Psychology of pregnancy, birth, childbirth

PRENATAL STAGE

1. Germinal stage

2. Embryonic Stage

3. Fetal stage

Vulnerability to environmental influences like drugs, radiation, malnutrition and disease is also great in the stage.

Mother’s age below 16 years and over 35 years are at high risk for miscarriages, premature births and birth defects.

The fetus is sensitive to certain sounds, lights, touch, and may able to learn. From 16 weeks can hear, can see, from 15 weeks can smell

Germinal stage

growth of zygote and implantation in the walls of the uterus, after the first two weeks after fertilization

Embryonic stage

end of the second week to the end of the eighth week- rapid growth and differentiation of body systems, critical period

Fetal stage

changes in the body form and organs assume their specialised functions, this stage ends with birth

Mothers over 35

• Fertility problems
• High blood pressure
• Diabetes
• Miscarriages
• Placenta Previa
• Cesarean section
• Premature birth
• Stillbirth

A baby with a genetic disorder or other birth defects

Birth trauma

Every birth can cause stress

The birth process is a better physical and emotional experience for the mother and the infant if drugs and anesthesia are minimal and if both parents are actively involve in the process.

C-section causes

In the United States, about one in three women have their babies delivered this way (Martin et al., 2015)

• Health problems in the mother
• Signs of distress in the baby
• Not enough room for the baby to go through the vagina
• The position of the baby, such as a breech presentation where the head is not in the downward position

More than half of women who have a C-section can have a vaginal birth later.

Induced birth causes

• The mother is approaching two weeks beyond her due date and labor has not started naturally
• The mother’s water has broken, but contractions have not begun
• There is an infection in the mother’s uterus
• The baby has stopped growing at the expected pace
• There is not enough amniotic fluid surrounding the baby
• The placenta peels away, either partially or completely, from the inner wall of the uterus before delivery
• The mother has a medical condition that might put her or her baby at risk, such as high blood pressure or diabetes

Anoxia

a temporary lack of oxygen to the brain.
Difficulty during delivery may lead to anoxia which can result in brain damage or in severe cases, death. Babies who suffer both low birth weight and anoxia are more likely to suffer learning disabilities later in life as well.

Low Birth weight

weighs less than 5 pounds 8 ounces (2500 grams). About 8.2 percent of babies born in the United States are of low birth weight (Center for Disease Control, 2015a).

Such a baby is also at more risk for infection, and 67 percent of these babies are also preterm which can make them more at risk for respiratory infection.

Pettersson et al. (2019)

reduced birth weight was correlated with a small, but significant increase in several psychiatric disorders in adulthood. These included: autism, OCD, ADHD, depression.

Preterm

A newborn might also have a low birth weight if it is born at less than 37 weeks gestation