Neural Tube Defects

According to the World Health Organization (WHO, 2016), preterm birth are the birth that happened before 37 ended weeks of pregnancy and is one of the number reason of newborn deaths and the second prominent cause of deaths in children below five. The preterm babies have chances of an amplified risk of illness, disability and death. In the first weeks, the complications of premature birth may include: breathing problems, heart problems, brain problems, temperature control problems, gastrointestinal problems, blood problems, metabolism problems, immune system problems. Long-term complications includes cerebral palsy, impaired cognitive skills, vision problem, hearing problems, dental problems, behavioral and psychological problems, chronic health issues.

A prolapsed umbilical cord can be a life-threatening situation for the baby. The compression of the cord causes oxygen deprivation which can cause death of the fetus. It often occurs when the membranes rupture during delivery. A few emergent interventions that the nurse should take include administering oxygen via nasal cannula, call for help and prepare the mom for an emergency cesarean section. The nurse may also insert a sterile glove inside the vagina to relieve pressure on the umbilical cord and help restore blood flow to the fetus. Possible complications that the mother may experience include birth canal trauma if forceps are used rapidly during vaginal birth and blood loss or infection during a cesarean birth. Possible complications

Fetal distress or birth asphyxia means that there has been a change in organ systems due to the lack of oxygen in the body. Breech delivery is when the babies buttock comes out first instead of the head during birth. “Meconium is when the baby’s first stool is passed during pregnancy into the amniotic fluid.” If the baby is born with nuchal cord this means that the umbilical cord was around the baby’s neck (http://www.lpch.org).

Anencephaly is a congenital neurological disorder characterized by absence of the cerebrum and cerebellum, as well as the top of the skull, resulting in exposure of the brain stem. Even though the brain stem is exposed this does not mean that the babies brain or head is completely missing. This is considered one of the more serious birth defects that a baby can have because they baby will never have the brain power to grow and become an adult. Many of these babies are exposed to various infections and will only live up to one week even though some have lived up to one year at the most. Anencephalics are seen as a huge source of organ donation because they are not damaged like other babies such as babies who have been abused or babies that have been in car accidents. Many of these babies that need the organs of anencephalics are usually the ones who have heart defects. Parents such as Laura Campo heard about this type of donor possibility when she was pregnant at twenty four weeks and found out about her child being anencephalic there was no way for her to abort the baby because she was too far along. This resulted in Laura Campo going to the Florida District Court but since Laura’s baby girl who she named Theresa, by Harvard Law was not brain dead they were not allowed to use her organs for donation. The judge Estella Moriarty was begged by the family to pronounce her brain dead so they could save another child’s life but instead Theresa’s organs began to fail. Once her

Nasogastric tubes may be very scary and if they are not placed correctly they can cause serious problems. X-rays have proved to be very effective when it comes to checking the placement, but they are expensive. Studies have shown that 16-43.5% of nasogastric tubes in pediatric patients are misplaced (Farrington, M; Lang, S; Cullen, L; Stewart, S, 2013). Complications like: aspiration pneumonia pneumothorax may occur is the nasogastric tube is misplaced into the lungs (Farrington, M; Lang, S; Cullen, L; Stewart, S, 2013). There is little research done on neonates to determine the best way to determine if a nasogastric tube is placed correctly. When it comes to medicine, everyone who is part of the medical team needs to be aware of what current practice is and what evidenced based practice studies show is the best way to perform procedures.

Premature babies sometimes have apnea. It may happen together with a slow heart rate. Respiratory distress syndrome or RDS is a breathing problem most common in babies born before 34 weeks of pregnancy.” Babies with RDS don’t have a protein called surfactant that keeps small air sacs in the lungs from collapsing. “Intraventricular hemorrhage or IVH is bleeding in the brain. It usually happens near the ventricles in the center of the brain. A ventricles is a space in the brain that’s filled with fluid. Patent ductus ateriosus or PDA is a heart problem that happens in the connection between two major blood vessels near the heart. If the ductus do not close properly after birth, a baby can have breathing problems or heart failure. Heart failure is when enough blood can’t get pumped into the heart causing it to shut down. Necrotizing enter colitis (NEC) is a problem with a baby’s intestines. It causes feeding problems, a swollen belly and diarrhea. It sometimes happens 2 to 3 weeks after a premature bay has been born. Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is an abnormal growth of blood vessels in the eye. ROP can lead to vision loss. Jaundice is when a baby's eyes and skin look yellow. A baby has jaundice when his liver isn't fully developed or isn't working well. Anemia is when a baby doesn’t have enough healthy red blood cells to carry oxygen to the rest of the body. Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a lung condition that can develop in premature babies as well as babies who have treatment with a breathing machine. Babies with BPD sometimes develop fluid in the lungs, scarring and lung damage. Premature babies often have trouble fighting off germs because their immune systems are not fully formed. Infections that may affect a premature baby include pneumonia, a lung infection; sepsis, a blood infection; and meningitis, an infection in the fluid around the brain and

According to statistics, if the anencephalic child is delivered via cesarean section at full term, there is a better chance of that child being born alive, if only for a little while. Once the exposed brain comes into contact with the air, there is a great risk of infection. Most babies with this condition die from cardiorespiratory

Compare the benefits and limitations of mandatory folate fortification in Australia and discuss if it is justifiable in respect to the health of Australian women and their infants.

The same media statement displays a chaotic tone when it dispels the instability to the public as it states, “no single piece of evidence provides conclusive proof that Zika virus infection is a cause of microcephaly and other fetal brain defects. This statement is critically flawed in contradiction, and serves only to confuse the public even further, about the possibilities of Zika virus causing microcephaly. It is clear the media at times serves to confuse, and terrorize the public, and nobody is off limits in the fearmongering game, perpetuated by mainstream media.

Craniosynostosis is a birth diseases that may or may not need surgery. Many doctors can’t see is is the baby has craniosynostosis when the baby is in the stomach. Sometimes they can’t even tell if that baby has it or not so they would do a cat scan to see if the baby does. If the craniosynostosis is mild then the baby might not need surgery. Also sometimes the doctors can’t tell until they do a physical on the baby.

In the case of the CNM who delivered a 35 week breeched infant, several factors need

Holoprosencephaly (HPE) is a cephalic disorder in which the prosencephalon fails to develop into two hemispheres. Normally, the forebrain is formed and the face begins to develop in the fifth and sixth weeks of human pregnancy (1). According to decreasing severity, HPE is categorized into following types: alobar, semilobar, lobar, and middle interhemispheric variant. Its incidence is estimated up to be 1.2 in 10,000 to 20,000 at term and 1 in 250 spontaneous abortions (2-3). The condition can be mild or severe. According to the National Institute of Neurological disorders and Stroke "in most cases of holoprosencephaly, the malformations are so severe that babies die before birth" .When the embryo's forebrain does not divide to form bilateral

In 2002, a case-control study was started in Brittanny, France. The candidates were women who were well into their second trimester (Douglas). Out of this study, they concluded that 79 out of the 580 babies were born with birth defects (Douglas). The mothers were questioned about their home lives and their hobbies, along with their occupation. Twenty-nine percent of the women were found to be exposed to these solvents based on the products they use in their home while twenty-one percent of women were exposed to harmful products through their profession (Douglas). “Women who reported regular exposure to solvents were four times more likely to have a baby with an oral cleft as compared to women who did not report regular exposure. Using job

NEC should be considered as the cause for deterioration after any neonatal surgery and was first documented in 1976 following cardiac surgery (5). Recent literature, however, documents the leading surgical cause to be neurosurgery (2). Multiple factors may be at play including bowel ischemia during surgery due to its manipulation, enteral feeding toxicity and infection or sepsis (2). The typical clinical picture of NEC is not a reliable diagnostic indicator in a post-operative patient since abdominal distension, bile stained gastric content and diarrhea can occur due to operative stress (6). The most reliable confirmatory signs, therefore, are intestinal ileus, pneumatosis intestinalis, and portal vein gas seen using radiographic imaging (7).

Baby Theresa is a very unique case. Theresa Ann Campo Pearson was an infant born in Florida 1992, with Anencephaly, which is where the two most important parts of the brain are missing, the cerebrum and cerebellum, as well as the top of the skull. Without these parts of the brain she would never have had higher brain functions or consciousness. However, there is still a brain stem connected so all the autonomic functions are still working, such as having a heart beat and breathing. Anencephaly is known as one of the worst congenital disorders, thus these cases are usually detected during pregnancy and aborted. If not aborted, half are stillborn or if born alive, they usually die within a few days. In