Environmental factors that may be responsible for abnormal growth and development
during prenatal stage
Name
DPSY 8573 - Child and Adolescent Health
2022
1) Smoking and nicotine
Cigarettes smoking have already been shown to have dire consequences for the smoker and it
can be hazardous for the fetus and the new born child. Results of study f thousands of
pregnancies in the United States and else where encompassing various ethnic ratios and cultural
grouping indicate that the fetus and new born are significant affected by cigarettes smoking
during pregnancy. Maternal smoking increases the risks of spontaneous abortion leading t
premature rapture of the amniotic sac. Fetal deaths and deaths of new born babies. Women who
smoke during pregnancy give birth to babies who are abut one and half pound lighter and smaller
in dimension for example length and head circumference are born prematurely and have other
health problems.
2) Drugs
A wide range of congenital abnormalities that account to about 10% of births defects. The
severity of births defects depends on the amount of chemical the mother is exposed to the
development stage of the fetus and the period of whish the exposure to mother took place soon
after birth the babies who are addicted will show symptoms of withdrawal including tremors’,
convulsions, difficulty in breathing and intestinal disturbances.
Mother
Since the mother’s body is the chief elements in the fetus environment the mother’s physical
condition can significantly affect the body’s development.
Among the maternal factors known to influence the fetus are diseases, age ,diet and prolonged
stress even on mothers knowledge on what is taking place in her body can be important. Some
research has shown that mothers who consumed potential teratogence drugs pregnancy had little
information about these drugs even less information about the effects during pregnancy.
3) Biological factors that may be responsible for abnormal growth and development during
the prenatal stage
1) The Rh factor
The Rh factor is an inherited genetically dominated in the blood and can cause dangerous
situation for the fetus. When blood containing Rh factor (that’s Rh positive blood) is introduced
into blood without Rh factor (Rh negative blood) antibodies to compact Rh factor are produced.
If an Rh negative woman meets with an Rh positive man, the resulting child may have Rh
positive blood. Any small rapture in the capillaries of the placenta will release the Rh factor into
the mothers blood will then cross the placenta into the fetus blood stream and attack its Rh
positive red blood cells. Depriving the fetus of oxygen. The result maybe a miscarriage, possible
brain defects or even death to the fetus new born baby.
2) Age
Teenage mothers and those over 35 years of age had a higher risk of miscarriage, premature
births and some births defects than the mother in the prime child bearing. Some of the reasons
obvious very young mothers have not yet completed their own development. And the
reproductive system may not be ready to function smoothly in older the reproductive system may
be past its most efficient functioning. In both cases pregnancy puts an extra strength on body
that’s not fully able to bear. Furthermore there are some reasons to think that a common error
maybe tolerated. Women have all their over in partly development form when they are born. So a
woman who becomes pregnant at age 37 for example is using an ovum that has been more or less
exposed to the 37 years of harmful chemicals, radiations and virus infections. This may explain
why for instance downs syndrome is most common in children born to mothers over 40 years of
age
2) Diet and physical condition
Just as other aspects of physical health are important so as the mother’s diet. While
physicians and researchers have long realized pregnancy puts additional demands on the
mother’s body. They used to assume that that the fetus nutrition needs would be met
faster even at the mothers’ expense. The current opinion however is that the prenatal
development after birth are directly relisted to maternal diet .women who follow
nutritiously sound diet during pregnancy give birth to of normal or abnormal size. Their
babies are less likely to contract bronchitis, pneumonia or cold during early infancy and
have better developed it and burns
References
1. William’s. Williamson (1976) decisions in philosophy of religion. Columbus Ohio
Charles e. merlc publishing company
2. John. S. Mbiti (1990) introduction to African religion Nairobi. East African educational
publishers limited.
3. Charles .s. Braden (1954) the religion New York. Abingdon press.
