Preterm birth is defined as ‘any neonate whose birth occurs before the thirty seventh week of gestation’1 and represents approximately eight percent of all pregnancies1-4. It is eminent that these preterm infants are at risk of physical and neurological delay, with prolonged hospitalisation and an increased risk of long-term morbidity evident in prior literature3, 5-13. Innovative healthcare over the past thirty years has reduced mortality significantly14, with the survival rate of preterm infants having increased from twenty five percent in 1980 to seventy three percent in 200715. Despite, this drop in mortality long-term morbidity continues to remain within these surviving infants sparking a cause for concern15, 16.
Exposure to an adverse in-utero environment severely impacts child neurodevelopment. At school age, poor neurodevelopment is reflected by reduced general intelligence, poor attention and poor cognitive performance. Poor neurodevelopment across adolescence is a major concern affecting a child’s ability to thrive and reach academic and economic success. Whilst the financial burden due to adverse outcomes of preterm birth differs among families, the economic burden on society remains great. In 2012, the Australian education system spent $220 million dollars to support special learning programs, which included support teachers, improved classroom resources, learning assistance and intervention programs [REFERENCE]. By gaining awareness of the determinants of an adverse fetal environment, suitable intervention programs can be established to aid in reducing the health and economic burden currently seen within society.
1.1 Birthweight and Gestational Age
One concept that holds great significance when examining outcomes...
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...ole? Developmental medicine and child neurology. 2014.
58. Treyvaud K, Doyle LW, Lee KJ, Roberts G, Lim J, Inder TE, et al. Social-emotional difficulties in very preterm and term 2 year olds predict specific social-emotional problems at the age of 5 years. Journal of pediatric psychology. 2012;37(7):779-785.
59. Luciana M, Lindeke L, Georgieff M, Mills M, Nelson CA. Neurobehavioral evidence for working-memory deficits in school-aged children with histories of prematurity. Developmental medicine and child neurology. 1999;41(8):521-533.
60. Curtis WJ, Lindeke LL, Georgieff MK, Nelson CA. Neurobehavioural functioning in neonatal intensive care unit graduates in late childhood and early adolescence. Brain : a journal of neurology. 2002;125(Pt 7):1646-1659.
61. Gardosi J FA. GROW Centile Caculator- GROW-CCC software v5.1. Gestation Network wwwgestationnet Published 2006.
Mphahlele, R. R. (2007). Caring for premature babies - a clinical guide for nurses. Professional Nursing Today, 11(1), 40-46.
Neonatal nursing is a field of nursing designed especially for both newborns and infants up to 28 days old. The term neonatal comes from neo, "new", and natal, "pertaining to birth or origin”. Neonatal nurses are a vital part of the neonatal care team. These are trained professionals who concentrate on ensuring that the newborn infants under their care are able to survive whatever potential life threatening event they encounter. They treat infants that are born with a variety of life threatening issues that include instances of prematurity, congenital birth defects, surgery related problems, cardiac malformations, severe burns, or acute infection. Neonatal care in hospitals was always done by the nursing staff but it did not officially become a specialized medical field until well into 1960s. This was due to the numerous advancements in both medical care training and related technology that allowed for the improved treatment and survival rate of premature babies. According to the March of Dimes, one of every thirteen babies born in the United States annually suffers from low birth weight. This is a leading cause in 65% of infant deaths. Therefore, nurses play a very important role in providing round the clock care for these infants, those born with birth defects or other life threatening illness. In addition, these nurses also tend to healthy babies while their mothers recover from the birthing process. Prior to the advent of this specialized nursing field at risk newborn infants were mostly cared for by obstetricians and midwives who had limited resources to help them survive (Meeks 3).
From the time of conception, a child’s brain begins to develop and the nurturing or neglectful experiences that parents provide the child can dramatically influence his or her neurological development. As Farah et al. (2008) and Lupien et al. (2000) found, a high stress environment often leads to the develop...
Talge, N. M., Neal, C., & Glover, V. (2007). Antenatal maternal stress and long-term effects on child neurodevelopment: how and why?. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 48(3/4), 245-261.
Modercin-McCarthy M. A., McCue S., Walker J. Preterm infants and stress: A tool for the neonatal nurse. J Perinat Neonatal Nurs, 1997; 10, 62-71.
Prenatal brain development is not usually the first topic on a pregnant woman’s mind, if it crosses her mind at all! Many women do not know what adverse effects certain circumstances can have on a child’s development. The most obvious deterrent of brain development would be a physical injury to the child. If any portion of the child’s brain is damaged during pregnancy, the effects will almost certainly be long term. Most pregnant women successfully take the necessary steps to avoid physically damaging the child’s brain. Perhaps even scarier is the thought that continuous exposure to stress can also permanently damage the brain development of a child that has yet to be born. The US National Library of Medicine states that in humans and animals, prolonged exposure to stress that can be controlled by the mother may result in abnormal behavioral, cognitive, and psychosocial outcomes. It is important for mothers to remember that they are no longer taking care of only themselves. Though unborn, there is a lot of damage that can be ...
There are more than 70% of premature babies that are born between 34 and 36 weeks gestation a year. When a baby is born early, or born with birth defects, the Neonatal Intensive Care unit is its first home. The nurse’s in the NICU have the difficult job of preparing baby’s and parents for a health life together. A baby who has been put into the NICU will stay there until it is healthy enough to go home.
In the course of child development, a multitude of factors have severe ramifications on the child’s future. These factors are either categorized as risk or protective, based on the positive or negative benefits that are derived from each. Risk factors exist as potentially mal-adaptive behavior profile variables that influence or interfere with a child’s competency to thrive in their environment. Protective factors, on the other hand, create positive influences on development by negating effects of various risk factors. Both risk and protective factors exist in a variety of forms. Genetic, biological, psychological, familial, and social-cultural influences can be seen on each side. Not only do they exist in a variety of forms, but their abilities also depend on contextual situations such as age, gender, and environmental conditions. It is important to look at these factors when determining norms in developmental pathways or observing deviances, which could explain future behavioral problems. On a superficial level, the amalgamation of risk and protective factors could create predictable outcomes in the behavioral, emotional, and social stability of an individual. Adequate preventative measures to increase resilience in a child with many risk factors, could lead to sufficient buffering of these potentially harmful variables. From a psychologist’s perspective, it is vital to understand risk factors and protective factors to better understand and aid patients who may show preemptive signs of future developmental problems.
Petraglia, F., Strauss, J.F. (III), Gabbe, S.G.,& Weiss, G. (2007). Preterm birth: mechanisms, mediators, prediction, prevention and interventions. United Kingdom: London.
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...
Reddy, U. M., Zhang, J., Sun, L., Chen, Z., Raju, T. N., & Laughon, K. (2012). Neonatal mortality by attempted route of delivery in early preterm birth. American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, 207(2). doi:10.1016/j.ajog.2012.06.023
Preterm birth is a birth that happens before 37 weeks of pregnancy. Most pregnancies last about 39–41 weeks. Every week in the womb is important and is beneficial to the health of the infant. Depending on when the infant was born, he or she may be:
The early stages of a child’s lifespan is the most crucial part of their overall development. “Brain and biological development during this time is influenced by an infant's environment”(Statistics
In the developing stages of a child, psychological factors play a huge role in th...
Neuropsychological assessment is a vital component for both initial diagnosis and for further treatment of a condition. The purpose of assessing individuals who are suspected of a certain condition, or who have already been diagnosed, is to understand the relationship of the behavior that is overtly displayed with the possible physical or chemical abnormalities that are present in the brain (Vakil, 2012). Through a variety of assessments, neuropsychologists are able to identify where the cognitive decline is apparent, thus allowing them to make a more accurate diagnosis (Vakil, 2012). Diagnosis, and its accuracy, is of greater importance for children. Early identification of a neuropsychological condition can improve