Seda Johnson
October 20, 2012
Rasmussen College Online
Author’s note: This essay is a summary of my beliefs of the three most hazards factors in the early stages of Infant Development. This essay is for Mrs. Hacker’s EC100/EEC1700 Section 07 Foundations of Child Development Course.
Factors and Hazards of Infant Development
There is nothing more precious in life, than hearing your baby heartbeat or feeling it kick for the first time. Mothers and fathers to be should be aware of various hazards that can play a major factor in the development of their infant. The three factors that I feel are the most hazardous are alcohol, smoking, and drugs of any kind. In this essay, I will try to explain to you why these factors are very important to be avoided before and during pregnancy. Alcohol consumption during pregnancy can have serious consequences for mother and the developing fetus (O’ Leary et al., 2010). If a mother is consuming alcohol during pregnancy she can have a miscarriage, stillbirth, low-birth weight, or a premature infant (ACP CS-EBK for Developmental Profiles, pg. 58). A developing fetus consumes whatever the mother puts into her mouth and body. Alcohol is a teratogen that has irreversible effects on infant development. There are several birth defects that a mother who drinks should be aware of; they are fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASDs) fetal alcohol syndrome, hyperactivity, heart defects, facial deformities, and speech impairment (Ismail et al., 2010). A mother who drinks mild alcohol during pregnancy could cause their infant to suffer from fetal alcohol effect. Infants with this effect suffer from learning and behavior disorders. It is very important that a mother to be does not consume alcohol. If you care about your baby well-being do not drink during pregnancy. Smoking is a bad habit that’s hard to kick once started. Smoking is
References: Ashford, K., Hahn, E., Hall, L., Rayens, M., Noland, M., & Ferguson, J. (2010).The Effects of prenatal secondhand smoke exposure on preterm birth and neonatal outcomes, Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, and Neonatal Nursing, 39(5), 525–535. Mattison, D. (2010). Environmental exposures and development, Current Opinion in Pediatrics, 22(2), 208–218. O’Leary, C., Nassar, N., Kurinczuk, J., de Klerk, N., Geelhoed, E., Elliott, E., & Bower, C (2010). Prenatal alcohol exposure and risk of birth defects, Pediatrics, 1 26(4), E843– E850.