Verified Document

Healthy Mothers And Babies: Recent Research: Research Paper

Maternal Risk Entity Is there anything more important to a family -- and to the community of interest around that family -- than the safe and healthy delivery of the brand new baby and its mother? Modern medicine has provided technologies and training to alleviate many of the risks vis-a-vis mother and infant, however there is never going to be a situation absolutely free of potential risks surrounding pregnancy, childbirth, and the post-pregnancy period. Hence, nurses and physicians and other healthcare professionals must stay informed and be fully prepared to come up with solutions when risky situations occur. This paper presents the peer-reviewed literature on several maternal risks and there possible remedies.

Infants' Risks in Late Preterm Births

In the peer-reviewed journal Birth, the authors point out that the preterm birth rate has risen from 10.6 births in 1990 to 12.8% in 2006 -- a twenty percent increase (Kirby, et al., 2010). Meanwhile there has been an increase of 26% in late preterm births (34-36 weeks) between 1990 and 2006; and while it is well-known that babies born before the 34th week of gestation are at risk "for life-long morbidity and early mortality," only recently, the authors assert, have healthcare researchers noted that there are also risks for late preterm babies (Kirby, 169).

What are the risks for late preterm babies, and why is this issue an important topic for a nurse to delve into? The infant born in the late preterm is at an "increased risk" of the following complications: a) respiratory disease; b) brain injuries which result in "long-term neurodevelopmental disorders"; and c) possible "death before the first birthday"; and d) an increased risk of "intensive and prolonged hospitalization" which means high medical bills (Kirby, 169).

The authors want readers to understand that what they are reporting goes against "conventional wisdom" when it comes to pediatric and obstetric practices. Why? Because previously those two above mentioned groups viewed children born late preterm and at term to be "medically similar" -- but Kirby and colleague are suggesting they are not similar vis-a-vis risks to their health. Kirby and colleague don't offer an intervention theory but they do say on page 171 that a more accurate gauge measuring gestational age should be developed. Moreover,...

The article in the journal Archives of Women's Mental Health researched a "community cohort of 1,844 low-risk women" who had delivered a singleton term baby.
The research involved a very intense assessment of: a) the quality of the delivery; b) "emotions during labor"; c) attitudes toward the pregnancy and the infant; d) "mood regulation"; and e) postpartum "anxiety and depression" (Weisman, 505). The results of this research, which involved conditions of low risk for the mother and baby, included the following: 20.5% of parturient (those about to give birth) women "reported high levels of depressive symptoms" (Weisman, 505).

For women at low risk -- among the 1,844 who were part of the study -- who had Cesarean Section Delivery, 23% reported that they had high levels of depressive symptoms; for women who had normal vaginal deliveries 19% had depressive symptoms; and for women who had assisted vaginal deliveries, the percentage having high levels of depressive symptoms (Weisman, 505).

When anxiety was measured, it was the highest in Cesarean Delivery and it was the lowest in normal vaginal delivery of the child, Weisman continues. Mothers who went through Cesarean Deliveries reported that their labor experience was the "most negative" and they had the highest somatic symptoms during their last trimester; moreover the Cesarean mothers were "the least efficient" when it came to dealing with their negative mood (Weisman, 505).

This research into postpartum experiences -- which, as mentioned, brings risk for the child and the ability of mother and child to bond in a normal way -- found that the higher the maternal age the greater the chances of: postpartum depression; labor pain; "inefficient mood regulation; somatic symptoms; and moreover, the older the woman the more negative "and less positive perception" of the fetus during…

Sources used in this document:
Works Cited

Hooker, L., Ward, B., and Verrinder, G. (2012). Domestic violence screening in maternal and child health nursing practice: A scoping review. Contemporary Nurse, 42(3), 198-215.

Kirby, R.S., and Wingate, M.S. (2010). Late Preterm Birth and Neonatal Outcome: Is 37 Weeks'

Gestation a Threshold Level or a Road Market on the Highway of Perinatal Risk? Birth, 37(2)

169-171.
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Infant Brain Development Complex Dynamic
Words: 1671 Length: 5 Document Type: Research Paper

The complex dynamic processes that underlie the development of the various functionalities of the infant brain and its maturation into an adult brain continue to be studied by researchers working to uncover the pattern of brain development. Earlier, there was a battle between the role of nature and nurture in brain development of a Child. Today, neurologists have concurred that both nature and nurture play a significant role during

Infant Mortality and Mothers
Words: 1097 Length: 3 Document Type: Research Paper

Perinatal Asphyxia and Its Impact on Infant Mortality Rates in Low-Income Countries One of the main factors used to determine how healthy people are in a location is infant mortality rate. This yardstick is also particularly efficient in giving an insight into how comfortable people are and how improvements in paediatrics have been effective. One of the medical conditions new babies face after birth, called "birth asphyxia", is caused by poor

Parenting Education for Teen Mothers if a
Words: 6240 Length: 20 Document Type: Capstone Project

Parenting Education for Teen Mothers If a community values its children, it must cherish their parents. (John Bowlby) Rationale of intervention population Group based intervention programs Multi-purpose programs Teen Mother Empowerment Program Series (TMEPS) Framework of TMEPS Program-Fig Fig 2-Phased TMEPS Phase 1 sessions Table 1- Session Administration Lesson Plans Evaluation of program outcomes Follow-up plan Continuation of TEMPS Appendix II-Program Evaluation Questionnaire This paper is aimed at presenting a parenting education and support program for teenage mothers. To identify the most basic needs of

Breastfeeding and IQ Infants Who Are Breastfeed
Words: 1669 Length: 6 Document Type: Term Paper

Breastfeeding and IQ Infants who are breastfeed tend to have higher IQ as they mature. This paper examines that phenomenon, which presents a complex set of cause-and-effect questions, including how long infants must be breastfed to receive any benefits associated with nursefeeding, whether there are important intercultural variations among children whose IQs are higher (for example, if there is a greater correlation in societies where most women breastfeed or, alternatively, where

SIDS Sudden Infant Death Syndrome:
Words: 915 Length: 2 Document Type: Term Paper

78), or that particulate air pollutants might be a contributing factor in SIDS (Glinianaia, Svetlana V., Rankin, Judith, Bell, Ruth, Pless-Mulloui, Tanja, and Howel, Denise, 2004, p. 1365). However, data that would link either of these things as the specific cause of SIDS is still being researched, and remains inconclusive at this time. Much more study is needed to understand SIDS. Sleep apnea has been the subject of recent research

Working Mothers "Women's Work": Motherhood
Words: 2110 Length: 6 Document Type: Term Paper

1986). In actuality, as long as there is enough love and support at home, a woman working outside the home could actually provide some very useful instruction to her children, not just on the redefinition of gender roles and the multiplicity of a woman's choices that has occurred in recent decades, but also on the responsibilities of life and the hard work it takes to achieve success. This conclusion is

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now