The state of a mother emotionally, physically and health-wise is essential to the growth and development of a baby during pregnancy. Some of the maternal prenatal factors that affect the health of the baby include nutrition, professional prenatal care, exercise and mother’s general health as well as age among others. A look at how some of these factors affect the health of the baby stresses the importance of prenatal conditions top the development of the baby.
Proper nutrition is primarily vital in prenatal care. Firstly, good food is essential for childbearing women prior to the pregnancy to provide the body with the necessary nutrients for the pregnancy. During pregnancy, the fetus gets nutrients from the mother hence the need for a balanced diet to give the fetus the necessary nutrients. Secondly, a balanced diet is essential and more food to provide enough nutrients for the baby and the mother during pregnancy (Virtual Medical Centre, n.d). Therefore, the mother has to increase the intake of vitamins, carbohydrates and other nutrients to have enough supply.
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Professional prenatal care is another important factor in ensuring healthy babies. Pregnancy is a delicate time for both the baby and the mother with a number of medical risks and subject to complications. The pregnancy risks and complications can be screened, identified, prevented and treated in time with professional prenatal care. Also, professional care keeps expecting mothers informed on matters relating to healthy diet, warning signs during pregnancy, postnatal expectations and care, and family planning among others ( Hajizadeh et al., 2016). Therefore, professional prenatal care is important for ensuring a healthy pregnancy and mitigating risks reducing maternal and fetal mortality.
Teratogens such as drugs or chemicals whether environmental, biological or physical lead to abnormal development of the fetus. The chemicals affect the development of the fetus as early as 10 weeks of pregnancy. Use or exposure to teratogens during pregnancy leads to deformities, premature birth, low weight babies at birth, developmental delays and can lead to related disorders such as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders for alcohol use. The deformities and developmental challenges become severe and last throughout the baby’s lifetime. The use of drugs such as cocaine can lead to babies being addicted to the drugs way before they are borne, and the habit becomes severe as they grow after birth making the addicts (Lumen Learning, n.d). Thus, avoidance of teratogens during pregnancy is vital for the healthy development of the baby.
In conclusion, there are a number of factors to consider before and during pregnancy to ensure a healthy baby. The factors relate to social, environmental and health matters and should be put into consideration by pregnant women and women within the bearing age and who wish to have children in their lifetime.
References
Virtual Medical Centre (n.d). Importance of healthy eating before and during pregnancy. Retrieved on 25 September 2018 from https://www.myvmc.com/pregnancy/importance-of-healthy-eating-before-and-during-pregnancy/
Hajizadeh, S., Ramezani Tehrani, F., Simbar, M., & Farzadfar, F. (2016). Factors influencing the use of prenatal care: a systematic review. Journal of Midwifery and Reproductive Health , 4 (1), 544-557. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.22038/jmrh.2016.6431 .
Lumen Learning (n.d). Prenatal development. Boundless Psychology . Retrieved on 25 September 2018 from https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-psychology/chapter/prenatal-development/
