Essay The Importance of Prenatal Care - 1658 Words

The Importance of Prenatal Care Prenatal care is widely accepted as an important element in improving pregnancy outcome. (Gorrie, McKinney, Murray, 1998). Prenatal care is defined as care of a pregnant woman during the time in the maternity cycle that begins with conception and ends with the onset of labor. A medical, surgical, gynecologic, obstretic, social and family history is taken (Mosbys Medical, Nursing, and Allied Health Dictionary, 1998). It is important for a pregnant woman as well as our society to know that everything that you do has an effect on your baby. Because so many women opt not to receive the benefits of prenatal care, our society sees the ramification, which include a variety of complications primarily†¦show more content†¦8oz. and were thus considered low birth weight births. Preterm births increased from 9.4% in 1984 to 11% in 1993(as cited in MCN, 1998). African Americans had low birth weights that more than doubled those of whites and very low birth weights were three times higher. Many of the low birth weight births resulted in death. According to the National Vital Statistics Report, the figures for the United States from 1998 are as follows: 82.8% of mothers received first trimester care 3.9% received late or no care 63.2% of teen mothers age 15-19 received first trimester care 8.8% of teen mothers received late or no care 12.6% was the median number of care visits Literature Review While some women who received no prenatal care had normal, uncomplicated births, others did not. Most of the women who did not receive adequate prenatal care gave birth to an underweight and underdeveloped infant. Among the benefits of early, comprehensive prenatal care are decreased risk of preterm deliveries and low birth weight (LBW)-both major predictors of infant morbidity and mortality. (Dixon, Cobb, Clarke, 2000). Preterm deliveries, deliveries prior to 37 weeks of gestation, have risen. Since the studies in 1987, which showed the rate of preterm deliveries as 6.9% of births, the 1997 rate shows an increase to 7.5%. Low birth weight, defined as an infant weighing less than 2500 grams (5lbs. 5oz) is often preceded by preterm delivery. LowShow MoreRelatedThe Importance Of Prenatal Care843 Words   |  4 PagesThe Importance of Prenatal Care Pregnancy can either be the most wonderful time in a woman’s life or the scariest and quite often it is both at the same time. One of the first things that most women do when they become pregnant or even before they become pregnant is focus on their prenatal care. This time in the womb is very important in a baby’s development and taking care of the body is something that is extremely beneficial to the wellbeing of a newborn. Prenatal care is probably one of the mostRead MoreThe Beginning Stages Of Life Start With Prenatal Development855 Words   |  4 Pagesstart with prenatal development. This is the most essential part of the human development process. Prenatal care for a woman starts from the egg is fertilized until the actually delivery of the new born. When it comes to prenatal development, there are many concerns in care. Some of the main areas of concern are the actually care that woman received while being in this stage. Most writing and viewpoints that are s hined on this topic are for the advancement and importance in prenatal care. The generalRead MorePrenatal Care For Young Women Essay1082 Words   |  5 PagesPrenatal Care for Young Women Most young mothers are worried about a number of new changes that will impact them socially, physically and emotionally. Prenatal care can be neglected due to an unexpected pregnancy, not being educated on what to do, or not having resources to get care. 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Prenatal care encompasses the health care services provided to a women, fromRead MoreChild And Maternal Mortality Rate For Mothers And Children1528 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction Women all around the world get to experience the wonderful gift of pregnancy and all that comes with it. Although, one would think that the process is similar throughout all women that is not the case. Prenatal, labor, postpartum, and newborn care differ greatly throughout the different cultures and regions of the world. Being a nurse you get to see and experience all these differences in cultures in practice. It is important to be considerate of each cultures needs during each stepRead MoreHow Prenatal Care Is Associated With Child s Health1249 Words   |  5 PagesAs I attempted to search for an article on how prenatal care is associated with child’s health I initially did a google search and typed â€Å"prenatal care†. I was overwhelmed with the number of articles and websites available to choose from. I thought it was necessary to be specific in what exactly I wanted to research and that’s when I typed in â€Å"prenatal care† and â€Å"health† into the search bar. Once I found a website that looked resourceful and appealing I made sure that it was published by an educationalRead MoreBirth Practices Of Prenatal Care920 Words   |  4 PagesCultural Paper: Prenatal to Neonatal in the Netherlands Sara Stewart Daytona State College â€Æ' Birth practices around the world vary greatly from one culture to another. I chose to take a look at the practices of the Netherlands to see how they differed and how they were the same in comparison to here in the United States. Most Dutch women seek prenatal care around week ten or eleven for first pregnancies and slightly later for subsequent pregnancies. The majority of prenatal care is provided byRead MoreCultural Diversity For A Haitian Client1343 Words   |  6 Pagespart of the health care system. In the challenging field of nursing, nurses need to be aware of cultural differences and should provide each client with cultural competent care. Each and every year, Haitians enter this country legally and illegally but regardless of how they enter the US, it is inevitable that they will need to be cared for at some time in their life. The astute nurse must understand the need for cultural sensitivity and what to assess for prior to providing care for a Haitian clientRead MoreInfant Mortality Rate ( Imr )872 Words   |  4 Pages E., Williams, H., 2015). Although, multiple analysis supports negative a relationship between IMR and health spending, many of the low health spending nations have much better ou tcomes when it comes to IMR than countries with high level of health care expenditures. Therefore, health spending not automatically guarantees better results when it comes to IMR. On the other hand, multiple research suggests that factors outside of the quality and efficiency of the healthcare system, like income inequalityRead MoreFactors and Hazards of Infant Development Essay627 Words   |  3 Pagesvery important I believe these three are most important. A factor I believe to be the most important is obtaining early prenatal care. Two hazards I find important to avoid are alcohol consumption and addictive drugs. In this paper I will explain the importance of these three factors and hazards. The most important factor in an infant’s development is obtaining early prenatal care. Women should make an appointment as soon as she suspects she is pregnant (Marotz amp; Allen, 2012). It is not good to