Essay about Folic Acid Supplementation and Pregnancy

The Bayley Scales of Infant Development was chosen as the course for developmental assessment. The study found that nutritional supplements have a possibility of preventing and lessening the damage of PAE in the early stages of pregnancy, known as the pre-recognition period. However, many problems with development were identified later, but were impossible to measure at six months old. This has shown that there might be a possibility to reduce the damage of alcohol on a fetus, it is best to refrain from drinking altogether.

There are certain activities women at the end of the second trimester and beginning of third trimester can do in order to ensure healthy fetal development, which later contributes to healthy child development. The first suggested activity could be the intake of prenatal vitamins, especially folic acid, which is essential for proper growth and development in the fetal stage (American Pregnancy Association, 2012). This can be achieved through taking synthetic multivitamins specifically designed for pregnant women as well as ensuring a healthy diet full of colorful fruits and vegetables. Developmentally, folic acid intake during pregnancy is critical in order to prevent neural tube defects in the developing fetus, which would lead to physical and psychological issues in childhood (Heseker, 2011).

The researchers depended on birth defects statistics which can be found in medical record to support their results about the effect of folic acid fortification on NTDs (Chen et al., 2008). This data showed that although there was a declining in NTDs’ prevalence in prefortification, the NTDs’ prevalence did not continue to decline in postfortifcation (Chen et al., 2008). Hence, this study’s results conflict with the results of De Wals et al’s study which claimed that folic acid fortification decreases the NTDs’ prevalence after the full fortification period (De Wals et al., 2008).

Deficiency of the micronutrient folate continues to significantly affect the health of pregnant women and their children, globally. A great cause of concern with folate deficiency is the occurrence of Neural Tube Defects (NTDs) in new-born babies due to abnormal early foetal development. According to Greene et al. (2016), NTDs are abnormalities to the formation of the brain, spinal cord or related structures from early foetal development. The rate of the prevalence of NTDs varies between countries from 0.3 to 199.4 cases per 10,000 births. In Australia specifically, approximately 19.5 cases of NTDs occurred per 10,000 cases between 2009 and 2010 (Zaganjoy et al.,

You can avoid spina bifida by taking 400 micrograms of folic acid each day, even if you are not arranging to become pregnant. Also, some studies have revealed that if all woman would take a B-vitamin folic acid then the neural tube defects would be decreased by a whole 70%! Folic acid is a water soluble vitamin B source, and it helps make and build nice hearty cells. Although, it does not flow throughout the body long, that’s why you would have to take it once a day. If you have a bigger opportunity for your child to have spina bifida, then you should take a bit more of the vitamins. 10% is the right amount, so that would be about 4,000 ml of folic acid. One of the most efficient ways to make sure your offspring does not end up with the disability spina bifida is to take folic acid in the first three months of pregnancy and before the pregnancy as well. Also if you didn’t know, in the 1990s a study was done. It said that 70% of the neural tube defects could be stopped by a good dose of again, folic acid before and in early pregnancy. A accurate program of education that is taught publicly and the factor of putting folic acid in flavored foods has reduced the amount of neural tube defects in just a couple

A mothers nutritional status, before and during her pregnancy has a powerful impact on the lifelong health for her child. It is now even believed by some researchers say that “the 9 months of pregnancy are the most consequential period of our lives, permanently influencing the wiring of the brain and the function of organs like the heart, liver and pancreas. They also suggest that the conditions we encounter in utero shape everything from our susceptibility to disease, to our appetite and metabolism, to our intelligence and temperament” (Kresser). The mother’s prenatal care, nutrition, and precautions taken all play a key role in the child’s development for later in life. Since the

According to this chart, more than half of the babies born during this experiment were born with neural tube defects. This result was skewed because all but three of the babies born to the group that did not take folic acid until after conception were born with

A child that is murdered by their mother is known as “maternal filicide”. Children that killed within their first year of being born is known as “infanticide”. An infant killed with the first 24 hours of being born is known as “neonaticide” (Friedman, S., & Resnick, P. J. 2007). Unfortunately, these words exist because there is a history of children being killed by their parents, which yearly about 450 children intentionally murdered by a parent. Furthermore, FBI homicide data correlates three out of four child victims are younger than 5. While Northeastern data a large portion of filicide are from parents that are going through some form of custody battle (Bello, 2014). These statistics makes Susan’s case even more unique that her case goes against the majority or what data suggest. Another case that goes against the norm is Mitchelle Blair who also committed maternal filicide. She claim she killed her two children, a 13 year old daughter and 9 year old son. Mitchelle says she killed her children because they were raping her youngest child (Chuck, 2015). To add to this list Tonya Thomas murdered her four children ages 12,13, 15, and 17 years old before killing herself (Jennings, & Smith, 2012). Julie Schenecker killed her teen children also which raises the

A number of determinants place pregnant women at higher risk of poor nutritional status at antenatal periods including older maternal age, Indigenous status, ethnic background and family history, most of these risk factors are not modifiable. However, poor nutrition and diet related disease are frequently present in also association with other modifiable-socioeconomic and interpersonal determinants, The National Health Performance Framework indicated the important of social determinants to the health of disadvantage population, this framework includes socioeconomic and community factors, and individual factors Such as income, health literacy and educational attainment. Those determinants can be addressed

1992, the U.S. Public Health Service recommended that all women who are in child bearing age consume at least 400mg of folic acid every day. Studies have shown that women who consume appropriate amounts of folic acid than their daily diets can decrease the possibility of their child being born with spina bifidia by fifty to seventy percent. The U.S. Public

Preconception health is one of the most important things to mitigate the risk of adverse health outcomes for women and neonates by improving knowledge and health prior to conception. Preconception care and early development of

During the educational seminars, free supplements will be given to participants to use at home after learning the importance of adequate folate and vitamin B-12 intake during pregnancy. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), vitamin B-12 is important in preventing birth defects, specifically cleft lip (Willets, 2017). Researchers at the

Folic acid has been added to our food supply for almost 30 years now and is seen to reduce the risk of deficiencies that cause neural tube defects in babies. Folic acid is the synthetic form of folate which is naturally found in fruits and vegetables such as spinach, citrus fruits, peas and dried beans. In the article “Folic Acid Is Good but Too Much Is Bad” researchers say that “Folic acid is required by the body for periods of rapid cell growth and division, such as during pregnancy” (Folic). While folic acid has been seen to have positive effects, too much of something can cause problems. When a pregnant woman takes prenatal vitamins the amount that she receives in 100 percent of what she needs. So if she proceeds to eat foods that are fortified with folic acid and folate she will get more than the recommended amount daily. Respiratory problems such as asthma and wheezing have been seen from too much folic acid during pregnancy. Too much folic acid has not been completely linked to the increase in autism rates, it is simple just another option out there for parents and specialist to look at as a cause. Immune disorders are also being looked at as a reason for the increase. “Many autistic children also have allergies or intolerances to certain foods and chemicals, which could be a sign of a

Overall, for women 16-44 years of age, the amount of folic acid being consumed was concerningly low initially, with a mean of 102µg/day. Current recommendations provided by the NHMRC (2006) for women at child-bearing age is an intake of at least 400µg of folate per day, with a 500µg daily supplement when trying for a baby. This is particularly with the focus of avoiding the incidence of NTDs in newborn infants. The mean folic acid intake has now increased to 247 µg/day (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2017). In the past, mandatory fortification has also been under scrutiny for reaching those at greatest risk of producing Neural Tube Defects and to be less able to access foods fortified with folate acid, such as pregnant teenagers and Indigenous populations (Baker et al., 2009; Harrison et al., 2007). However, recent data indicates otherwise, likely as the food fortification occurs to bread which is a relatively affordable and available food eaten by most Australians (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2017). Pregnant teenagers gave birth to 54.8% less NTD-effected children after mandatory folic acid fortification. A rate of 74% less NTDs amongst Indigenous women is an even more substantial decline of NTD occurrence, since folic acid fortification of breads became

It is a recognised certainty that nutrition is a fundamental requirement to sustain a healthy lifestyle and is also extremely valuable when recovering from an illness or an injury. Nutrients are absorbed in the body and this physiological process is essential for homeostasis and ensuring equilibrium is sustained within the body as without enough food and drink the body will not function correctly (Edwards & Thomas, 2009). This essay will provide information on folic acid and its properties, its role and the midwife’s role and responsibility in informing women in the early stages of pregnancy