Critical Periods of Prenatal Development
There are three critical periods in prenatal development each of which covers the germinal, embryonic, and fetal stages respectively.
The first two weeks cover the germinal stage where the sperm and egg cell unite inside the fallopian tube, with the ensuing single cell multiplying rapidly while traveling to the uterus and attaching itself to the uterine wall.
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Week 3 to week 8 cover the embryonic stage where a mass of cells gradually forms itself into a fetus.
Finally, week 9 to birth covers the fetal stage when the fetus develops into a baby (Jordan, Farley & Grace, 2018).
Teratogens That Could Impact Prenatal Development
Teratogens are factors that can adversely affect proper development of the child. The four categories of teratogens are:
Physical teratogens, which include the accidental or incidental impact that can cause trauma to the child or affect the mother’s ability to properly nurture the child (Tantibanchachai, 2014).
Chemical teratogens, which comprise of drugs such as narcotics or prescription drugs that can affect the child, or pollutants that when a mother is exposed to, can affect the child.
Infectious agents, which are mainly diseases that when contracted by the mother can affect the child in the womb, or infect the child in the birth canal during birth.
Finally, there is maternal conditions, which comprise of physiological or psychological issues that would affect the mother’s ability to properly carry the child to term (Tantibanchachai, 2014).
Ways to have a Healthy Pregnancy and to Reduce Prenatal Risks
The two primary ways of ensuring a healthy pregnancy and reducing prenatal risks are;
Doing all the right things
Doing the right things includes seeing a doctor after conception for advice and requisite testing, and maintaining a proper diet, which includes the supplements advice by the doctor ONLY (Jordan, Farley & Grace, 2018). Food hygiene and physical exercises are also important at all stages of pregnancy.
Avoiding all teratogens.
Intake of alcohol and caffeine should be reduced exponentially or avoided if possible. Steps should also be taken to avoid physical injury, ingestion of any harmful materials. Finally, proper vaccinations regimens should be adhered to as prescribed by a qualified professional (Jordan, Farley & Grace, 2018).
Infant Risks and how to Minimize Those Risks
The main infant risk types include risks emanating from health of the infant, risks associated with the infant’s environment (Jordan, Farley & Grace, 2018). Infants face risks of suffocation and SIDS when close monitoring is not maintained. An infant with high fever may suffer from SIDs and this should be minimized by having the infant checked by specialist as soon as possible. Suffocation can occur when the infant is covered with clothes leaving no space for breathing. Parents must always ensure that the infant’s face is not over-covered. Environmental risks should be mitigated through proper vaccinations to prevent infections, ensuring the highest standards of hygiene and avoiding pollutants such as cigarette smoke, dust or other toxins. The risk of physical harm comes from incidences such as falls, ingestion, or touching hot or corrosive substances. To avoid physical harm, the infant should always sleep in a secluded place that is not shared with adults or older children (Jordan, Farley & Grace, 2018). Any dangerous objects, equipment or fluids should be kept away from the infant at all times.
Attachment Issues During Infancy
Attachment issues are the issues that arise based on how much attention a parent pays to an infant. An infant who gets the right attention from the parent will have a secure attachment, an important boost towards a healthy psychological and emotional future. Lack of proper reactions and attention to a child can lead to adverse attachment outcomes. A child might have avoidant attachment where the baby becomes emotionally distant, or ambivalent attachment where it becomes anxious, insecure and angry (Zimmer-Gembeck et al., 2017). Also, it might suffer a disorganized attachment where the child becomes angry, non-responsive, and passive.
Tips for Fostering Healthy Development
Mothers should love their infants and openly express that love in a way that the infant will understand it.
The mother should regularly speak to the child, hold the child in her arms, and maintain facial and eye contact.
Mothers should also actively encourage the child to try out new things.
Mothers should express their feeling to infants including joy, unhappiness, and grief so that the infant can learn social cues, and also acknowledge such feelings when the child makes them (Jordan, Farley & Grace, 2018).
The mother should encourage the child to play with other children while ensuring that the child remains safe while doing so. In all these, safety must be of paramount importance.
References
Jordan, R. G., Farley, C. L., & Grace, K. T. (2018). Prenatal and postnatal care: a woman-centered approach . Hoboken New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons
Tantibanchachai, C. (2014). Teratogens. The Embryo Project Encyclopedia . Retrieved from https://embryo.asu.edu/pages/teratogens
Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J., Webb, H. J., Pepping, C. A., Swan, K., Merlo, O., Skinner, E. A., ... & Dunbar, M. (2017). Is parent–child attachment a correlate of children’s emotion regulation and coping? International Journal of Behavioral Development , 41 (1), 74-93
