The Effects Of Low Birth Weight Babies On Family And On The Community

Defining premature birth is much more than just a denotative phrase. It is not just a preterm birth, or a baby born early. It is a life-changing event, and something that affects millions of people worldwide. The intense quiet room with heart monitors beeping, as parents see their baby and are devastated. Loved ones can not feed them or kiss them nor, can they not hold them or hug them. They do not get the same experience as others. Little miracles lay inside these cubes where multiple wires are help keeping them alive. A place where prayers happen, and where all hope for the best. Nobody knows the true pain and struggle behind a preterm birth and it needs to be discussed. Prematurity is a serious conflict; therefore, it needs more awareness as many families are facing this tough situation.

Premature birth is an important public health priority in terms of health of women and infants. Every year an estimated 15 million preterm babies are born and this number is still rising (WHO, 2015).In 2014, 1 of every 10 babies born in United States were premature and black infants were 50% more likely to be born premature than white, Hispanic and Asian/Pacific islander infants (CDC,2015). Almost 1 million children die each year due to complications of premature birth (WHO, 2015). Major survivors face lifelong disabilities like learning disabilities, hearing, visual, feeding, digestive, breathing and respiratory problems (CDC, 2015) and low birth weight (March of Dimes, 2014). A major challenge in decreasing the rate of preterm birth is

Receiving good prenatal care is extremely important for an expecting mother. The prenatal period has a great impact on the newborn's health. Low birth weight is a problem among a certain population of newborns. It is crucial to understand the conditions in poverty and its

Infant deaths in the neonatal period are caused by complications arising from preterm births, birth defects, maternal health conditions, complications of labor and delivery, and lack of access to appropriate care at the time of delivery. Infant deaths in the post-neonatal period are driven by sudden unexpected infant death (SUID) (including sudden infant death syndrome [SIDS]), injury, and infection (MMRW, 2013). An increasing proportion of post-neonatal infant deaths occur among infants who were born preterm but survived the neonatal period (Callaghan, 2006). On the other hand there is lesser knowledge of the incidence and etilogy of fetal mortality which according to MacDorman et al, makes fetal mortality an overlooked public health issue. Lee et al, echoed the same idea when they said infant mortality has been the main focus of public health programming while fetal deaths have gone untargeted. However, with the decrease in infant mortality rates there have been recent approaches such as perinatal period of risk analysis framework (PPOR) that highlight the need to include fetal

Discuss disparities related to ethnic and cultural groups relative to low birth weight infants and preterm births.

The term low birth weight is used in describing infants weighing less than 5 lbs 8 ounces (2500g) whereas the average weight is 8 lbs (Stanford, 2015). An infant with a low birth weight has a significantly higher chance of neonatal and perinatal mortality (Maheswari & Behera, 2014). Babies who do persevere and survive are documented of having inadequate neurosensory, cognitive, behavioral development and limited school performance (Guyatt & Snow, 2004). Shiono and Behrman (1995) state that infants with low birth weight consist of 7% of live births, however, 35% of the cost of health care goes towards caring for low birth weight infants. Studies show that African American infants are twice more than Caucasian infants to have a low birth weight. To bring a life into this world takes more than conception; sacrifices need to be made, nurturing, and providing a safe home for the child, but many minorities struggle to fulfill these needs. Health and health care are imperative when it comes to being an expecting mother; therefore, it is important that to address what influences the birth weight of African American infants in my research paper. I hope to address how factors such as racial discrimination within the American health care system, prenatal care, stress, and the age of the mother contributes to the low birth weight (LBW) disparities between African American infants and Caucasian infants.

A premature birth is a birth that takes place more than three weeks before the baby is due. A normal pregnancy usually lasts about 40 weeks. The importance of growth and development of the baby happens through pregnancy. Premature birth gives the baby less time to develop in the mother’s womb. A late preterm is when a baby is born between 34-36 weeks of pregnancy. Moderately preterm are born between 32-34 weeks. Very preterm is born less than 32 weeks of pregnancy and extremely preterm is born before 25 weeks. “Each year nearly 500,000 babies are premature or preemies. That is about 1 out of every 8 infants born in the U.S.”

-Race or ethnicity: Historically, minority populations in the United States have had higher rates of preterm delivery. In 2007, non-Hispanic White women accounted for the lowest number of preterm births in the United States, accounting for only 11.5% of all preterm births (MacDorman, 2011). In contrast, non-Hispanic Blacks, Puerto Ricans, American Indians and Hispanic women had preterm birth levels of 18.3%, 14.5%, 13.9% and 12.3% respectively (MacDorman, 2011). The Asian minority had the lowest risk at 10.9% (MacDorman, 2011). Some studies have attributed such significant differences to racial disparities in resources and health care (Dominguez, 2008; Vanderbilt & Wright, 2013). However, other studies such as Menon’s et al, which looked at differences in White versus Black women, suggest that racial disparities in preterm birth may

According to the World Health Organisation [WHO] (2014) pre-term babies are at increased risk of illness, disability and death. It also states that globally 15 million babies are born pre-term and the figures are rising. In England and Wales during 2012 7.3% of live births were pre-term under 37 weeks nearly 85% of all babies born prematurely will have a very low birth weight (Office for National Statistics, 2012). Pre-term birth is associated with respiratory complications and lung disease, long-tern neurological damage and problems with bowel function (Henderson & Macdonald, 2011). Neonatal services provide care to babies who are born prematurely or are ill and require specialist care. It is seen that sixty per cent of infant deaths occur in the neonatal period (DH,

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

After revising the key terms, additional searches were made using both CINAHL and MEDLINE databases, with each article being evaluated and better search mechanisms being applied. In this search the key words preterm AND aboriginal women were used with the result being relatively successful, however there were still a number of articles that were not all applicable. I then decided to go through each article and critique how each study was conducted and what information it could provide to increase my knowledge on the factors that affect preterm birth. Additionally I also looked at which articles provided the highest level of evidence using NHMRC guidelines, as well as observing the number of people who had cited the source (National Health and Medical Research Council, 2015). Being more specific in database searches was a skill that became vital in the search process (Symmons, 2013). For example, I also chose synonyms such as, ‘neonatal outcomes’ and ‘premature pregnancy’ so articles relevant to preterm birth could be discovered. By establishing effective search terms, evaluating the reliability of the source, restricting

I’ve selected above indicators because they represent conditions relevant to both Mother and Child Health. Preterm birth: a newborn delivered before the 37 weeks of gestation is called preterm. Many vital organ developments like lungs and brain still are in process. Therefore, a birth before 37 weeks of pregnancy may impose a serious risk for newborn to have a life-long disability or even die during the first days of life. There are certain factors leading to preterm birth (CDC, 2014):

Socioeconomic conditions also played a role in my preterm birth, because I live with someone who smoked cigarettes and also used illicit drugs from time to time. As a result I delivered a baby girl at 24 weeks gestation which is 16 weeks premature and was just two weeks beyond the point of viability. My child weighed 1 lb. 8 oz. and was 12 inches long. The psychological effects after the birth of my child were even more devastating. Knowing that the situation could have been prevented has always weighed heavy on my mind as my child battle with many issues due to her prematurity. These issues resulted in the use of oxygen, and apnea monitor, and also a feeding tube. In the beginning there were many developmental delays such as, she did call until she was one years old and she did not walk until she was two years old. Though those were the short term effects, there are also long-term effects such as lack of confidence and attention deficit disorder. Vision problems are another long- term effect that my daughter suffered from preterm birth. In many cases, the retina will detach from the eye causing blindness around the actual due date. Fortunately for me and my daughter we were able to avoid the detachment but we still have to deal with the vision problems caused by early delivery.

Preterm Birth is one of the most important and interesting topics to any prospective parent. One of the reasons is because it happens so often and unexpectedly. Preterm Birth has become a personal interest in research simply because it has made a tremendous impact in my life. Having a Preterm Birth has taught me lots of things, such as, to grow as a person and as a mother, to see things from a different perspective, to get up, continue with my life, and perhaps to learn how to say “good bye” to a little one without even saying “hello.” For all the reasons above, there are some questions I would like to address: Why do preterm births happen and how can it be prevented? What kind of help is offered to parents and family members who go through the process of having a preterm birth? How effective and relevant is that help?

While some women who received no prenatal care had normal, uncomplicated births, others did not. Most of the women who did not receive adequate prenatal care gave birth to an underweight and underdeveloped infant. Among the benefits of early, comprehensive prenatal care are decreased risk of preterm deliveries and low birth weight (LBW)-both major predictors of infant morbidity and mortality. (Dixon, Cobb, Clarke, 2000). Preterm deliveries, deliveries prior to 37 weeks of gestation, have risen. Since the studies in 1987, which showed the rate of preterm deliveries as 6.9% of births, the 1997 rate shows an increase to 7.5%. Low birth weight, defined as an infant weighing less than 2500 grams (5lbs. 5oz) is often preceded by preterm delivery. Low