What a Soon to be Mother Should know about alcohol and teratogen
Alcohol is a substance that causes drunkenness and is present in drinks such as wine, beer, spirits and other fermented products. Teratogen, on the other, is an environment that pregnant women may be exposed to during pregnancy. Explaining the effects of teratogen on pregnant women is essential for helping in reducing miscarriages, underweight babies and reducing mortality rates during birth. Lack of knowledge about alcohol by the soon to be a mother may have diverse effects. Besides miscarriage, the soon to be mother could have a stillbirth or give birth to a physically disabled kid. Alcohol ignorance by pregnant women can also result in the birth of an intellectually challenged child. Like alcohol, teratogen exposure may cause stillbirth and affect fetal development. It is therefore essential to inform a soon to be mother on the effects of alcohol and teratogen during pregnancy and after birth.
Alcohol consumption by pregnant women according to the National Health Services (NHS) in England has adverse effects on both the mother and child. Alcohol passes through the umbilical to the baby leading to complications. The NHS suggests that mothers should refrain from consuming alcohol during pregnancy to minimise complications to the child and the mother. Informing the pregnant woman about alcohol consumption during pregnancy will also help in reducing child mortality rates during birth (Lu, 2018). Alcohol consumption information will also help mothers to produce healthy babies without physical defects such as facial disfiguration and underdeveloped body parts. Refraining from alcohol can help the pregnant woman to complete the gestation period without a miscarriage and have a safe delivery. Alcohol knowledge could also help mothers to give birth to children without abnormalities. Alcohol information also helps soon to be mothers to avoid affecting their baby’s nervous system development.
Pregnancy Development Stages
A normal pregnancy lasts for nine months which is equivalent to 40 weeks which are divided into the following stages.
Prenatal Development Stage
The prenatal stage happens from conception to birth. The prenatal period is divided into three stages which include the germinal, embryonic and fetal stages. Embryonic period is one of the crucial stages in the prenatal development stage. The stage entails the period between implantation to at least eight weeks after. Prenatal care is one of the primary concepts associated with the prenatal development stage. The concept entails activities that are aimed to promote mother and child health during pregnancy. Prenatal care entails checking weight specimens’ samples during examinations to assess the pregnant woman’s and the fetal health conditions during the prenatal development stage. Prenatal care helps in keeping the mother and the future in safe health conditions.
Birth and Newborn Stage
The birth and newborn stage comprise the stage after birth to two months later. Babies are not very active during the newborn stage. Neonatal care is one of the concepts during and after birth. It entails care given to a child during and after birth. A neonatal baby is about 0-2months. Neonatal is essential for ensuring survival and good health. Children who are born before their due date require intensive neonatal care. Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is a medical facility that handles newborns requiring emergency care (Dinsdale et al., 2016). Neonatal care is essential for mothers and babies because since they experience many emotional and physical after birth. The baby is dependent on many neonatal care procedures for survival outside the mother’s uterus.
Infant Toddler Physical Development
The infant and toddler stage comprises of children from birth to around five years. The stage is crucial because it is one in which babies learn to control their bodies. Physical development is one of the vital aspects of the Infant toddler physical development stage. Postnatal is among the concepts associated with the infant-toddler development stage. It comprises of the health services provided to both the infant and the mother after birth up to six months or longer depending on their health needs. During the stage, mothers are advised on the effects of substance abuse and exposure such as alcohol and teratogens to children development. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends that postnatal care must be provided to mothers and babies especially for the first six weeks after birth to reduce the world mortalities after children birth (Dinsdale et al., 2016). Postnatal also help in reducing obesity among women after birth (Dinsdale et al., 2016). World Health Organisation asserts that mortality rates are high before and after birth. The Infant Toddler Physical Development stages require mothers to avoid substances and environments that can affect the baby’s development abilities.
Infant toddler physical development entails developing features such as sight, touch, movement and sound recognition among other abilities. The stage allows the toddler to undergo a range of gross and fine motor skills (Lippard et al. 2019). Some skills developed during the stage include climbing, crawling and rolling. Infant toddler cognitive development entails brain development and capabilities. It comprises of how children think and act. Infant toddler cognitive development helps toddlers to understand the surrounding. Exposure to harmful environments and substances during the infant-toddler cognitive development period can affect brain development. Infant Toddler Socio-Emotional Development on the other entails how a toddler learns to relate with the surrounding (Gray et al.., 2018). The stage also entails how the toddler learns to express emotions and experiences.