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Infancy-low birth weight
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The birth weight of an infant is an important issue, as it plays significant roles in infant/childhood mortality and also has important health implications in overall growth and development of individuals.1 Birth weight has been shown to be an index of intrauterine growth and a reliable predictor of child survival and mental development.23 There are numerous research studies concerned with the factors that determine birth weight.4-10 Factors such as maternal weight gain, smoking, alcohol consumption, gestational age, maternal anthropometry and many other variables have all been the subject of several scientific papers. The World Health Organization defines normal birth weight as 2500 to 4000 grammes. Low birth weight (<2500g) is usually associated with significant infant mortality. 1, 11 Fetal macrosomia (birth weight >4000g)12 has however been shown to have significantly less association with infant mortality in recent years, probably due to medical advances in management of the condition.13 Smoking has been documented to reduce birth weight. It is postulated that the mechanism for this is via tobacco induced loss of appetite, resulting in reduced maternal nutrition and resultant low birth weight.14 Many other socio-biologic factors affecting birth weight include maternal age, maternal education, sex of baby, antenatal care, marital status, socioeconomic status, genetic factors and place of residence 2 The objectives of this study were to determine the factors that influence birth weight and to establish which of these factors can be used to estimate birth weight. The aims were to ascertain the individual effect of each of these factors and their effect as a group. This is an important research question, and findings from th... ... middle of paper ... ...t of Alcohol and Caffeine Consumption during Pregnancy. Am J Epidemiol 1993; May 1;137(9):941-50. 24. Sulaiman ND, Florey CD, Taylor DJ, Ogston SA. Alcohol consumption in Dundee primigravidas and its effects on outcome of pregnancy. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 1988; May 28;296(6635):1500-3. 25. LETAMO G, MAJELANTLE R. FACTORS INFLUENCING LOW BIRTH WEIGHT AND PREMATURITY IN BOTSWANA. J Biosoc Sci 2001;33(03):391-403. 26. Reichman NE, Teitler JO. Paternal age as a risk factor for low birthweight. Am J Public Health 2006; May;96(5):862-6. 27. Gillman MW, Rifas-Shiman S, Berkey CS, Field AE, Colditz GA. Maternal Gestational Diabetes, Birth Weight, and Adolescent Obesity. Pediatrics 2003; March 1;111(3):e221-226. 28. Hypponen E, Smith GD, Power C. Parental diabetes and birth weight of offspring: intergenerational cohort study. BMJ 2003; January 4;326(7379):19-20.
The very low birth weight are newborns that weigh less than 3.3 pounds (1,500 grams). Unfortunately, newborns that are under 3.3 pounds (1,500 grams) do not often survive, and the ones that do have delayed motor skills and cognitive development. The numbers decrease further to extremely low birth weight of 2.2 pounds (1,000 grams), where chance of life is very small. Low birth weight babies 1,500 grams – 2,500 grams (3.3 -5.5 pounds) have a good chance they will survive with proper care. Newborns that are small-for-date are placed in incubators that are sealed beds where temperature and air quality is regulated. The beds isolate the infants from pathogens and the environment. The babies need sensory stimulation to grow, so a recorded tape is played of the mothers soothing voice. Visual stimulation from video, and tactile stimulation helps foster physical and cognitive development in the baby. At five months while the fetus is in the womb ithas sensory capabilities, and can hear the mother’s heart beating, food digestion, speaking, and others speaking to her! The incubator stimulates this environment. There is great success with proper attention and care to the low birth weight babies, and. Many of the low birth weight babies are effects of parents that live in poverty, unable to access adequate medical care, and they experience stress due to an unhealthy family life.
Works Cited:.. Action on Smoking and Health. 4 Oct. 2003 http://www.ash.org.uk/html/factsheets/html/fact02.html American Lung Association. “Smoking and Pregnancy.”
Rao, Goutham. "Childhood Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus". Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics.( 2005): 473-480. Print.
Asfour, V, and S Bewley. 2011. Cord clamping practice could affect the ratio of placental weight to birth weight and perinatal outcomes. BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology 118 (12): 1539–40. Retrieved November 8, 2014
Davis, PM, TL Carr, and CB La. "Needs assessment and current practice of alcohol risk assessment of pregnant women and women of childbearing age by primary health care professionals.."Canadian Journal of Clinical Pharmacology 15.2 (2008): 214-222.Pubmed.gov. Web. 25 Nov. 2013.
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 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggestion that a pregnant woman should not drink alcohol during pregnancy (Advisory on alcohol use in pregnancy 2005) has been widely criticized as being unnecessarily paternalistic, but the CDC goes further into explaining that, “Alcohol consumed during pregnancy increases the risk of alcohol related birth defects, including growth deficiencies, facial abnormalities, central nervous system impairment, behavioral disorders, and impaired intellectual development” (Advisory on alcohol use in pregnancy
...lem in the world. LBW is arisen because of preterm births and, intrauterine growth retardation, or both. Many risk factors including low pre pregnancy BMI, poor dietary patterns, poverty, low antenatal weight gain, and infections causes the infants to be Low Birth Weight. There are many health consequences can be seen due to LBW and some of them are neonatal morbidity and mortality, effects related to cognitive and neurological development. Some suggestions to decrease the incidence of LBW are improving food intake, getting medications for chronic diseases, preventing teenage gestations, educating teenagers and mothers about LBW and preventing from infections and malaria. South Asia is the highest low birth weight reporting region in the world. UNICEF and World Health Organization have been conducting many projects to lower the low birth weight rate in the world.
A mother who drinks while she is pregnant stands a high risk of harming their unborn child because the alcohol passes through her blood to her baby, and that can harm the development of the baby’s cells. This is most likely to harm the baby’s brain and spinal cord. Many of the common effects of a child suffering from fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is: distinctive facial features, growth problems making them smaller than the average child, and learning and behavior problems.
... excluded potential risk factors for preterm birth including previous pregnancies and multiple births. Thus, these results should only be applied to the risk of alcohol consumption for primiparous mothers with singleton pregnancies. However, despite the lack of risks identified in this study, alcohol use during pregnancy has been linked to disabilities. According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP, 2011), its adverse effects include fetal alcohol syndrome, learning disabilities, social ineptness, depression, and anxiety. The AACAP strongly recommends against pregnant women consuming any form of alcohol at any level. Despite the data presented by Dale et al. (2016), the question of the other risks of alcohol consumption on the fetus was not explored and thus alcohol use during pregnancy should not be condoned solely based on this study.
In 2006, 49% of all pregnancies in the United States were reported unintended on a national survey.1 The highest rate of preventable birth defects and mental retardation is due to alcohol use.2 In this paper, I will further discuss FAS, the potential effects of binge drinking during the embryonic stage of gestation, and what actions need to be taken in order to reduce the incidences of alcohol-related birth defects. Alcohol Consumption During Pregnancy Alcohol is an ethanol containing substance that is a common beverage in many social and private settings. Alcohol is also a teratogen, therefore alcohol consumption and binge drinking potentially pose a substantial risk to the embryo or fetus. In 2013, the Centers for Disease Control conducted a telephone survey of women in the age range of 18-44 years regarding alcohol use.3
World Health Organization (WHO) has been defined LBW as the weight at birth of less than 2,500 grams (5.5 pounds) .There are two major possibilities of being low birth weight. One can be, the baby may born early and it terms as “Premature birth”. Where the baby born before 37 weeks of pregnancy. And the other is intrauterine growth restrictions (IUGR). These kinds of babies are also known as growth-restricted, small-f...
Most women have heard that smoking is very deadly to the human body and can cause cancer, heart disease, and other major health problems, yet it is still an ongoing problem. Around the world, about 250 million women use tobacco every day and this number is increasing rapidly, according to data presented at the 2009 14th World Conference on Tobacco or Health in Mumbai (March of Dimes , 2011). Not only do women smoke, some choose to continue to smoke while pregnant. Smoking during pregnancy is a worldwide problem, although it is more common in developed countries such as the US, where an estimated 18 percent of pregnant women smoke. In developing countries, it 's estimated that only 8 percent of expectant mothers smoke. These percentages may sound low, but together they equal up to one million babies born worldwide each year to mothers who smoked while pregnant (Smoking during Pregnancy , 2009) . One study found that about one in four women who smoked while pregnant deny it. Maternal smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of birth complications and has long-term developmental consequences for child development, including deficits in general intelligence, academic skills, and cognitive functioning. As social inequalities in smoking have increased over time, maternal smoking during pregnancy has become concentrated among women with lower levels of education (e.g., more than 20% among women without a high school degree) (Gilman, Breslau, Subramanian, Hitsman, & Koenen, 2008). Despite the warnings about the dangers of smoking while pregnant, some women still choose to smoke which places themselves and their baby at risk for many health issues.
This essay explores how poor nutrition during pregnancy can affect prenatal development. It will be touching on the subjects of how the fetus can obtain diabetes, abnormal brain development, and heart disease from poor nutrition. Pregnant mothers should maintain a healthy diet to avoid pregnancy and birth complications. The amount of food mothers consume during pregnancy is important for normal development for the fetus. This essay will expand on the necessary foods and how to maintain a healthy diet in order to give birth to a healthy child. It will also expand on how to avoid unhealthy foods and lower the risk of giving birth to a child that has not developed properly. I will also be explaining how these birth defects have contributed to Forsyth County’s infant mortality reduction.
...lative Contributions Of Lung Fluid And Fetal Breathing Movements. J Pediatr Surg 19(6): 658-665, 1984. Brace, R.A. Physiology Of Amniotic Fluid Volume Regulation. Clin Obstet Gynecol 40: 280-289, 1997. Hedriana, H.L., W.M. Gilbert, And R.A. Brace. Arginine Vasopressininduced Changes In Blood Flow To The Ovine Chorion, Amnion, And Placenta Across Gestation. J Soc Gynecol Invest 4:203-208, 1997. Andrews, J., Mcgarry, J.M. A Community Study Of Smoking In Pregnancy. Journal Of Obstetrics And Gynaecology Of The British Commonwealth 79(12): 1057-1073, December 1972. Denson, R, Nanson, J.L., Mcwatters, Ma. Hyperkinesis And Maternal Smoking. Canadian Psychiatric Association Journal 20(3): 183-187, April 1975. Kline, J., Stein, Z.A., Susser, M., Warburton, D. Smoking: A Risk Factor For Spontaneous Abortion. New England Journal of Medicine 297(15): 793-796, October 13, 1977.