Maternal Behaviors and Their Effect on the Unborn Child Essay Example for Free

Maternal Behaviors and Their Effect on the Unborn Child Essaymaternal quality can be one of the most magical times in a womans life. there is zip fastener quite like taking care of the little person that is growing in the womb, and knowing that everything you do is going to puzzle some kind of yield on that little person.For a vast volume of women, pregnancy is a magical time, one filled with awe and wonder. Pregnant women tend to take bust care of themselves, making sure that they are providing the best environment for their growing peasant. Some women, however, do reasonable the opposite and do not take care of themselves and thus harm the unhatched child in their womb.There are several things that can puzzle an unfavorable effect on the growing child. mavin of them is the mothers living. This is an easily adjustable factor, but one that some women dont genuinely think about. When a woman becomes pregnant, according to www.americanpregnancy.org, she needs to cons ume roughly 300 more calories than design in order to take a shit a healthy pregnancy(http//www.americanpregnancy.org/pregnancyhealth/pregnancynutrition.html).This will provide the extra nutrition that the fetus needs. If a mother does not consume enough calories, she is putting her child at adventure of being malnourished. A poorly nourished infant is more likely to get sick, as they do not have the ability to fight off illness as well as a properly nourished child. There is also a possibility that undernourishment can have an equal on the mental cultivation of a child (Feldman, 329). Proper nourishment is vital to proper development both in the womb and once the child is born.Another demeanor that can have an adverse effect on the growing child is alcohol consumption during pregnancy. Alcohol is a teratogen, which is known to be harmful to human development(http//www.americanpregnancy.org/pregnancyhealth/alcohol.html).Consuming alcohol during pregnancy can cause the unborn c hild to have fetal alcohol syndrome, or FAS. This condition causes the child to be of below-average intelligence, have facial deformities, and harvest-time delays (Feldman, 309). According to www.marchofdimes.com, alcohol can also cause the violate to have sucking and sleeping problems, behavior problems, and speech and language delays(http//www.marchofdimes.com/pregnancy/alcohol_indepth.html).Even if a mother doesnt drink every day, regular(a) a small amount of alcohol can have adverse effect. Fetal alcohol effects is another condition that a child can develop. With FAE, the child may have some, but not all the symptoms of FAS (Feldman, 329). When my husband and I were foster parents, it was suspected that our foster son had FAE. He did not have growth delays, necessarily, as he was the average size of a child his age, but he did have some intellectual delays, speech problems, and some behavioral issues. Over all, he was a wonderful child, he just needed some extra care and att ention in certain areas to compensate for the places he lacked.Drug use is also a behavior that can cause adverse effects on an unborn child. According to www.marchofdimes.com, about 4% of women use illegal drugs during their pregnancy. These include marijuana, ecstasy, heroin, and other amphetamines. To me, that is a lurch number of women. There are m whatsoever problems that a child faces if the mother used drugs during pregnancy. Premature support and withdrawal seem to be the most common. There is also the possibility of birth defects, such as heart defects and cleft palates. The symptoms and long term effects of drug use vary depending on the grapheme of drug that the mother used.Some drugs are by far worse than others, but all of them keep back a risk. All of the drugs tend to carry a risk of learning disabilities, behavioral issues, and attention problems. There are even some legal drugs, things that you can buy over the counter that can have an adverse effect on an unbor n child (Feldman, 329). Aspirin is one such drug. Using aspirin, because of its channel thinning properties, can harm the child and cause excessive bleeding during childbirth (http//drugs.about.com/lw/Health-Medicine/Womens-Health/Medications-to-Avoid-During-Pregnancy.htm).It would be better(predicate) to consult with your doctor before taking any kind of medication while pregnant because any of them can have an adverse effect on the baby during different stages of pregnancy. I know for me personally, I dont like taking anything other than my prenatal vitamins during pregnancy, because Im fearful of what effect it could have on my child. When I was pregnant with my daughter, I almost refused to take Tylenol when I had a headache, because I was afraid it would do some harm. Ive not been quite that way with my son, but I still avoid most medicines because I dont want to risk doing any harm.Pregnancy is nothing short of a miracle, and should be treated as such. Providing a healthy en vironment for the baby to grow is of utmost importance, especially for the well-being of that child. Anything and everything that a mother does during her pregnancy has an effect on her unborn child. Getting proper nutrition and not using or abusing drugs or alcohol will do the mother have a healthy pregnancy and thus a healthy child.ReferencesFeldman, Robert S. (2011) Essentials of Understanding Psychology, 9th versionhttp//drugs.about.com/lw/Health-Medicine/Womens-Health/Medications-to-Avoid-During-Pregnancy.htmhttp//www.marchofdimes.com/pregnancy/alcohol_illicitdrug.htmlhttp//www.americanpregnancy.org/pregnancyhealth/pregnancynutrition.html