chapter 4: BIRTH AND PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT DURING THE FIRST THREE YEARS

the act or process of giving birth, and it typically begins about 2 weeks before delivery

term for the process of giving birth

is hard work for both mother and baby

A woman may have felt false contractions

Stage 1: Dilation of the Cervix
Stage 2: Descent and Emergence of the Baby
Stage 3: Expulsion of the Placenta

Delivery of a baby by surgical removal from the uterus.

The usual method of childbirth, previously described

mother receives training in fitness breathing and relaxation

These methods minimize or eliminate the use of drugs that may pose risks for babies and enable both parents to participate fully in a natural, empowering experience

experienced helper provides emotional support to mother

A woman may be given local (vaginal) anesthesia, also called a

usually during the second stage of labor. Or she can receive an

which reduces the perception of pain by depressing the activity of the central nervous system

However, ——— may slow labor, cause maternal complications, and make the baby less alert after birth

can be injected into a space in the spinal cord between the vertebrae in the lumbar (lower) region. This blocks the nerve pathways that would otherwise carry the sensation of pain to the brain

20 inches long and 7.5 pounds

the first 4 weeks of life, is a time of transition from the uterus, where a fetus is supported entirely by the mother, to an independent existence.

or newborn, in the United States is about 20 inches long and weighs about 7½ pounds. Boys tend to be slightly longer and heavier than girls, and a firstborn child is likely to weigh less at birth than laterborns.

where the bones of the skull do not meet. Fontanels are covered by a tough membrane that allows for flexibility in shape, which eases the passage of the neonate through the vaginal canal. In the first 18 months of life, the plates of the skull gradually fuse together.

soft plates of head

a fuzzy prenatal hair, has not yet fallen of

an oily protection against infection that dries within the first few days.

a secretion that sometimes leaks from the swollen breasts of newborn boys and girls around the 3rd day of life, was believed during the Middle Ages to have special healing powers

If a neonate does not begin breathing within about 5 minutes, the baby may suffer permanent brain injury caused by ——— , lack of oxygen

a reduced oxygen supply

can leave permanent brain damage, causing mental retardation, behavior problems, or even death

a stringy, greenish-black waste matter formed in the fetal intestinal tract

their skin and eyeballs look yellow. This kind of jaundice is caused by the immaturity of the liver. Usually it is not serious, does not need treatment, and has no long-term effects. However, severe jaundice that is not monitored and treated promptly may result in brain damage.

One minute after delivery, and then again 5 minutes after birth, most babies are assessed using

a- appearance (color)
p- pulse (heart rate)
g- grimace (reflex irritability)
a- activity (muscle tone)

r- respiration (breathing)

good to excellent condition

needs help to establish breathing

needs immediate medical attention or treatment, no long term damage

are increasingly associated with cerebral palsy (muscular impairment due to brain damage prenatally or during birth) or other neurological problems

is a neurological and behavioral test to measure a neonate’s responses to the environment.

It is used to help parents, health care providers, and researchers assess neonates’ responsiveness to their physical and social environment, to identify strengths and possible vulnerabilities in neurological functioning, and to predict future development.

-motor organization

-reflexes

-attention and interactive capacities

-central nervous system instability

abnormal or difficult labor

An infant’s physiological and behavioral status at a given moment in the periodic daily cycle of wakefulness, sleep, and activity

are those neonates born weighing less than 2,500 grams (5 pounds) at birth.

babies born before the 37th week of gestation are known as

are born at or around their due dates, but are smaller than would be expected.

less than 3 ½ lbs

controlled environment, like an incubator

42 weeks or more
-dystocia

babies tend to be long and thin because they have kept growing in the womb but have had an insufficient blood supply toward the end of gestation

the sudden death of a fetus at or after the 20th week of gestation, is a tragic union of opposites—birth and death. Sometimes fetal death is diagnosed prenatally; in other cases, the baby’s death is discovered during labor or delivery.

sudden death of infant under 1 year of a age

First, there is an infant that is vulnerable in some way.

Second, there is a critical period during which an infant is at risk.

Third, there is an exogenous stressor

no casual connections between vaccines and autism or other disorders

growth occurs from the top down

growth and motor development proceed from the center of the body outward

reactions to changes in posture or balance

-resemble laterappearing voluntary movements
-walking and swimming reflexes

the brain and spinal cord

first sense to develop

The senses of smell and taste begin to develop in the womb. Flavors from food the mother has consumed are found in amniotic fluid.

-Infants as young as 2 days old are able to recognize a word they heard up to a day earlier

-At 1 month, babies can distinguish sounds as close as ba and pa

-By 4 months, infants’ brains are showing lateralization for language, as occurs in adults

-is the least developed sense at birth, perhaps because there is so little to see in the womb.

-The eyes of newborns are smaller than those of adults, the retinal structures are incomplete, and the optic nerve is underdeveloped.

Screening test given to children 1 month to 6 years old to determine whether they are developing normally

(those using large muscles) such as rolling over and catching a ball

(using small muscles), such as grasping a rattle and copying a circle.

do infants perceive depth?

—a steep drop down to the floor. Walk and Gibson wanted to know if babies would willingly crawl over the deep end of the visual cliff when urged to do so by their mothers.

which holds that motor development is a dynamic process of active coordination of multiple systems within the infant in relation to the environment

helps us understand that development is complex, and it's influenced by many different things working together.

extends leg, arms, fingers, arches back, draws back head

makes strong fist; can be raised to standing position if both fists are closed around a stick.

Turns head to one side, assumes fencer position, extends arm and leg on preferred side, flexes opposite limbs.

Toes fan out; foot twists in

Head turns; mouth opens; sucking movements begin.

Mouth opens, eyes close, neck flexes, head tilts forward.