and the baby's growth. It is then, that knowing the fact that the diet of a pregnant woman should be well controlled it is ide...
There are many different areas to consider when preparing for and having a newborn. Whether the pregnancy was planned or unplanned or the couple is married or not, a newborn baby brings new responsibilities. Having a baby also forces people to make adjustments both financially and within the family. Parents also express concerns and expectations when having a newborn comma especially when it is their first; including what roles each parent and family member should play, how much confidence they have in their parenting skills, and how much financial strain would be placed on the family once the newborn has arrived. The newest issue in today’s society is the fact that many women are delaying childbirth and having more children in their later years of life.
Beginning in the womb, nutrients obtained through the diet, in this case of the mother, begin playing a key role in the development of the brain and nervous system. A woman’s poor nutritional status before the time of conception can have detrimental effects on physical and cognitive development (Whitney & Rolfes, 2013, p. 486). It is clear that from the beginning of the lifespan nutrition plays a vital role and cognitive health and development. While nutrition is known to play a role in cognitive health, the question of just which nutrients and in what quantities will require many more years of research as new information is being discovered. There is a growing concern over the quality of ‘natural’ sources, such as breast milk and whole foods, as opposed to synthetic sources, such as infant formula and vitamin supplements. There has been much debate as to whether or ...
This journal was useful for me because it gave me the background details on why women are opting for delayed motherhood by the age of 30 or 40. Accordingly, I was able to build up my points on how it will affect the health conditions of both baby and mother and also the risk of taking that challenge.