One of the most important ways a mother can handle her prenatal care is by paying
attention to the nourishment that her body is receiving. Lumey et al., (2007), says the fetuses of starving mothers grow into children and adults with ‘thrifty metabolisms’ who store more fat, despite the food shortage disappearing after birth. When a fetus does not get the proper nutrition it can lead to many impairments for example heat disease, diabetes, and higher rates of psychiatric illness according to Music (2011).
Pregnant mothers can also take care of themselves and the fetus if they resist the use of drugs and alcohol. When a mother is addicted to a drug and uses while she is pregnant the baby can be born with an addiction as well. If a mother were to drink during her pregnancy the baby could be born with fetal alcohol syndrome which would affect the way the child developed. Emanual (1996) has documented working with newborns that were born addicted to heroin and use descriptions of their painful to view movements.
A third factor when considering the importance of affective prenatal care is keeping up with proper birthweight. When a child is born underweight it could affect the first few weeks or months of the baby’s life. Wadhwa (2005) also presents evidence that mothers with higher stress levels during pregnancy will increase their risk of birth complications and low-birthweight which may continue to after birth.
As a teacher I would be able to help Anya Maria by making sure that she has all the resources she needs. Being a mandated reported requires me to also make sure to tell someone of about the information she told me. I would first start off setting up a meeting with the school counselor who would be able to offer her additional resources and assistance. My next step, if the counselor doesn’t, would be to contact a social worker to offer even more resources.
Some recourses I found while research are:
- March of Dimes’ Late Term Brain Development Flyer
Explains why getting to at least 39 weeks is best for women with a healthy pregnancy. Includes images of the difference in a baby’s brain development at 35 and 39 weeks. - The Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN)
Babies need a full 40 weeks of pregnancy to grow and develop. AWHONN has created resources to help women understand the many reasons it’s important for a mom to carry her baby to term. They include some serious, some fun – that bust the myth that it’s OK for babies to be born just a little early. - Text4Baby
Sign up for Text4Baby text messages to get support throughout pregnancy and baby’s first year. These free text messages provide on-going tips on prenatal care, infant health, parenting and more.
The following resources were retrieved from CMS.gov.
The above resources are created to provide assistance to soon-to-be mothers and new mothers. When parents are provided with resources to help them have a healthy and successful pregnancy the baby and the parent can benefit. These resources can help mothers feel comfortable about reaching out for further assistance for them and their baby.
Emanuel, R. (1996). Psychotherapy with children traumatized in infancy. Journal of Child
Psychotherapy 22(2), 214-239.
Lumey, L.H. Stein, A.D. Kahn, H.S. can der Pal-de Bruin, K.M., Blawuw, G.J., Zybert, P.A., & Susser, E.D.
(2007). Cohort profile: The Dutch hunger winter families study. International Journal of Epidemiology, 36(6), 1196-1204.
Music, G. (2011). Nurturing natures: Attachment and children’s emotional, sociocultural, and brain
development. New York, NY: Psychology Press.
Wadhwa, P.D. (2005). Psychoneuroendocrine processes in human pregnancy influence fetal
development and health. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 30(8), 724-743.
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