Question

You are caring for two women who are pregnant for the first time. One is 16-years-old and the other is 41-years-old. After reviewing your assigned textbook readings:

Describe the similarities in the care of these two women.

Describe the differences in the care of these two women.

Include rationales to support your response.

Answer 1

The antenatal period is marked by the time when a women conceives the fetus till the birth of the child. The duration may vary from 36-40 weeks in some women. Effective care during the antenatal period will help in healthy growth and development of a child. The care practices for the women who becomes pregnant at young age or in an old age is almost similar except some differences.

The similarities in the care of 16 year old and 41 year old pregnant women are:

• Antenatal visits : Antenatal visits during the three trimester of pregnancy is advice which may be done more frequently if the women have other complications associated with pregnancy.
• Nutrition: Diet of the antenatal mother is important as mother's diet will yield nutrition for the child's development. It should include fruits and vegatables and plenty of fluids.
• Exercise: Antenatal exercises are prescribed for safe and healthy delivery unless restricted by the gynaecologist due to complications.
• Vaccination : The pregnant women are vaccinated with tetanus toxoid during pregnancy.
• Smoke cessation and prohibition of alcohol: It may cause growth retardation in child. So smoking and intake of alcohol should be strictly prohibited during pregnancy.
• Sexual intercourse: It is permitted to have sexual intercourse during pregnancy unless the women have risk of premature rupture of membrane or placenta previa.
• Rest and sleep: Pregnant women should take adequate rest and sleep that will help body to nourish baby and will avoid fatigue and stress.
• Folic acid supplimentation: The pregnant women should be given folic acid tablet which is mainly to prevent child from developing neural tube defects.
• Education: The women should be educated about breast feeding and should be prepared for labour and post natal care, care of the newborn.

Apart from all these care practices the difference in the care of elderly pregnant women are:

• The antenatal visit is done more often than in young women as the risk of developing complications are high in elderly pregnancy
• The elderly pregnant women have more knowledge about the pregnancy, labour and child care.
• Stress is the main opponent for women in late pregnancy. Therefore these women should indulge in activities like meditation and reading to be relaxed from stress.
• The prenatal screening and ultrasound is done to check the development of the baby more frequently.
• Prenatal screening for birth defects is important as the women over the age more than 35 years have risk of developing birth defects and chromosomal abnormalities.
• Risk of developing gestational diabetes and high blood pressure is high in women aged more than 35 years. Therefore monitoring of blood sugar, blood pressure and proteinuria is important.
• Antenatal visit is more encouraged among the teenage pregnancy as these women have poor antenatal visit and the educational level is also low.
• Social support is more important among teenage pregnacy as they often face social depreviation.
• Encourage healthy habits as the teenagers have many unhealthy habits which may result in infections, poor nutrition.
• Explain the risk of teenage pregnacy like premature rupture of membranes, Small for gestational age, low birth weight, anaemia, pregnancy induced hypertension, postnatal depression, sexually transmitted disease.