Prenanatal Development: Expectant Mothers

While I had never paid much attention to expectant mothers in the past, this assignment made me a little more intrigued about prenatal development. In the beginning, it seemed impossible to properly report on prenatal development from just an observation stand point. Not being able to view the baby through a mother's exterior was my initial concern. However, I began to look around at pregnant mother's, carry children in this prenatal stage and took notes about their behaviors.

I chose to observe my Aunt April who is having a baby. Because we all meet every Sunday for dinner, this gave me the perfect opportunity. I never paid much attention to her before, but there is definitely a difference in the way a pregnant woman moves around. From the very beginning of most children's life, there must be an attachment with the mother. Aunt April appears cautious and more protective by always putting her hand in front of rubbing her stomach constantly. I thought she did this for comfort, but it appeared unconscious. She looked down constantly and even talked to her stomach. She appeared to make sure not many people came close to touching this area of her body. I also noticed she did not drink alcohol or wouldn't allow anyone to smoke cigarettes, which she had allowed before. She appeared more emotional and anxious than everyone else.

In addition I got to see the sonogram picture that everyone was passing around, which cleary indicated the baby was in the fetal stage, which is the last and longest stage of prenatal development. You can see the fetus and tell he is in the final stage of prenatal development. On the picture it indicates 32 weeks and 16.3 cm long.The baby is fully developed and you clearly see the face with chubby cheeks,...

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...concern. In this style of parenting, children usually lack self-control and are socially incompetent.

In the African American culture, my unbringing, the preferred parenting style is Authoritaive. I believe Authoritaive parenting encourages to be creative, independent and motivated by providing guidance and the appropriate balance. In our culture, children are taught to be assertive, socially responsible and have self-regulation. The ability to be able to ask questions during adolescence provides children with proper reasoning and communication skills. Most experts believe authoritative produces the best outcome in emotional stability and academic success in children, but state some parents may use a combination of parenting techniques.

Work Cited

Santrock, J. W. (2012). A topical approach to life-span development (6th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.