Introduction
It is extremely crucial that both the baby and the mother receive good prenatal care to ensure both their health remains to be good. Mothers that do not have access to good and early prenatal care have a higher probability of up to three times of delivering a baby with a low birth weight as compared to those that receive good prenatal care, which may also result in a higher infant mortality of up to five times. Particularly, mothers that have low incomes or are unemployed suffer from these, as they cannot afford to pay for this service. Therefore this means that they prenatal care that is subpar as compared to mothers that receive high incomes and can comfortably afford good prenatal care. When mothers receive prenatal care, what
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A big portion of fetal development occurs when mothers are in their first trimester, which means that screenings and health assessments conducted during this stage could show whether mothers and their babies face risks of pregnancy complicated. This means that prenatal care given to mothers at this particular stage is very necessary specifically mothers with low incomes that usually do not get it (Alexander & Kotelchuck, 2001). Programs should be put in place to ensure that low income women get the same care as women that do get good prenatal care. The main objective of this is to ensure that infant mortality rate is minimized and also improving the safety of the mother and baby health wise when women give birth to normal babies that are in the range of normal birth weight. Every woman whether poor or rich deserves to receive good prenatal care that is affordable and easily accessible. Implementation of a medical insurance cover that is affordable combined with government intervention is a good way to bridge the performance gap in the prenatal care for low income women as it enables them to makes small contributions depending on the payment plan that best suits
A major part of women’s health and children’s health is prenatal health. When you have a strong start, you can have a solid base to build upon your entire life. Therefore, one of the Healthy People 2020 main objectives are to diminish and eradicate early death among individuals. Therefore, prenatal health is a top priority to achieve. That is evident by having over forty objectives that are exclusively related to prenatal health of the mother and the fetus. These objectives are categorized under morbidity and mortality, pregnancy health and behaviors, preconception health and behaviors, postpartum health and behavior, infant care, disability and other impairments, and health services (Healthy People 2020,
Sorensen, J., & Abbott, E. (2004). The Maternity and Infancy Revolution. Maternal & Child Health Jounal, 8(3), 107-110. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=14089739&site=ehost-live
We are here faced with the polar opposite extremes in birthing. Seemingly, if a woman has too little prenatal care and education regarding birthing (as in Africa) she may not have the access to a Cesarean when she truly needs it; and at the other end of the spectrum if a woman has enveloped herself in a system that relies too heavily on birthing technologies she may end up with an unnecessary Cesarean surgery. Other paradigms exist for birthing such as in Holland where every woman is provided with a midwife for her birth, and Brazil where the C-section rate tops 80 percent. Yet another microcosmic pocket of birth in the U.S. shows us that C-section rates can be achieved at below 2%.
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.
The germinal stage of prenatal development takes place during conception and until two weeks afterward. During this stage, fertilized eggs, or zygotes, divide, multiply, and eventually specialize. The zygote then attaches itself to the uterine wall approximately ten days after conception. The embryonic stage of prenatal development begins after this time, as the bundle of cells forms into two parts. The internal cells become the embryo, the human organism at this time. The external cells become the placenta, which provides nutrients and oxygen for the baby. Formation of organs takes place during the embryonic stage, and they also begin to operate. Lastly, the embryonic stage begins around two weeks after conception through roughly eight weeks. After the embryonic stage, the fetal stage begins and lasts until the birth of the baby. During this stage, the embryo becomes known as a fetus. At twenty-four weeks, the organs of the fetus have developed well enough for a possibility of survival outside of the womb.
Prenatal care is an essential aspect of a pregnancy in terms of child development. Depending on whether the mother received adequate prenatal care, there could be problems with the child 's development (Santrock, 2016). Prenatal care might differ depending on the era of pregnancy. For example, a 21st century 's mother might more access to information due to technology as opposed to a 16th or 17th century 's mother. Could this have played a role in the type of prenatal care each mother engaged in during her pregnancy period? Another reason could be a difference in cultural beliefs which might influence a mother 's prenatal behavior.
Lowdermilk, D. L., Perry, S., Cashion, K., & Alden, K. R. (2012). Maternity & women's health care (10th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Mosby.
In America, 1 out of 8 children are born premature. The earlier a child is born from their suggested due date, the poor severe the condition the child can receive. With health conditions of the mother, that may be a main reason why a child may become premature. Women with uterine, cervical abnormalities, or having twins, triplets, etc. may cause a risk of preterm labor. A women’s health is a main factor of how their child may come out. Smoking, drinking, use of illegal drugs may cause women to have preterm labor as well. To...
The disparities may be attributed to the amount of prenatal care that pregnant women of different ethnicities receive. In 1996, 81.8% of all women in the nation received prenatal care in the first trimester--the m...
In the United States one in eight births are preterm (“Funding for Premature Related Research”).Premature means that the baby is born early, which is any baby born before thirty-seven weeks but health problems are usually only a problem for babies born before thirty-four weeks (“Funding for Premature Related Research”). Premature births are the leading cause for neonatal deaths and half of all premature births have no known causes (Lynch and Dezen). Babies who survive prematurity face multiple health problems including cerebral disease, vision and hearing loss, mental retardation, and lung problems (Lees, Reynolds,andMcCartan). Obviously with so many premature babies being born today, with so many unknown neonatal deaths in premature babies, and with all of the health problems for premature babies, there is a problem that must be addressed.The government needs to further fund research for the care and prevention of premature babies to prevent unnecessary death and health problems, cut costs in the long run, put previous findings into effect and reduce parental stress.
Statistics show the impact that preemies are causing as the rate of preterm birth increases every day. Any part of the world is affected no matter how advanced they are in technology. “One of every eight infants born in the United States is premature babies” (Medline Plus). These statistics are extremely high, however people can change it by getting involved in the community and helping preemies have a less chance to lose in their battle for life. In 2003; 499,008 infants were born prematurely (National Center for Health Statistics). The rates of preterm births have increased over the years. "In 1995: 11.0% of live births were born preterm, In 2006: 12.8% of live births were born preterm"(March of Dimes-Peristats). As the numbers keep increasing, many families are suffering and losing hope for they’re babies. African American women have the highest rate of preterm birth in 2004 with a 17.6% (Reedy, 2007). These statistics demonstrate the high frequenc...
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.
The prenatal period is considered the period between the conception of a baby until its birth. During this time embryo's and fetus go through major changes to prepare for their life after birth. In the years after they are born, what we call infancy and toddlerhood, while as adults we don't seem to change much in a year or two, children go through many changes that are crucial in developing the patterns of their futures.
All mothers, especially first time mothers need help moral support and advice during the first few days after their delivery to ensure proper care of their newborn. The care and help given to first time mothers is of utmost important during this period as to maintain the normality in their babies as well as to prevent any further complications. Typically all pregnant women are counseled during their antenatal period on how to prepare themselves mentally on the care of their babies after birth. Upon delivery, majority of the mothers would stay for a short period in the hospital. During this short stay, they would need time to recuperate, need to know what care to give their baby and how to carry out the care and also learn what to do if their baby is feeling unwell. Thus it is important for health care providers to assist first time mothers be it at the hospital or at home since it is a crucial period for them and they often requires more help and moral support especially when it comes to the proper care of their newborn. ("Routine care of a newborn baby")
The most important indicators of a community’s overall health are maternal, infant and child health. It deals with the health of women of childbearing age from pre-pregnancy, labor, delivery and the postpartum period and the health of the child prior to birth up the adolescence (McKenzie & Pinger, 2015, p.192). The health data that is collected towards maternal, infant and child health are used to see the effectiveness of disease prevention and health promotion services in a community. Prenatal health care is one of the fundamentals of a safe pregnancy. An infant’s health mostly depends on the mother. A child’s during the ages of one to nine are very important to the child’s development and the future (McKenzie & Pinger, 2015, p.217). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends vaccinating children against most vaccine-preventable diseases early in life. One of the community programs for Women, Infants and Children are maternal and child health bureau, which is in charge with the responsibility for promoting and improving the health of our nations mothers and children. Another is woman, infants and children program, which is a clinic-based program designed to provide a variety of nutritional health related goods and services to pregnant, postpartum and breastfeeding women, infants up to