Food Effects On The Fetus

A second suggested activity during pregnancy could be for the pregnant woman to take care of herself psychologically and emotionally, to ensure that she is not too stressed or experiencing anxiety. Regular relaxation could be advised by taking up yoga and meditation. Too much prenatal stress can have negative developmental implications for the child later in life. Research has indicated that when mothers-to-be have high levels of pregnancy-specific anxiety, their offspring were significantly more likely to show lower inhibitory control among girls, and lower visuospatial working memory performance among girls and boys (Buss et al., 2011).

A common teratogen that causes problems in pregnancy is the use of methamphetamine, a stimulant that affects a person’s central nervous system, by the potential father or mother. Research on methamphetamine abuse among pregnant women is in progress and has been for several years, but the exact effects of prenatal exposure to this drug are still actually limited. It is common for a child of a mother who used meth during pregnancy to have brain development problems. The National Institute on Drug Abuse(NIDA), (2013) informs us that there have been only small samples of pregnant women researched for only using methamphetamine, therefore, the results are limited to knowing that “neurobehavioral problems such

Within this assignment I am going to look at the main nutritional needs for pregnant women and adolescents and discuss the similarities and differences between their nutritional requirements.

4). It is also believed that this exposure can contribute to the development of mood disorders later in life. On the other hand, Deward (2008) states that while cortisol can cause miscarriage early in pregnancy, the mother naturally develops higher levels in later trimesters, which in turn help the baby 's development. Because chronic and serious stress can be harmful during pregnancy, Broderick and Blewitt (2015) stress the importance of reducing conflict and providing strong social support to the pregnant mother.

It has been long said a pregnant woman should “eat for two”. However, through research, it is feasible to debunk this nutrition myth. Throughout reading the article, “Food Saftery for Pregnant Women” by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Food and Drug Administration which consisted of 20 pages of The amount of calories a woman actually increases per day is not really a significant amount. However, there really is no origin to this myth, the side effects of the thought “eating for two” can be potentially harmful.

Postpartum Psychosis (PP) is a severe and debilitating psychiatric illness with acute onset in the days following childbirth (Heron, J., Gilbert, N., Dolman, C., Shah, S., Beare, I., Dearden, S., Ives, J. 2012). Psychosis following childbirth affects 1-2 mothers per 1000 deliveries (McGrath, L., Peters, S., Wieck, A., & Wittkowski, A. 2013). Onset is rapid and functioning is severely affected (Mcgrath, L., et.al.,2013). The typical presentation of postpartum psychosis is a complex mixture of mood disorders (ranging from mania to depression), psychotic symptoms, and confusion (Fassier, T., M.D., Guffon, N., M.D., Acquaviva, C., D'Amato, Thierry, MD, PhD,

Although there are many factors that affect the development of the fetus, research on the specific effects of prenatal maternal stress and the resulting negative outcomes for the development of the fetus will be reviewed. While there is knowledge of these harmful effects in scientific and medical communities, researchers are still in the midst of discovering the results of these negative effects on human development. An overall review of the literature suggests that this topic is still relatively new in research as most of the articles make note that despite the amount of current research studies, there are still many unanswered questions.

Good nutrition is one of the best ways we know to aid in healthy brain development. It is important that families provide an environment that supports health in both lifestyle and nutrition. Good nutrition is important for both the pregnant mother and the infant. Pregnant mothers need appropriate amounts of folic acid and iron, and should avoid nicotine, alcohol, and illicit drugs throughout their entire pregnancy. The developing brain craves iron.

Having a baby should be one of the happiest times of a woman’s life. For some women it can be a really bitter sweet experience. The “baby blues” are common amongst new moms, as many as 80 percent of women experience them (Comer, 2014, pg195). Women can also experience a more serious form of depression after giving birth call postpartum depression. In the readings this week there was a side article about Andrea Yates and how her postpartum psychosis led her to do the unthinkable to her five children. Postpartum psychosis affects about 1 in 2 of every 1,000 mothers to have given birth Comer, 2014, pg373). The reason for postpartum psychosis is triggered by a huge shift in hormone levels that occur after delivery (Comer, 2014, pg373). Having

Depression is a treatable condition, and there are treatment standards in place for pregnant women(Choate & Gintner, 2011). Currently, the treatment of antenatal depression consists of prescription medication and psychotherapy (Yonkers, Vigod, & Ross, 2011), and “alternative” treatments including vitamin or herbal supplements, acupuncture, exercise, or massage therapy (Deligiannidis & Freeman, 2013). Treating antenatal depression often poses a dilemma for both the specialist and the patient. For the specialist, the risk of prescribing medication has to equate with the risk of any potential iatrogenic harm to the fetus (Ververs, van Dijk, Yousofi, Schobben, & Visser, 2009). While there are guidelines in place for the prescribing of medications to a pregnant patient (Howland, 2009), not many obstetrical specialists feel confident in their own ability to treat a psychiatric illness (Hill, Greenberg, Holzman, & Schulkin, 2001).

More recent research has shown that stress and anxiety in the mother can also have significant repercussions on children's mental health. Specifically, it seems likely that maternal anxiety in the second half of pregnancy can lead to persistent changes in the child's stress-adaptive system - at the level of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis - changes that will make it more vulnerable and significantly increase the risk of suffering from behavioral, emotional, or hyperactivity disorders. This finding by itself confirms the need to prevent, diagnose and treat early anxiety disorders in pregnancy.

If prenatal stress levels from the mother do affect the development of the person that comes to be, then it might be possible for mothers to have an intentional impact on child temperament or to avoid issues in goodness of fit just by remaining calm and thinking happy thoughts for 9 months. Unfortunately, the likelihood is much higher that any truth to this statement might just indicate that not all teratogens come from external and easily avoidable sources.

While pregnant diabetic women often indicate a desire to adhere to their diabetic diet, many of them experience difficulties in their present social support system which contributes to their inability to comply with their dietary regimen.This problem may be further exacerbated if the diabetic pregnant women has knowledge deficit regarding diabetes dietary management. In addition, low socioeconomic status as well as cultural belief and lifestyle influences may also contribute to the client’s failure to comply with their dietary management. Clinical support is provided through health care institutions however, if these services are not access by the client; may also result in knowledge deficit regarding the importance of dietary restriction.Antenatal

Dendritic spines receive information from a single synapse, so when the density is altered, then changes in brain structure and function are reflected in behavior. The neurological effects of pregnancy are not limited to brain regions that directly promote maternal behavior, but also include areas that regulate learning and memory and areas involved the control of fear and anxiety. Kinsley reported the long-term changes that were observed in rats, were that similar to and showed persisting influences on the human brain. For example, like rodents and other mammals, women display striking reductions in physiological and psychological responses to stress during gestation. stress is simply a reaction to a stimulus that disturbs our physical or mental equilibrium.” Stress is also known to impair the production of new hippocampal neurons and it also impairs memory during pregnancy, which shows the relationship pregnancy and cognitive function. The specific aspects of cognitive function that are affected by pregnancy and stress have been determined to exist during

A mother who struggles with depression post-partum is likely to expose her baby to more harmful effects. Gerhardt (2015) states that the baby of a depressed mother can find it difficult to cope with or get over stress, or they may be more fearful (p. 21). These babies also may respond to others with depression themselves, as their mother may be neglectful in their care (Gerhardt, 2015, p. 36). One of the reasons for this is because of their cortisol levels, which can fluctuate situationally. However, in infants this can affect their development (Gerhardt, 2015, p. 83) as well as their immune system (Gerhardt, 2015, p. 118), and is evidence that a mother with depression can have a significant impact on her child well beyond when the depression occurs. Additionally, Gerhardt (2015) notes that, “When they grow up, these babies of depressed mothers are highly at risk of succumbing to depression themselves.” (p.