Discuss how a child's prenatal development is influenced by the mother's physical health, emotions, and her exposure to various teratogens

Question

What will be an ideal response

Answer 1

Environmental factors start influencing development before birth. Although the intrauterine (interior of the womb) environment is highly protected, environmental conditions can nevertheless affect the developing child. Some examples of these effects include the following. If a mother experienced excess stress during her pregnancy, the baby might be smaller or weaker at birth. If the mother's health or nutrition is poor or if she had German measles, syphilis, or HIV, had used drugs, or had been exposed to X-rays or radiation, her baby's growth sequence might be harmed. In such cases, babies can suffer from congenital problems, or "birth defects." These environmental problems affect the developing fetus and become apparent at birth. Although no direct intermixing of blood takes place between a mother and her unborn child, some substances, especially drugs do reach the fetus.
Anything capable of disturbing normal development in the womb is called a teratogen. Sometimes women are exposed to powerful teratogens, such as radiation, lead, pesticides, or polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), without knowing it. But pregnant women do have direct control over many teratogens. For example, a woman who takes cocaine runs a serious risk of injuring her fetus. In short, when a pregnant woman takes drugs, her unborn child does too. Unfortunately, in the United States, drugs are one of the greatest risk factors facing unborn children. In fact, repeated heavy drinking during pregnancy is the most common cause of birth defects in the United States. Affected infants have fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), characterized by low birth weight, a small head, bodily defects, and facial malformation. Many also suffer from emotional, behavioral, and mental disabilities. If a mother is addicted to morphine, heroin, or methadone, her baby may be born with an addiction. Tobacco is also harmful. Smoking during pregnancy greatly reduces oxygen to the fetus. Heavy smokers risk miscarrying or having premature, underweight babies who are more likely to die soon after birth. Children of smoking mothers score lower on tests of language and mental ability. The same is true of smoking marijuana