Question

List and describe in detail the maternal factors that can affect prenatal development.

Answer 1

The maternal factors that can affect prenatal development are as under:

• Age of the mother- The mothers whohave their first child after 35 or before 15 are likely to experience more problems during pregnancy and childbirth leading to complications in prenatal development. This is related to the fact that girls who get married off at an earlier age do not eat properly nor do they recieve proper care and older women are associated with disorders like hypertension etc.
• Diet of the mother- The diet of the mother directly impacts the prenatal development. Mothers who take improper diets are related to increased incidents of stillbirth, prematured babies, physical and neural defects. Inorder to prevent these defects, it is important that the mother takes in proper food along with dietary supplements.
• Emotional status of the mother- The emotional disturbances of the mother results in complications in pregnancy and children born eventually develop irritability and hyperactivity.
• Smoking and alcoholism- Mothers who smoke cigarettes and take in alcohols are likely to bear premature babies or babies with low weight. It also leads to fetal alcohol syndrome whereby the baby is born with mental retardation, short stature.
• Maternal diseases- Mothers having diseases such as diabetes, rh factor incompatibility, etc can also affect prenatal development.