Expectant mothers are at high risk of acquiring health complexities that are likely to affect the infant. Health problems are bound to occur during pregnancy and could cause significant complication in the pregnancy. The victims to these pregnancy complications could either be the mother's health, the infant's health or both. Some pregnancy complications are rare to experience, for instance, when an expectant mother suffers stress; this may not affect the baby.
On the other hand, some complications are major and experienced by a more significant percentage of expectant mothers; for instance, a fetus exposed to drugs is likely to develop chronic diseases. Pregnancy complications could arise from health problems experienced by the mother even before becoming pregnant. However, any pregnancy complication whether common or rare should be handled with extra care.
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One of the common health-related issues is smoking during pregnancy. Smoking is not healthy for both the mother and the baby. Smoking is dangerous before pregnancy, during and after the baby is born (Forray, 2016). A concerned mother should not continue smoking for the good of her child. Cigarettes contain the addictive substance, nicotine and various poisonous substances such as carbon monoxide that endangers both the life of the mother and health of the baby. The toxic substances are carried directly through the mother’s bloodstream and directly passed to the baby. Presence of carbon monoxide in the blood lowers the amount of oxygen available for both the mother and the baby. Through this, the baby suffers risks of developing respiratory problems that may lead to difficulties in breathing. Smoking increases the baby's heart rate and being at high risk of acquiring Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) ( Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , 2015). The mother is likely to undergo a miscarriage or experience a stillbirth. However, when the baby makes it through to birth, it might be born prematurely and with low birth weight. Expectant passive smokers are at higher risks of pregnancy complications since they are subjects to both the cigarette smoke burning at the end of the cigar and the smoke exhaled by the smoker. The pregnant mother may experience a stillbirth and low birth weight of the baby. Babies subjected to passive smokers may develop health complexions such as lung and ear infections, allergies and, asthma.
An instance that proves to be a threat to healthy infant development is exposure to unsafe environmental conditions. Air pollution has been rampant with the ongoing industrialization among countries. Industries, on the other hand, are reluctant on the way they dispose of their wastes. When a baby encounters exposure to unsafe environmental conditions such as air pollution and water pollution, they are likely to develop long term health complexities. Exposure to toxins and pollutants such as lead, mercury and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), may damage a child’s cognitive functioning leading to low IQ and externalized behaviors. Mercury damages an infant’s sensorimotor functioning and language development. PCBs, on the other hand, has been linked with defects in socio-emotional functioning ( World Health Organization , 2010). Risky environmental conditions cause perinatal conditions and brain damage and developmental conditions. It is notable that environmental pollution, especially air pollution, begins within the household. Fuels used within the home produce pollutants that can cause Acute Respiratory Infections (ARIs) to young children. Poor sanitation and unsafe drinking water could lead to diarrheal infections that are significant life-threatening conditions for the children.
Parents are responsible for protecting their children from infections and health risks that are preventable through immunization. Taking a child for vaccination is essential in preventing numerous contagious diseases. Therefore, receiving vaccination for specified diseases avoid the chances of contracting the disease and spreading. Among the diseases that can be contracted by the child due to lack of immunization include measles, which causes the brain to swell leading to brain damage and finally death. A baby may suffer permanent deafness when attacked by mumps or meningitis. Permanent paralysis is avoided only when the baby is immunized with the polio vaccine (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2018). Administration of these vaccines is free among many countries; therefore, it would be unwise for the parent to suffer the loss of a child due to lack of immunization. Evading child vaccination places most individuals at risk especially those with the weakened immune system, people suffering from chronic infections and the elderly with disease complications.
Lastly, expectant mothers that suffer from uncontrolled medical conditions such as obesity, hypertension, and diabetes are likely to experience health-related issues that might affect their unborn child. For instance, an expectant mother may have gestational diabetes when the blood sugar level is found to be high than usual during pregnancy. Gestational diabetes increases risks of macrosomia, a condition where the baby is too large, preeclampsia, a condition that results from high blood pressure and cesarean birth. A pregnant woman should consume food rich in iron to increase the hemoglobin count hence increasing the amount of blood in the body — iron aids in preventing contraction of Iron Deficiency Anemia.
In summary, pregnancy and infancy are health conditions that should be handled with great care to maintain the survival of both the parent and the baby. Health complexities are high in expectant mothers and their infants. Drug use is not healthy for the mother and the baby unless prescribed by a professional doctor. Environmental pollution should be avoided at any cost to save the future generation and not subjected the children to neither long term nor short term effects.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2015). Pregnancy Complications. Retrieved 18 February 2019, from http://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/
Forray, A. (2016). Substance use during pregnancy. F1000Research, 5 (F1000 Faculty Rev), 887
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2018). Vaccines: your best shot at good health. Retrieved 19 February 2019 from, https://www.vaccines.gov/getting/for_parents/five_reasons/index.html
World Health Organization. (2010). Dioxins and their effect on human health. Fact Sheet No. 225. Retrieved 19 February 2019 from, http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs225/en/
