Poverty vs. Low Birth Weights

In the case of the family, low birth weight babies will place increasing amounts of pressure on its structure over the short and long term. This is because everyone will have to care more for them which will impact their ability to interact with each other. At the same time, there will be greater financial and emotional pressures placed on the family from the ongoing treatment of these children.

There are many expecting mothers in our society that are very unware of what steps to take to ensure that they maintain a healthy environment for the developing fetus. In the case of Tano and Lonita, they are a couple of struggling immigrants who are working hard to get by. Unfortunately for them are some resources that are not made available to them due to socioeconomic status. However, there are many steps they can talk in order to eliminate the risks of a low birth weight, or preterm labor. One step would be to attend a comprehensive prenatal care program that are known to improve birth outcomes in situations such as Lonita’s. Another way would be for Tano to become more involved with Lonita and keep a strong bonded and caring relationship between them. The last solution would be to apply for government aid programs to improve financial situations.

Early prenatal care is essential to mothers and babies. Doctors preferably see their pregnant patients around 8 weeks of pregnancy in which an initial evaluation is conducted which includes checking for sexually transmitted infections, they screen for gestational diabetes, and to find out when the due date is. When a woman comes in during the third trimester for an initial check-up, the due date is typically not accurate; which could result in preterm labour. Being born preterm has severe consequences, such babies are more at risk for respiratory distress syndrome, and later on in life diabetes, heart disease and obesity. Among the benefits of prenatal care is the ability to anticipate future or current problems; hence, it is essential to the health of both mother and child. Prenatal care allows health care providers to take timely measures to ensure the wellbeing of the mother and

White women who are poor have an 80% greater chance of having a low birth weight newborn that non-poor white women;

Low birth weight infants are babies that have a birth weight that is less than 2500g. They are term small for gestational age or preterm babies. This problem is mostly common among people that are living in poverty and also those that are not fully educated about the causes of low birth weight and preterm. Breastfeeding at this stage is one of the important factors that should be considered because breast milk is the most nutritious source that contain all the nutrients that can help a baby in terms of low birth weight and preterm. In all instances, breast milk should be the first choice to help improve the lives of preterm and low birth weight. Race, ethnic and economic disparities also cause a problem when it comes to mothers breastfeeding

In 2013, 16.3% non-Hispanic black infants were born preterm, 10.2% non-Hispanic white and 11.3% Hispanic infants. The preterm birth disparities between white and black infants still exists. Hispanic women account 1 out of every 4 which is 23.2% in U.S alone. The 2013 preterm birth rate for black infants was 60% higher than the rate for non-Hispanic white infants and 44% higher than the rate for Hispanic infants (March of Dimes, n.d). The impact of low weight babies are extremely high, not only on physical but emotional and financial aspect as well. Both the families and the community may have mixed emotional feelings. For the first time parents or even to other parents, having low weight babies or preterm infants can be costly and at times,

The issue that I have chosen for the Current Issues and Theory project is the lack of mothers partaking in quality prenatal care. It is fairly accepted among individuals that prenatal care is important, but there are still mothers that choose not to engage in prenatal care. It has been proven that the absence of prenatal care leads to an increased risk of low birth weight and neonatal mortality; moreover, the increased risk of neonatal mortality in the absence of prenatal care is observed in women with both the absence and presence of antenatal high-risk conditions1. Since the consequences of not seeking prenatal care are so precarious, it makes one wonder why mothers would choose not to partake in such a beneficial action. One study suggests

For expecting parents, who have low income, preparing for their expected child can be very difficult. These difficult preparations have an impact on the child’s life before it is born. Parents who have low income, may not be able to afford the education they need to learn in raising a newborn child. This includes, not knowing what to feed a baby at certain ages, what to do when a baby is feeling sick, how to tell if a baby is sick, etc. Low-income parents also struggle to prepare for their newborn baby in regards to the essentials. Although the price of diapers, medicine, outfits, etc. may not seem expensive on the shelf of the store. The price is extreme when considering how much overtime needs to be bought.

Preterm birth (PTB) and low birth weight (LBW) are the leading causes of neonatal morbidity, mortality, and disabilities (Swamy, Ostbye, & Skjaerven, 2008; Wilson-Costello, Friedman, Minich, Fanaroff, & Hack, 2005). These poor birth outcomes are costly. In fact, in 2001 LBW and PTB hospital expenses in the United States were approximately $5.8 billion (Russell et al., 2007). Furthermore, they comprised 27% of pediatric stays and 47% of all infant hospitalization (Russell et al., 2007). When considering total cost, such as long-term expense of special education service and lost productivity, preterm birth is estimated to be $26.2 billion dollars (Behrman & Butler, 2007). In order to lessen the cost of poor birth outcomes, the U.S. healthcare system should begin to incorporate aspects of preventative care at the level of maternal health.

Expanding preventative and therapeutic services for pregnant women can greatly reduce the risk for pre-term delivery that results in low birth weight infants (Gehrig & Willmann, 2016).

Prenatal care is the preventative measure used by healthcare professionals to assess the health and wellbeing of a mother and her unborn child. It consists of various blood and urine tests, examination of the health history of the mother and her family, ultrasounds and other exams ("Prenatal Care Fact Sheet", 2012). This care gives healthcare professionals the opportunity to examine the fetus for any adverse complications that may have arisen, and address any issues that may have occurred within the mother. Prenatal care visits also allow time for women to ask any questions that they may need to address about their pregnancy. It is vital that expectant mothers receive adequate prenatal care early in their pregnancy because the earlier that

According to Shi and Singh (2012), in the United States, working people earning low wages are the most disenfranchised because most are not eligible for public benefits and cannot afford premium cost sharing. (p. 7) The purpose of this phenomenological study is to understand how mother’s experiences shape their perspectives when seeking prenatal care, medical and social services. Previous studies demonstrate that the lack of health care insurance leads to numerous unmet health care needs such as delaying medical care and having a health problem and not seeking medical care. (Collins, Doty, Robertson & Garber, 2011)

This goal focuses on specific topic areas that address a wide range of conditions, health systems, and health behaviors in order to improve wellness, health, and quality of life for women. The healthcare system has to be prepared for the challenges in public health for maternal and child health program predicted for the next generation in the way that it provides services for communities, health care systems, and families. The role of public health is to find out how to solve problems related to health risks for pregnancy by identifying existing health risks in women and by preventing future health problem for women and their children. These health risks include hypertension and heart disease, diabetes, depression, tobacco use, alcohol abuse, unhealthy weight, inadequate nutrition, and genetic conditions. There are several factors that may become barriers of access for women in the healthcare system. One factor is the woman’s socioeconomic level, with the outcomes for maternal and child health becoming different for various socioeconomic levels. Poor maternal health may increase the risk of poor child health outcomes, and the socioeconomic status of the child’s parents affects their choice of healthcare options, such as receiving better quality medical care and food, as well as living in safer housing and neighborhoods. Many other factors that can also affect

Many of the families that have a low-income or on the poverty line result in them not breastfeeding and this may result in low birthweight. Many of these factors that cause low birthweight include poverty, income, inability to pay for healthcare, and lack of access to health care due to the fact that they may not have a steady income. They are ultimately putting the child's heath and future at risk because they just simply can not breastfeed.

Out of the three specific indirect effects of socioeconomic disadvantage on gestational age none of the specific indirect effects had a significant effect on gestational age. This shows that the effect socioeconomic disadvantage on gestational age are not mediated by other variables in the model Three of the nine specific indirect effects only three had a statistical significant effect on birth weight: SES Food BW with standardized coefficient (β= -0.226, p=0.000); SES Indoor BW with standardized coefficient (β= -0.488, p=0.000); SES SUB BW with standardized coefficient (β= -0.058, p=0.004); with indoor air pollution had a largest specific indirect effect with standardized coefficient (β= -0.488);