Developmental Psychology

3.8 Low Birth Weight (LBW) The World Health Organization or WHO for short, defines low birth weight as an infant weighing less than 5 and a half pounds at birth. Some of the causes of LBW is premature birth, drug use during pregnancy. Also, children who have low birth weight are also susceptible to developing infections easier than most, as well as developing anoxia. 3.9 Childbirth and Bonding All pregnancies and childbirth are going to be different. There is a variety of ways that a mother can go through labor and through delivery. The most common method of birth is having a natural childbirth. Some parents, yes including fathers, go through breathing techniques for going through childbirth, as well as how to prepare mentally and physically for childbirth. During the last few weeks of pregnancy, things are moving along hopefully quiet smoothly. The fetus is getting ready to be born and will turn his or her head towards the cervix. When the first stage of labor starts, the cervix will begin growing and can dilate to 10 centimeters. When the cervix has dilated fully, the baby’s head will move through the vagina with his or head turned upwards. During the second stage of labor is when the baby finally emerges. The term fetus changes to neonate after a baby is born. When the baby is born, there are several tests that a doctor and the staff will perform to determine the health of the baby. Below are a couple of examples: • APGAR: This is a number scale test. The scale is from 1 to 10 and tests several things. Some of the things tested is the heart rate, skin color, muscle tone, reflexes and respiratory effort. • Brazelton Neonatal Assessment Scale (BNAS): This scale is used to determine the baby’s behavior such as whether he or she is rooting, suckling, crying, etc. This scale is also used to determine neurological functions.

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