Birth and Newborns (exam 1)

Healthy Pregnancy

Nutrition - pregnant women who eat foods high in nutrients have few complications and provide nutrients for fetus to grow

Exercise - everyday exercise is not dangerous to the fetus; generally healthy

Healthiest age to give birth

Generally safer to give birth in 20s than 30s or later

35+ is associated with increased risk for gestational diabetes

Infertility

The inability to conceive after 12-18 months of trying

How many couples are affected by Infertility?

about 15%

Teratogens - threats from the outside that cross the placenta and harm the fetus

Caffeine, Aspirin, Alcohol, Nicotine, Fish (large predatory fish and uncooked)

Fathers & Healthy Pregnancy

• avoid drinking

• avoid smoking

• be supportive

Stage 1 of labor and birth: Dilation and effacement

• cervix widens and thins out

• contractions increasingly frequent and strong

Stage 2: birth

Fetus moves through the cervix and down the birth canal

Crowning: head appears

Stage 3: expulsion of placenta

umbilical cord and placenta are expelled

amniotic sac ruptures either before labor begins, after contractions start, or right before delivery

Average time for births

First birth: average of 12 hours; 7 hours for subsequent births

APGAR Scale - assesses 5 indicators of newborn health at 1 minute and 5 minutes after birth

A- Appearance

P- pulse

G- grimace

A- activity

R- respiration

Natural Birth

Options, like a midwife or doula, that seek to avoid a potentially “medicalized” hospital experience

Epidural anesthesia

Numbs body from waist down during labor and delivery

• huge pain reduction, slightly longer labor

• given at any time but generally not if close to delivery

Cesarean delivery

Incision is made in the abdomen and uterus to remove the newborn

Reasons for a C-section

newborn is distressed, in breech position, or transverse

Cons of C-Section

• longer recovery

• possible breathing problems for newborn

Preterm Infants

Born before 38 weeks after conception

about 1/10 newborns in the US

Weight of an average newborn in the US

about 7-8 pounds

Low-birthweight infants

Weigh less than 5.5 pounds

about 7.7% of newborns in the US

Very low-birthweight infants

Weigh less than 2.25 pounds

• organ systems immature

• vulnerable to infection, breathing problems, and cognitive problems later in childhood

Newborn States

Eating, crying, and sleeping

Breastfeeding Benefits

Has all of the nutrients that promote growth 

Linked to resistance to infections

Crying

Normal attempt to communicate needs (e.g. hungry or uncomfortable)

Colic

Infant cries continuously, cannot be soothed

• caused by immature nervous system

• short lived; dissipates around 4 months

Sleeping

Newborns wake up every 3-4 hours

typically sleep for at least 14 hours out of a 24 hour day

By 6 months, most infants sleep about 6 hours a night

Should you tend to a baby crying at night?

For very young infants, yes you should check their needs

For older infants (7-8+ months): wait to see if they self-soothe first

Reflexes developed in infancy

• rooting

• gripping

• toe curling

• moro or startle

• Galant

Rooting

• stroking the infant’s cheek

• Head turns in the direction of the touch, and the infant opens his/her mouth for feeding

Gripping

Something is placed in the infant’s hand

The infant grasps the item and cannot hold on very well — almost enough to support his/her own weight

Toe curling

• stroking of the inner or outer sole of the infant’s foot

• If the inner sole is stroked, the infant curls his/her toes

• If the outer sole is stroked, the toes spread out

Moro or Startle

• sudden noise or movement

• the infant throws his/her head back and arms and legs out, and then cries

Galant

• stroking of the infant’s lower back, next to the spinal cord

• The infant curves toward the side that was stroked - and looks like a fencer when doing so

Growth & Stability: Fast pace of growth

triple in weight by first birthday

When is it safe to start solid foods?

• around 6 months

• Starts with cereals, pureed fruits and veggies

• finger foods only when they can sit on their own, grasp & release, and chew

Brain development

the brain grows very quickly in infancy & early childhood

• by the time infants turn 1, their brains are already 70% the size they’ll be in adulthood

Synaptogenesis

The creation of new connections (synapses) between neurons

• learning new things

Synaptic Pruning

The process of eliminating un-used connections (synapses) between neurons

• biology provides the neurons, synapses, and brain structure

• experiences influence which connections become stronger or weaker

Gross motor skills

Associated with balance, posture, and whole body movement

Rolling over

around 4-6 months

Sitting up

around 6-9 months

Crawling

around 8-9 months

Taking first steps

around 1 year

Walking with confidence

around 18 months

Running

around 2 years

Fine motor skills

Associated with the delicate finger movements needed to grasp and manipulate objects

Passing objects between hands

around 5-9 months

Master the Pincer grasp

9-12 months

Drinks from a cup without a lid, may spill sometimes and tries to use a spoon

18 months

How far can newborns see?

20 feet

How far can they see at 12 months old?

about 200-600 feet

What do infants prefer to look at?

Patterns or faces

Infants distinguish between smells

crinkle nose when smelling something bad

• prefer familiar milk tastes and smells

Infants are sensitive to different types of touch

infants smile and vocalize more and cry less when patted/stroked/cuddled

Cognition in the sensorimotor period

infants understand the world through their direct experiences, “little scientists”

Schema

Basic building blocks of how we understand the world

Assimilation

process of fitting the outer world into what we are currently capable of understanding

Accommodation

Process of gradually adapting how we think based on new information

Primary circular reactions

Repetitive actions centered on the infant’s own body (up to 4 months)

Secondary circular reactions

Repetitive actions centered on the outside world (4-8 months)

Tertiary circular reactions

Flexible actions undertaken to make sense of the world (around 12-18 months)

Infantile amnesia

lack memory of experiences before age 3

Language development

the brain is especially ready to learn language in infancy and early childhood

Phonology

Knowing the sounds that make up words (ba/da)

Lexicon

Knowing words and their meanings

Phonemes

the sounds of a language that distinguish one word from another (rake and lake)