Prenatal Environment

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Prenatal Environment

• Reciprocal influence
• Person and environment
• Good and bad influences important
• Teratogen environmental agent
• Harms the developing fetus
• Critical Period Organogenesis
• Dosage duration
• Genetic make-up susceptibility

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Teratogens-Drugs

• Thalidomide (for morning sickness)
• All or parts of limbs missing
• Tobacco miscarriage, low birth weight, SIDS,
  slows fetal growth
• Alcohol FAS
• Small, facial deformities, retardation
• Cocaine Processing difficulties

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Figure 4.6
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Teratogens - Diseases

• Rubella (German Measles)
• Blind, deaf, heart, brain
• Syphilismiscarriage, blind, deaf, heart, brain
• After 18th week
• AIDS mothers transmit to babies (15-35)
• Prenatally, perinatally, postnatally

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Teratogens Environmental Hazards

• Radiation MR, leukemia, cancer, mutations,
  spontaneous abortions, etc.
• Avoid X-rays when pregnant
• Pollutants
• In air and water
• Lead - MR (also postnatally)

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The Mothers State

• Age typically age16 35
• 15 or younger dont seek prenatal care
• Birth complications, low birth weight
• Over 35 miscarriage, Down Syndrome (fathers age
  also)
• Emotion stress can stunt fetal growth
• Positive outlook most helpful
• Nutrition 25-35 lb weight gain
• Malnutrition smaller neurons, brain, child

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Postnatal Depression

• Baby Blues, mild, common
• Clinical depression 1/10
• Previous depression common
• Children of depressed mothers
• Insecurely attached, less responsive
• Negative to other children

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The Neonatal Environment

• Culture, early socialization, health status
• E.g., low birth-weight babies (8 in US)
• Less than 5 1/2 lbs
• Strongly linked to low SES
• Environment neonatal intensive care
• Risk blindness, deafness, CP, autism, cognitive,
  and later academic problems
• Parenting must be attentive, responsive

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Risk and Resilience

• Not all high-risk infants have problems
• Werner Kauai Longitudinal study (40 yrs)
• Findings
• Effects decrease over time
• Outcomes depend on postnatal environment
• Protective factors
• Personal factors
• Supportive postnatal environment