Birth And Infant Development Flashcards
What are the three stages of the birthing process?
- First Stage of labour- rupturing of the amniotic sac, releasing the amniotic fluid (“water breaking”), uterine contractions and cervix dilation {6-12 hours}
- Second Stage of labour/delivery- pushing the baby out, begins once the fetus’ head and body moves through the birthing canal and ends when the baby fully emerges {30-80 mins}
- Third Stage of labour- placenta, umbilical cord and other membranes are detached and expelled afterbirth {lasts only minutes}
Potential problems are birth
- anoxia: lack of sufficient oxygen to the brain that may result in neurological damage or death
- premature birth: weighing less than 5 1/2 pounds and earlier than the 38th week of gestation
- low birth weight: 1. Preterm- born 3 weeks before due date 2. Small for date- low fetus growth and underweight even when close to due date
What are the two patterns of growth?
- cephalocaudal pattern: development sequence where the earliest growth always occurs at the top and growth as well as feature differentiation gradually works from top to bottom
- proximodistal pattern: sequence where growth starts at the center of the body and moves toward the extremities
What are the four main areas of brain development?
- motor (physical)
- language and communication
- social and emotional
- cognitive
What happens in an infant’s brain as they develop?
- continued neuron myelination
- connectivity among neurons increases
What are the main factors that affect brain development in infants
- genetics
- prenatal environment
- nutrition
- health and sleep
Infants and Sleep
- typical newborn sleeps 16-18 hours per day
- by 4 weeks the average baby sleeps 14 hours
- infants vary in their preferred sleep time
- most common infant sleep related problem is night waking which is consistently linked to excessive parental involvement in sleep related interactions
Shared Sleep
- varies from culture to culture
BENEFITS
- promotes breast feeding and quicker response to crying
- allows mother to detect potentially dangerous breathing pauses
CONCERNS
- increases sleep related deaths (sudden infant death syndrome)
Sleep/Wake States
Regular sleep- closed eyes and regular respiration
Irregular sleep- closed eye, rapid eye movement (REM), limb movement and facial grimaces
Drowsiness- infant is falling asleep or waking up but general inactivity
Alert Inactivity- infant’s eyes have a bright quality and pursue moving objects (optimal for learning and interacting with others)
Waking Activity- infant engages in diffuse motor activity involving whole body, may become fussy
Distress- intense crying and motor activity
Infants and Motor Development
Motor development follows the cephalocaudal principle. Motor behaviour is displayed in rhythmic patterns.
- The dynamic systems view: infants assemble motor skills for perceiving and acting.
- Gross motor skills (large muscle activity): development of posture, learning to walk (occurs around 1st birthday). In their first year they have motor development milestones and variations. Toddlers become more skilled and mobile in year 2.
Not all infants follow the standard sequence of motor development.
- Fine Motor Skills: finely tuned motors (Palmer grasp and pincer grip)
Sensory and Perceptual Development
- visual/preference
- habituation-dishabituation
- method of evoked potentials
- high amplitude sucking
Sensory and Perceptual Development
- visual/preference
- habituation-dishabituation
- method of evoked potentials
- high amplitude sucking
Discuss the ecological perspective (sensory & perceptual development)
Connects perceptual capabilities to information available in the world of the perceiver.
Visual Perception
- visual acuity and human faces
- color vision
- perceptual constancy
- size constancy
- shape constancy
- depth perception
Other senses
- hearing: can hear and learn sounds during last two months of pregnancy, and can recognize mothers voice at birth
- touch and pain: newborns respond to touch and can feel pain
- smell: newborns can differentiate odors
- taste: sensitivity to taste may be present before birth
