Life Span Psychology- Prenatal Development

There are many risks associated with parental-age; including the increased likelihood of being pregnant with multiples, high blood pressure, hypertension and gestational diabetes. Consequently, these risks can cause the premature delivery of a baby with a low-birth weight (The American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists 2015; March of Dimes 2017; Evidence Based Birth 2017). Women aged 40 are also susceptible to have a 51% chance of a spontaneous miscarriage and are two and-a-half times as likely to have a stillborn baby (Birth Injury Justice.org 2017); compared to a 22 year old with 8.7% (Birth Injury Justice.org 2017; Evidence Based Birth 2017). The miscarriage rates are higher in older women as they occur within the half of the first trimester due to genetic problems including Down syndrome; as 1 in 53 at the age of 40 have a baby with a genetic disorder, compared to 1 in 1064 at 25 (Evidence Based Birth 2017).

According to, “Teratogens and their effects on Unborn and Nursing Infants,” published by The University of North Texas, there is a list of common teratogens that are known throughout the world and many reasons that lead to a child having chances for these teratogens. According to Kathleen Stassen Berger, writer of, “The Developing Person through Childhood and Adolescence,” she defines behavioral teratogens to be known as agents and conditions that can harm the prenatal brain, impairing the future child’s intellectual and emotional functioning. The teratogen known for behavioral is known to affect the brain in some occasions if damage is affected a lot more so invading the brain and the child intellectuality to function

For instance, half of all children can sit unsupported by the age of 6 months, while the majority, (90%) can take up to 7 ½ months. What this means is that for accurate data we would need to observe theses children multiple times to see the growth they are making.

As previously mentioned, environmental factors, such as exposure to taratogens, can affect the development of the unborn child. Broderick and Blewitt (2105) define a teratogen as “substances or agents that can cross the placental barrier and produce fetal deformities when taken or absorbed by the mother during pregnancy” (p.619). These substances include drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, pollution, stress hormones, poor nutrition, and diseases, such as AIDS. Consumption of drugs and/or alcohol can lead to low birth weight, as well as, physical, cognitive, and behavioral abnormalities. Furthermore, more recent studies are showing that exposure to pollutants can affect an individual’s development. For example, a study of the

Life span developmental psychology takes a scientific approach to human growth and change, focusing on change during the life span. There are three main aspects to life span development: cognitive, social, and physical development. This class is not simply a discussion of nature vs. nurture, it explores the interaction between genetic and environmental factors that orient us towards specific behaviors. Initially, my views on life span development were limited to more sociological factors, and did not take into consideration physical developments of the brain. In relation to my personal and professional identity this course has made me realize that development occurs on a spectrum and that not everyone develops at the same time, in the same ways, making me more understanding and compassionate towards those who developed differently than me. The three most important lessons I have learned from this class are that development occurs throughout the entire life span, infants begin learning at a very young age, and that senescence begins as early as young adulthood.

Knowing that your child has a birth defect or an abnormality can make the delivery very emotional. An older woman trying to deliver a baby may also have more difficulty with the delivery depending on how healthy and in shape she is. That may also affect the labor process as well and how fast it will go. Although, the most common birth defect in children with mothers of an advanced maternal age is Down syndrome. Down syndrome occurs from a chromosomal defect. The mother must also be motivated to keep herself healthy in good shape during and before the pregnancy (if planning to get pregnant). The mother must want to maintain a good health status in order to make the pregnancy a successful one, no matter the age. She must follow all the doctor’s orders and go to her regular check ups as needed. Usually, by not following the doctor’s orders is where abnormalities and defects can occur. The doctors make the mother aware of the consequences that can happen when they don’t do what is asked of them during the pregnancy and what can happen if they do the complete opposite. The complete opposite would be eating bad, not caring about their health status at all, not drinking enough water or drinking an excessive amount of sugary or alcoholic beverages, smoking, using drugs, not taking the pre-natal vitamins, and not exercising as much as they could be. All of these things can result in

Technological advances in the past decade have allowed scientists to study the brain in ways that have led to new understanding about how young children develop. There is a new understanding of both the capabilities and the vulnerabilities of infants and young children and that understanding is has influenced the work of caregivers and teachers. During pregnancy, the basic architecture of the brain is formed. Although, certain experiences do influence the developing brain during pregnancy, such as maternal health and stress, intake of drugs and/or alcohol, and quality of maternal nutrition.

When women are pregnant, it’s important for them to make multiple changes in their daily routine and life style, in order for their baby to be healthy and develop normally. There are many soon to be mothers that unintentionally expose their fetuses to things that could potentially be hazardous. Environmental perils that alter a fetus’s development negatively are called Teratogens. Teratogens, have the power to cause chemical and physical changes in fetuses, concluding with the baby being born with disorders, disabilities, defects and a shorter life.

known risk factor is advanced maternal age-at age 35, a woman has 1 chance in

Prenatal exposure to stress impairs biopsychosocial functioning of the infant with possible lifelong effects. During periods of maternal stress exposure, hormones pass through the placenta and fetal stress hormones mirror those hormones of the mother (Parke & Gauvain, 2009). These hormones can negatively impact the neurodevelopment of the fetus and lead to disorders such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety, and language delays (Talge, Neal & Glover, 2007). Exposure to stress hormones can also lead to difficult temperament and decreased stress responsiveness (Parke & Gauvain, 2009). Difficult babies often receive less contact from caregivers, and this lack of contact can hinder brain development in both emotional

Deficiencies of vitamin A and zinc result in deaths; deficiencies of iodine and iron, together with stunting, contribute to children not reaching their developmental potential. Iron and calcium deficiencies can contribute substantially to maternal deaths. Maternal iron deficiency is related with babies with low weight (<2500 g) at birth. Nutrients like iron, proteins, copper, folate, zinc, iodine and certain fats play important role in building the brain during pregnancy. Zinc, in particular, supports the development of the autonomic nervous system, the hippocampus and the cerebellum. Iron impacts the myelination of the nerve fibers which affects the brain’s processing speed. Long chain PUFA’s, typically found in breast

Why it is important in our society to know what teratogen is, and some ways to prevent this birth defect in our society. Teratogen is a agent that disturbs the development of an embryo. Well, what exactly causes these disturbances in the embryo? By taking medicine during pregnancy, medicine prescribe to new mothers can cause abnormality in pregnancy. Although many women take medications during pregnancy, the medicine prescribe can be harmful. A example may be a woman during pregnancy comes across morning sickness; therefore, she may ask her doctor to prescribe medicine to treat her morning sickness. A common medicine to take during the 60's was thalidomide. However, over the years researchers found that thalidomide caused partial absence

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.

In today’s society men and women are choosing to wait to have children until later in life. Much of this is due to the fact that the culture is changing. People don’t want to have children right away because they don’t want to settle down and have a family. They would rather travel the world or start a career, but what they don’t know is that this can have costly effects on their children by having them later on in life. Paternal and maternal age at conception can have many negative effects on the child's life. Some of the effects include shortened longevity, cell mutations, and diseases. The idea that the parents age can possibly affect their offspring was first inspired by a French naturalist who stated that when older men procreate they create deformed and “devil” children. Although calling a child a devil is a bit harsh, the naturalist was not to far of when he used the word deformed.

Also, there is a greater risk of a child having Down syndrome if the mother is over 35 years old.