PSY FPX 6025 Assessment 1

Prenatal and Neonatal Quick Reference

Giving Birth During Adolescence

In 2012, over 86,000 adolescents aged 15 to 17 had given birth, which represented more than 1 in every 4 adolescents who had given birth prior to the completion of high school. It is surprising that nearly 1,700 adolescents in this age group give birth every week, indicating the teen pregnancy epidemic. Additionally, only 27% of 15- to 17-year-olds indicate that they never had sex (National Center For Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, 2019).

Best Practices for a Healthy Pregnancy

Precautions taken for a healthy pregnancy significantly enhance the prospects of a healthy delivery. Regular and early prenatal care is an important step towards ensuring a healthy pregnancy, with the same commencing ideally even before conception in the form of preconception visits with health workers. Balanced nutrition, appropriate weight gain, and vitamin supplementations are also essential practices to keep the mother and developing fetus healthy (American Psychological Association, 2020).

Supporting Lung Development

Fetal lung growth undergoes a series of essential stages, starting with the pseudoglandular stage at weeks 5 to 17 of pregnancy, then the subsequent stages up to the final stage, which starts at approximately the 36th week of pregnancy. Notably, the final month of pregnancy is also essential for lung growth, emphasizing the importance of allowing babies to reach full term whenever possible to minimize the risks of premature birth (Chisholm, 2021).

Exercise for Fetal Lung Health

A new study, which was presented recently at the 2021 European Respiratory Society International Congress, suggests that exercise by mothers during pregnancy helps improve fetal lung health, which may reduce the risk of respiratory diseases such as asthma in adult life. The study comes in the wake of previous studies that linked compromised lung function at birth to a greater susceptibility to respiratory disease (Ooko, 2021).

Impact of Environmental Factors

Environmental factors, including maternal chemical exposure, air fresheners, and certain cleaning products, can significantly influence fetal development. Furthermore, problems like the quality of water used for bathing and infectious disease risk from bird flu and salmonella can influence fetal growth and development and highlight the importance of maternal lifestyle factors (Ooko, 2021).

Father’s Role in Prenatal Attachment

Father-child attachment begins during pregnancy, with caregiving behaviors such as the father’s voice and sensing the baby’s movements forming early attachment (Biller, 1976). With the birth of the baby, the attachment is reinforced since fathers actively engage in caregiving, thereby developing the emotional health and self-esteem of the child (Biller, 1976).

PSY FPX 6025 Assessment 1 Prenatal and Neonatal Quick Reference 

Biller, H. (1976). The role of the father in child development. New York: M.E. Lamb (Ed.).

Chisholm, A. (2021, October 20). When are babies’ lungs fully developed?

National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. (2019, December 19). Preventing Teen Pregnancy. Retrieved from CDC Division Of Reproductive Health: https://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/young-teen-pregnancy/index.html

Ooko, S. (2021, September 22). Pregnancy exercise for healthy lungs of the baby. Retrieved from https://www.businessdailyafrica.com

PSY FPX 6025 Assessment 1 Prenatal and Neonatal Quick Reference 

Susan E. Maier, J. R. (2001). In J. R. Susan E. Maier, Prenatal alcohol exposure (pp. 168-74). Texas, USA: Department of human anatomy and medical neurobiology.