Strategies For Prenatal Development

A teratogen is any agent or factor that can disrupt the development of an embryo or fetus, which may cause a birth defect or malformation. Whether it is a medication, disease or drug, when the mother is exposed the chances of problems arising with the baby increase. Only ten to fourteen days after conception teratogens can affect the fetus. At that stage in the pregnancy the egg has already been fertilized and attached to the uterus. This is known as the embryonic stage where if health isn’t a priority complications can occur. At this point the mother and embryo share a common blood supply therefore anything the mother does affects the embryo. This is also the stage in which most miscarriages occur. There are numerous teratogens but two

Teratogens refers to any environmental agent, such as dose, heredity, negative influences and age that can cause damage during the prenatal period (Berk, 2014). Serious defects can occur during the embryonic period where the “ground work is laid for all body structures and organs” (Berk, 2014, p. 63). During the fetal period teratogens can do minimal damage; however, organs such as brain, eyes, ears, teeth and genitals can still be affected (Berk, 2014).

I chose to take a closer look at how teratogens have a great impact on the prenatal period. I am a pre-nursing student who wants to become a prenatal nurse. I believe it is imperative for me to understand the effects of all the different teratogens that expecting mothers may be exposed to, in order to prevent any complications. Moreover, teratogens can be described as agents that may cause harm or malformation to the embryo. Teratogens can be found almost everywhere and some are easier to avoid than others. I also want to identify which of and how the different theories that we studied are relevant to the impact of teratogens. I will be discussing an article from the Journal of Genetic Psychology: Research and Theory on Human Development titled

Teratogens can have many different effects on a baby over the course of its lifetime. Teratogen effects range from birth defects, such as the baby being deaf or having intellectual deficiencies, to something as severe as a miscarriage. Consuming drugs or alcohol, developing a sickness, or being exposed to high amounts of lead are all examples that can cause teratogens to take effect. There are many different reasons that can cause these things can happen, but more times than not it is because of something the mother consumed or an environment she put herself in. Studying the causes and effects of teratogens is worthy of study, effects me in my daily life, and additional studies related to the topic should be explored.

Within this essay I will highlight the risks during prenatal, birth and perinatal development and discuss the longterm effects on a child and what medical advances have been developed to prevent or lessen them.

Development is how people grow and change over the life span. A widely agreed characteristics among theorists about development is that there is both quantitative and qualitative changes, development follows a coherent pattern in which current functioning is connected to past and future functioning. Also, development doesn’t necessary mean that change is always positive.

When the fetus is exposed to the teratogens during the prenatal stage, then, in that case, there are significantly high chances that the child will suffer from birth defects (4). There are different factors which are related to the level of exposures to the teratogens; amount of damage that a particular teratogen can have along with the level of dosages, heredity, age of the teratogen and the different other negative influences like that of the combination of teratogens with poor health etc. (1). There are different types of teratogens which pregnant women are advised to avoid like alcohol, prescription drugs/illegal drugs and tobacco. Alcohol use is one of the most use and major problem throughout pregnancy (4). Although it hasn’t been determined how much alcohol is detrimental to pregnant women, it has been found to be one of the major cause of mental disabilities in children in the United States (4). Alcohol usually passes from the mother’s blood stream via the placenta to the fetus. Indeed, maternal drinking is tied to fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) with life-long consequences for the new born (1). The research suggests that alcohol exposure to the 19th or 20th of gestation can significantly exposed the new born to facial abnormalities (1). It is unknown how much alcohol is necessary to cause damage, so doctors typically recommend that alcohol should be completely avoided during

For some pregnant women the symptom worsen in the morning and throughout the day it will ease up. Though many say it could strike at any time of the day. The symptoms start at 6 weeks but could start early as 4 weeks and will eaase up after 14 weeks. Morning sickness is caused by the changes your body is taking in: Human chronic gonadotropin (HCG), Strogen, Sensetive to oder, sensetive stomach, and stress.

Adolescence is manifested by the onset of puberty “marked by dramatic changes in hormone levels and in physical appearance: physical growth, changes in facial structure, and appearance of secondary sexual characteristics. Over the same interval, adolescents experience numerous changes in social and other environmental influences, and typically enter a stage of profound psychological transition. The end of adolescence is said to occur when an individual has attained a stable adult role.” (Burnett, Blakemore, & Dahl 2010, pg. 926). The onset of puberty can start as early as six years old and go as late as twenty-one years old. For many teens that is a period of trial and error, testing boundaries, values and establishing their own identities. For many it is a time where there body is awkward lengths, acne is barring its teeth and voice starts to crack at the worst times possible. The stage of

he next area of human development is the adolescence stage. There are three stages to the adolescence stage the first one is early adolescence, the second one is middle adolescence and the last one is late adolescence. Early adolescence is from 12-14 years of age, this includes the start of puberty, they are very moody , and they want to have a very specific body image. especially girls. During this stage teenagers body shows changes, like bashfulness, shyness, privacy, and modesty. They are often experiencing new feelings about their body. And instead of having sexual relationships they replace them with movie idols and rock band members. Also they would rather be with their friends than their families, especially their parents, they want

There are many factors that can interfere with a fetus’s development, causing birth defects or learning disorders. These factors are teratogens, environmental agents that have the potential to disrupt development and cause disabilities in the developing baby (Martorell et al., 2013). Perhaps the most common teratogens are drugs and viruses, and while some of these teratogens may affect some fetuses, others may not be affected as severely (Martorell et al., 2013). However, since the mother does not know the extent of how the teratogen can negatively affect her baby, she should avoid contact with a teratogen.

Everyone knows that a mother’s prenatal care and all the things a mother needs to do to make sure she has a healthy baby. No one ever thinks about the father’s role in prenatal care. It is starting to be brought to light how important a father’s role in prenatal care actually is. Not only is there health important while trying to have a baby but even after their spouse is pregnant they need to still focus on being healthy and safe for the baby. Not only physical but also mental health is a big factor in prenatal development. The importance of knowing about a father’s effect on prenatal develop is that people are aware of everything

For years and years, many believed that babies were completely protected in their mothers’ womb by the placenta. It was not commonly known how vulnerable babies are at every stage of prenatal development, from conception through birth. There are an incredible amount of environmental, biological, and social factors, called teratogens that can affect a baby from the very moment of conception. From this moment, babies are not only developing, but also learning all the time. A fetus experiences the everyday things that its mother experiences, down to the very air that she breathes or the emotions that she’s feeling. While it can be intimidating and frightening to be aware of all of these teratogens, it is also one of the best and smartest things that you can do to promote a healthy pregnancy, so that you are able to avoid these risks. It has been said that the first 1,000 days between pregnancy and a child’s second birthday are the most critical days to that child’s survival and development. It is up to us as mothers to ensure our babies’ healthy development and to make sure that those 1,000 days are as healthy and positive as possible.

During prenatal development, teratogens, agents that produce developmental abnormalities, may affect the growing organism, resulting in physical and mental deviations.

Usually, the first theme that arises with the thought of adolescence is puberty, which can be a tumulus time. Puberty is a time of rapid physical maturation including hormonal and bodily changes. These changes include menarche, weight gains, height gains, and hormonal changes (McGraw Hill Education, 2015). Personally, puberty was a time of rapid growth; I went from kids sizes to adult sizes in the matter of a few months. As an early-maturing girl, I was confused and surprised when I started to notice the changes occurring to my body; I started to form breasts and my figure began to change drastically. I no longer had the body types of my friends who were boys. Nevertheless, these changes began to occur and I wasn’t prepared for one of the markers of “womanhood”; my first menstruation. I went through lectures with my mother and she gave me “talks”, but when it came to reality, I wasn’t prepared. However, with a little patience I have survived the most difficult parts of puberty but this isn’t the only thing adolescences have to deal with.