Page 10 - LESSION 6.pmd

Growth and Development

¾ Age of the mother

Besides the mother’s health, her age also affects foetal development. Reproductive
Notes organs of mothers who are less than seventeen years of age are not fully mature

and the hormones required for reproduction are not at the optimum level. Among
young teenagers, pregnancy tends to inhibit the mother’s as well as the child’s
growth. Young mothers are at high risk of complications during pregnancy.
Likewise, after the age of 35, hormonal activity gradually decreases and may
lead to complications. Women over the age of 40 run a risk of having children
with chromosomal abnormality.

¾ ¾ ¾ ¾ ¾ Emotional state of mother
Children are not just affected by the mother’s physical state but also by the mother’s
emotional state. Emotions like rage, fear and anxiety bring the mother’s nervous
system into action and thereby, certain chemicals are released into the bloodstream
of the mother. These substances are transmitted to the foetus. Prolonged emotional
stress during pregnancy may have lasting consequences on the child. Infants born
to upset, unhappy mothers are more likely to be premature or have low birth
weights, be hyper active and irritable; and may manifest difficulties such as irregular
eating, excessive bowel movements, gas, sleep disturbances and excessive crying.

¾ ¾ ¾ ¾ ¾ Exposure to X-rays

During pregnancy, one needs to avoid unnecessary exposure to X-rays unless the
doctor advises it. Repeated exposures to radiation during early conception period
may have harmful effects on the physical and mental development of the foetus.

Drugs

Many drugs are suspected of producing birth defects if they are taken during
pregnancy. These include some antibiotics, hormones and steroids. Many a time
one finds pregnant women taking medicine without realising its impact on the
foetus. It can be harmful or even prove fatal to the unborn child.
¾ Drinking and Smoking

Drinkingbypregnantwomencanproducefoetalalcoholsyndrome.Thesymptoms of
this condition include retarded prenatal and postnatal growth, premature birth,
mental retardation, physical malformations, sleep disturbances and congenital
heart disease.

Smoking by a pregnant woman retards the growth of the foetus and lowers the
newborn’s birth weight and resistance to illness. It also increases the chances of
spontaneous abortion and premature birth, and may affect long-term physical
and cognitive development. This is a consequence of the reduced capacity of the

84 EARLY CHILDHOOD CARE AND EDUCATION