Prenatal Health (exam) Flashcards
Three stages of prenatal development
Germinal
Embryonic
Foetal
Conception
Occurs when a sperm enters an ovum (egg) to form on complete cell.
Germinal stage of prenatal development
Timing
From conception until the end of the second week (implantation)
Two examples of physical development of the germinal development
- The egg goes under cell division.
2. The cells begins to differentiate which means that they begin to look different and perform different functions.
Embryonic stage of prenatal development
Timing
From implantation until the end of the eighth week
Two examples of physical development that occur in the embryonic stage
- The blastocyst forms three layers that will later become organs and tissues:
Layer 1. Neural tube, brain, backbone, spinal cord, skin, hair and nails
Layer 2. Heart, circulatory system, muscles and sex organs
Layer 3. Lungs, liver, bowel, bladder and intestines. - The placenta begins to form and this will be the organ that provides nutrients to the baby from the mother and also assists in the removal of wastes.
The foetal stage of prenatal development
Timing
Begging of week nine until birth
Physical development of the foetal stage of prenatal development
- the organ systems develop more and begin to function. Organs such as lungs and the heart don’t achieve maximum function until birth.
- the joints can bend and the webbed appearance of the feet begins to disappear.
Medical conditions that can occur in pregnancy
Gestational diabetes
Hypertension/pre-eclampsia
Gestational diabetes, definition
A form of diabetes that starts during pregnancy or is first diagnosed in pregnancy and results from the body’s impaired ability to metabolism blood glucose.
Can be diagnoses at 24 and 28 weeks
Once the baby is born, the mothers blood glucose levels return to normal.
Determinants of gestational diabetes and hypertension
Behavioural Diet Exercise Biological Body weight Age Social Education and awareness of conditions Access to health professionals Physical environment Access to recreational facilities Physical access to health care facilities
Define pre-eclampsia
A serious condition that occurs in the second half of pregnancy and is characterised by high blood pressure, proteins in urine and swelling
More common in the first pregnancy
Infection that can occur in pregnancy
German measles
Rubella
German measles
Effect on pregnant women
Complications: brain damage, low white blood cell count
Symptoms: sometimes no symptoms, cold like symptoms, red spotty and itchy rash on neck, swollen nodes on the back of the neck, mild temperature.
Define German Measles
An infection that involves a pink-red rash that first appears on the face and spreads elsewhere on the body
Effects of rubella on the unborn baby
- deafness
- eye defects
- smaller head
- cognitive abnormalities (80% chance if mother is diagnosed in first 12 weeks of pregnancy)
- restricted growth during pregnancy
Methods of preventing infection of German measles
Immunisation for women before they become pregnant
Education about the effects of rubella on the unborn baby and the importance of immunisations.
Having regular check ups before and during pregnancy to ensure the woman is immunised to rubella.
Define maternal morbidity
Refers to the ill-health experienced by women during their pregnancy or as a consequence of giving birth. Can be divided into four broad categories.
Serious morbidity
Medical conditions
Complications resulting from operative or non-operative interventions
Minor complications
APGAR
Appearance - colour
Pulse -beats per minute (heart rate)
Grimace -reflex irritability
Activity -and muscle tone
Respiration -breathing rate and effort
Assesses a new born baby, scored on a scale of 0-2 with 2 being the best score out of a total of 10. Score of 8 or above is considered normal, a score under 7 indicates the neonate may need assistance with breathing, under 4 indicates a neonate needs life saving medical intervention. Tested twice typically, at one minute then five minutes after birth
How can an APGAR score can be influenced
- amount of pain medication received during labour
- the neonate being born premature
Adaptions that the neonate makes to adapt to life outside the womb
- temperature: once out of the womb, the baby can no longer be kept warm in the amniotic fluid and once delivered, this temperature will drop but will return to normal within the next few hours due to the fat stores that the baby built up while developing in the womb.
- Respiration: when in the womb, the foetus got its oxygen requirements and carbon dioxide removed by the placenta. Once out of the womb and the umbilical cord is cute, the lungs that have spent the last few weeks of pregnancy preparing for the neonates first breath, expand and allow the foetus to make its first breath.
