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Reflection Paper #2
SPH-F345
Yuchan Hu
In the previous course, I mastered a lot of new knowledge. Also, pregnant women should avoid teratogens during pregnancy effects me the most. Viruses, drugs, chemicals, stress, environmental hazards are the factors, which harm the fetus. Prevention of fetal malformations should start from pre-pregnancy check. The pregnant women use medication during pregnancy should follow doctor 's guidance, diet should be balanced, and they also need to far from radiation.
The teratogens have influenced me the most because in the past I did not realize that nicotine, caffeine, and drugs damage to the fetus so much. For example, although I know that pregnant women smoking is harmful for the body, I did not think nicotine
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The sperm quality of alcoholic husband may have negative impact on fetus. If the pregnant women drinking, there are high teratogenicity to the fetus. The alcohol leads children to suffer multiple deformities, growth retardation and mental retardation. Therefore, the pregnant women should be absolute alcohol during pregnancy, especially during the fouth trimester. Also, the pregnant women at work or in life should pay attention to try to avoid contact with toxic and harmful substances, such as radiation, pesticides, lead, mercury, cadmium and other substances. The pregnant illness must be treated, but the pregnant women should not abuse drugs, because some drugs have adverse effects on fetal development. Thus, if the pregnant women get sick, they should ask the doctor to treat, no matter what the disease, they should explain to the doctor that they have been pregnant, so that doctors can pay attention to drug …show more content…
This is because I think that breastfeeding babies are developing healthier. In the past few decades, there has been growing evidence that breastfeeding is good for health, and recommendations for practice have continued to increase. Breastfeeding has many advantages. First of all, breastfeeding is conducive to infant digestion and healthy development. Also, the breast milk is nutritional balance and it has the best ratio. Therefore, the use of breast-feeding method is conducive to promoting the healthy development of the baby. Second, breastfeeding is beneficial to enhance infant immunity. In the breast milk, especially colostrum, there are a lot of antibiotics, which babies needs and can resist infection. Thus, the breast milk can strengthen the baby‘s the resistance, immunity, and it prevents the baby to be sick or not sick. Finally, breastfeeding can reduce the reduction of infant allergies. The breast milk is clean, safe, non-toxic, and without any side effects. And it has natural antibiotics, antiviral toxin; so breast-feeding can greatly reduce and decrease the baby allergy phenomenon. If mothers use other alternatives to feed, it will inevitably produce a wide range of allergies, which leads baby to eat fragrant, restless sleep, life discomfort, and affect the healthy growth of infants. In my opinion, breastfeeding is affordable. Breast milk is not only beneficial to the healthy growth of the baby, but also
There are many factors that are integrated into the successful development of a child from Prenatal growth into toddlerhood. Teratogens (outside factors) have a great impact on the babies’ inutero development. Some outside factors like second-hand smoke, smog, or fumes from cleaning chemicals can cause negative effects on the child inside the womb. A few major affects from teratogens could result in low birth weight, head circumference, slow physical growth as well as an effect on mental, behavioral and motor skills (Berk, 2003). The environment around the mother provides many of these outside factors affecting the baby’s growth. But the main link to teratogens during the gestation period is most likely the mother. Daniel S. Messinger and the National Institute on Drug Abuse found that 2.8% of pregnant women admitted to using illicit drugs during their pregnancy (1996). Through illicit drug use, tobacco use and alcohol use, the mother disrupts her baby’s growth with possibly permanent damage.
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
The manner in which a teratogen impacts the developing human may vary, though nicotine, caffine and medication consumption are all directly related to physical development. These are examples of habitual teratogens, each contributing to low birth weight and behavioral problems in adolescents. The level of influence of any given teratogen depends on many factors; the first, called the “threshold effect,” occurs when a relatively harmless teratogen in small quantity becomes toxic at a spe...
... 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.
Pregnant women who drink often miscarry or have low-birth weight infants, and are at a much greater risk of having a child who has fetal alcohol syndrome. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome can include heart defects, poor coordination, hyperactive behavior; learning and developmental disabilities, and mental retardation. These problems are long term and also come with physical deformities like a narrow head, smaller eyes, and stunted growth. These effects are more common to women who are either heavy drinkers or binge drinkers.
Over the course of this class I feel like I have become a much better writer. When I go back and look at some of my Journal entries and assignments that I did at the beginning of the semester, I can’t help but tense up at some of the things I wrote. Sometimes the things I was writing didn’t flow well, or I might have even have missed glaring grammar mistakes.
Teratogens are defined as “those substances which exert an adverse influence on development [of a developing fetus]” (Hepper, 2007, p. 48). Teratogens can be environmental influences, such as chemicals or infectious agents. They can also be physical conditions or nutritional deficiencies present in the mother. Thousands of known teratogens have been discovered. For example, Purdue University’s Department of Radiological and Environmental Management (2014) maintains an internet-based list of teratogens which currently names over 2000 substances. This paper will discuss two of these teratogens in further detail: maternal cigarette smoking and vitamin A.
Breastfeeding is when a woman feeds her child from her breast. Breastfeeding has been around since before the 15th century. In addition to strengthening the bond between a mother and her baby, breastfeeding offers a number of benefits for both a mother and her child. Babies who are breastfed have lower risk of meningitis, various cancers, diabetes, respiratory illnesses, bacterial and viral infections, childhood leukemia, allergies and obesity. Mothers have a reduced risk of breast and ovarian cancer, as well as osteoporosis. All mothers no matter where they are weather it be the mall, park, restaurant, or just out running errands need to have their right to breastfeed protected.
Alcohol (wine, beer, or liquor) is the leading known preventable cause of developmental and physical birth defects in the United States. When a woman drinks alcohol during pregnancy, she risks giving birth to a child who will pay the price, in mental and physical deficiencies, for his or her entire life. One study (Phyllis Trujillo Lewis, MA, Philip A. May, PhD, and Virginia C. Shipman, PhD, 2007) asserted that “Numerous studies on alcohol-related birth defects have concluded that maternal drinking, compounded by other risk factors, leads to fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). FAS is a serious birth defect and the most common non-genetic cause of mental retardation” as said by (Hankin, 2002; Abel & Sokol,1986; O’Connor, Kogan, & Findlay, 2002; May & Gossage, in press). It is unknown how much maternal alcohol consumption results in FAS or other related disorders, or why some women who drink are at substantially higher risk of giving birth to a child with alcohol-related disabilities than others (Stratton, Howe, & Battaglia, 1996). However, researchers have identified several maternal risk factors differentially associated with FAS. These include advanced maternal age, number of pregnancies, previous births of a child with FAS, cohabitation with a male partner who drinks heavily, and low socioeconomic status (SES; May et al. 2004; 2008a; Viljoen et al., 2002). FAS is 100% preventable, which makes awareness and education the core preventative method for FAS. It is seen through Lewis, May & Shipman’s research that women who are less educated are less aware of the risks involved with drinking while pregnant.
There many advantages to breastfeeding! Research shows that breastfed infants have fewer and shorter episodes of illness. The nutrition provided by breastmilk benefits the baby’s IQ. The skin-to-skin contact encouraged by breastfeeding offers babies greater emotional security and enhances bonding. Breastfeeding appears to reduce the risk of obesity and hypertension for the infant later in life. Breastfeeding delays the onset of hereditary allergic disease, and lowers the risk of developing allergic disease. Breastfeeding helps the baby’s immune system mature, protecting the baby in the meantime from viral, bacteria, and parasitic infections. Breastfeeding protects against developing chronic diseases such as: celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease, asthma, and childhood cancers. (Shinskie and Lauwers, 2002)
In conclusion, the harmful effects of medications, alcohol and illicit drugs can be very dangerous to the health and development of a fetus during pregnancy. It is important to educate new mothers on the adverse effects that are associated with the use of these substances. With the right counselling and information provided, we can continue to keep newborns safe in the womb and be able to give them a chance at a healthy and painless future.
To put a definition plainly, teratogens are agents responsible for countless birth defects. Research found suggests over eight hundred known teratogens. In this paper, you will find interesting facts based on research, the relationship between teratogens and developmental psychology and some personal views based on the information and research found for this piece.
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
The first trimester of pregnancy is the most sensitive trimester for a developing fetus. There are a few different ways that mothers and fetuses can be exposed during this sensitive time. They can be exposed accidentally, knowledgably, or with no knowledge of the pregnancy. An example of an accidental exposure is a radiation accident, like Chernobyl. There was no way to record the actual dosage of radiation that each child received in utero, or the amount of women who had spontaneous abortions after being exposed to the accidental radiation. It has been shown that those babies “exposed during the most sensitive period of pregnancy performed less well [on verbal IQ tests] than those who were exposed after week 16 of pregnancy” (Heiervang 213). There appear to be more significant birth defects and abnormalities in fetuses who were exposed prior to the 16 week gestational mark.
Every woman when pregnant has a 3-5% chance of having a baby born with a birth defect, and these chances increase when the developing fetus/ embryos are exposed to teratogens, whether it’s intentional or unintentional (Bethesda (MD), 2006). Teratogens can cause severe birth defects, malformations, or terminate the pregnancy altogether (Jancárková, & Gregor, 2000). The placenta is known as an effective barrier from any detrimental pathogen that can potentially hurt the fetus. The timing of exposure of any teratogen is critical to the impact of prenatal development (Bethesda (MD), 2006). The most vulnerable time of the fetus for severe damage is during early pregnancy when all the major organ and central nervous system (CNS) are developing. Miscarriages have an important role in keeping a pregnancy from evolving when there is something serious going on with the developing fetus/embryo. Miscarriages are more common than we think and are the most familiar type of pregnancy loss (Bethesda (MD), 2006).