Class 6

What are the effects of smoking and alcohol on the fetus?

Alcohol - Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder; can include having an intellectual disability and facial deformities. 2 drinks a day is associated with lower intelligence. Smoking - reduces oxygen content and increases carbon monoxide in the mother's blood which restricts oxygen available to the retus. Nicotine slows respiration rate of the fetus and speeds up its heart rate. Increased possibility of miscarriage and higher likelihood of death during infancy. Low birth weight and risk of intellectual disabilities.

What is the effect of mother's age on pregnancy and childbirth?

As age increases, infertility increases and gene abnormalities increase. Over 30 there is difficulty conceiving, higher chance of premature birth, low birth weight, and genetic disorders (Down's Syndrome). At 42 90% of eggs are not normal.

What are the upsides and downsides of anesthesia and pain-reducing drugs?

Epidurals produce numbness from the waist down. They can't walk which can be beneficial in labor. They have to lay down which isn't the best position for getting the baby out. The numbness may also prevent them from helping to push the baby. Anesthetics can reduce oxygen to the fetus and slow labor. Upsides: Less stress and pain for mom. Proper use of minimal amounts of drugs for pain relief has no significant effect on a child's later well-being.

What are the three stages of labor?

First Stage: Takes a long time (8-24 hours). Uterine contractions start and become more frequent and last longer. Towards the end of labor contractions come about every 2 minutes and last 2 minutes. As the first stage of labor ends, the contractions reach their greatest intensity, a period known as transition. The mother's cervix fully opens eventually expanding enough to allow the baby's head to pass through. (Head enters birth canal). Second Stage: (An hour to 90 minutes). The baby passes through the birth canal. Third Stage: (Fast). The child's umbilical cord and the placenta are expelled from the mother.

What is the role of the mother's diet in the development of the fetus? What can be done for children whose mother's diet was suboptimal during pregnancy?

Need optimal diet for the development of the fetus. Dietary supplements for mothers can reverse some of the problems produced by a poor diet. Research shows that babies who were malnourished as fetuses but who are subsequently raises in enriched environments can overcome some of the effects of early malnutrition.

What are three childbirth attendants? What are their specializations and qualifications?

Obstetrician: Physicians who specialize in delivering babies. Midwife: A childbirth attendant who stays with the mother throughout labor and delivery. Most of ten nurses specializing in childbirth. Doula: Provides emotional, psychological, and educational support during birth. Does not do medical examinations. Provide mother with support and suggest consideration of birthing alternatives.

In what ways can fathers affect the prenatal environment?

Quality of sperm can be harmed by environmental factors. Alcohol and drugs can lead to chromosomal damage. Father's age plays a small role. If the father is a smoker then second hand smoke is likely for the mother.

Which maternal diseases during pregnancy can have what type of effect on the fetus?

If the mother gets certain viruses while pregnant they can cause birth defects. If the mother gets rubella before the 11th week of pregnancy, it can cause blindness, deafness, heart defects, or brain damage in the baby. Chicken pox may produce birth defects. Mumps may increase risk of miscarriage. Syphilis and gonorrhea can get passed to the child. AIDS can also get passed onto the infant.

Describe the major current approaches to childbirth.

Lamaze: uses breathing techniques and relaxation training. Women learn to deal positively with pain and to relax at the onset of a contraction. Bradley Method: Childbirth should be natural, without medication or medical intervention. Mothers are taught muscle relaxation, breathing techniques. Parents are taught to responsibility for childbirth and physicians are seen as unnecessary. Hypnobirthing: Self-hypnosis during delivery that produces a sense of peace and calm to reduce pain. Water Birthing: Women enters a pool of warm water to give birth. Warmth and buoyancy of water is soothing and the entry into the world is soothed for the infant.

What are the effects of marijuana, cocaine and heroin on the fetus?

Marijuana - restricts oxygen to the fetus. Can lead to infants who are irritable, nervous, and easily disturbed. Children sho learning and memory deficits at the age of 10 if exposed prenatally. Cocaine - restricts arteries leading to the fetus reducing the flow of blood and oxygen increasing the risk of fetal death, birth defects, and disabilities. Children can be born addicted and underweight. Heroin - children can also be born addicted and underweight.

What is a teratogen? What drug was discussed in class as an example teratogen? Explain why the timing of the teratogen exposure is important?

Teratogen: An environmental agent such as a drug, chemical, virus, or other factor that produces a birth defect. The timing of a teratogen is crucial - at some phases of development a certain teratogen may have only minimal impact and at others the consequences may be profound. An example is thalidomide - a drug used for headaches. The babies were born with deformed limbs but only if it was taken in a window of 5-10 days during development.

What is the APGAR scale? Why is it so useful? What are good and bad scores?

The APGAR scale is a standard measurement system that looks for a variety of indications of good health in newborns. Takes into consideration appearance, pulse, grimace, activity, and respiration. It is done quickly and at 1 minute and 5 minutes post-birth. Helpful because it can point out problems very quickly. A score of 7-10 is considered normal. 4-7 may require some resuscitative measures. A bad score is less than 4 and requires immediate resuscitation.

What are vernix and lanugo? What is the upshot of the bonding research?

Vernix: the thick, greasy substance that covers the newborn and smoothes the passage through the birth canal. Keeps the baby from drying out in the amniotic fluid. Lanugo: Fine, dark fuzz that covers the newborn's body. The upshot to bonding research is that it is reassuring to parents whose children have to receive immediate medical attention and can't hold their babies.