Categories: blogs

Maternal Factors in Prenatal Development

Prenatal development is an important period related to development compared to other periods. In prenatal development, an organism is totally dependent on the mother. The organism gets nutrients through the mother’s placenta. Many factors affect prenatal development. These factors are- teratogens, and maternal factors.

Many Factors Affecting the Prenatal Development

Teratogens

Teratogens are chemical, physical, and environmental agents that cause damage during the prenatal period. Both teratogens and maternal factors play an important role in prenatal development.  Teratogens are very harmful compared to maternal factors. Teratogen is a Greek word teras, meaning malformation (Monstrosity). In teratogens, many factors are involved. They are:-

    • Illegal Drugs Heroin and cocaine drug lead to physical defects, death of an infant at the time of birth, prematurity, low birth weight, and breathing difficulties. And, marijuana drug leads to small head size, academic achievement difficulties, attention and memory problems. The prenatal mother uses illegal drugs to alter mood, thinking, and behavior such as cocaine, Marijuana, and heroin.

      Types of Illegal Drugs

    • Tobacco   By mother smoking leads to low birth weight, miscarriage, prematurity, cleft lip and plate, blood vessel abnormality, impaired heart rate, infant death, asthma, cancer in childhood.

      Bad Effect of Smoking

    • Alcohol  Alcohol has a bad effect on the mother’s health and infant. Alcohol leads to FASD (Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder). During pregnancy, the mother consumes more alcohol result the child’s motor coordination being very poor.
    • Radiation  It is very harmful in the prenatal development period and it can damage healthy cells, miscarriage, slow physical growth, and physical deformities ( dysfunctioning ).
      Different Side Effect of Radiation

       

    • Environmental Pollution   It is responsible for abnormal fetal development. Environmental pollution leads to mental retardation, abnormal speech, low birth weight, and discolored skin.
      Bad effect of Environmental Pollution

       

    • Infectious Diseases   Infectious diseases can be caused by many pathogens including bacteria, viral, and parasitic.
      Different types of infectious Diseases

       

    • Prescription and nonprescription medication    In 1960, thalidomide drugs were widely used in Canada, Europe, and South America. Thalidomide drug is taken by the mother after conception (4 to 6 weeks after conception). Thalidomide damages the embryo’s arms, legs, ears, heart, and kidney genitals.
      Side effect of Thalidomide Drug

      Diethylstilbestrol medication was used to prevent miscarriages. Mother’s daughter reached adolescence, in daughter’s high rates of cancer of the vagina and infertility. In young men showed an increased risk of genital abnormalities and cancer of the testes

      Vitamin-A used by the mother. Vitamin A affects the embryo’s eyes, ears, skull, brain, and immune system.   

      Side Effect of Prescription Drugs

      Nonprescription depends on the mother’s choice. The pregnant mother used coffee and tea cola. They lead to a high risk of low birth weight.

      Maternal Factors

      The maternal factors also influence prenatal development. If women can regularly exercise ( Morning walk, Evening walk) then increase their birth weight. Examples of maternal factors. They are nutrition, emotional stress, blood type, maternal age, and previous births.

      Different types of Maternal Factors
      • Nutrition  In the maternal factors, during the prenatal period, the organism is totally dependent on the mother for nutrients. The placenta permits food and oxygen to reach the organism. Mother’s healthy diet results in a healthy weight for the infant. In the prenatal period, malnutrition leads to a damaged nervous system.                                                                                  Effect of a healthy and unhealthy diet on infant
        Effect of healthy and unhealthy diet

         

      • Emotional Stress   It is a part of maternal factors. During pregnancy, if women experience severe emotional stress then infants will suffer from many developmental difficulties.
        Emotional Stress

         

      • Maternal Age  It is a subpart of maternal factors. maternal age plays the most important role in maternal factors related to development. The mother’s age also affects prenatal development. If the maternal age is between 30 to 40 years then the a high risk of infertility, miscarriage, and a baby born with chromosomal abnormalities.
        Maternal Factors

         

      • Rh factor incompatibility   It is included in maternal factors. Rh( Rhesus) factor is found in the red blood cells. Blood has protein that leads to Rh-positive and without protein leads to Rh-negative.
        RH Factor Incompatibility

        If a baby born Rh-positive leads to form antibodies to the foreign Rh protein and heart damage, mental retardation, infant death, and miscarriage.

Key Features of Maternal Factors in Prenatal Development

  • Maternal factors are the physical and psychological conditions of the mother. These conditions affect the Little organism.
  • In maternal factors, maternal’s age affects the organism.
  • Emotional stress is a part of maternal factors in prenatal development.

 

See Also

Methods of Improving Memory

 

karamveer

My Name is Karamveer Kashyap. I have done Master in Psychology, B.Ed., Master in Education and MCA( Master in Computer Science) from Kurukshetra University Kurukshetra. I have done also PGDGC ( Post Graduate Diploma in Guidance and Counselling)

View Comments

Recent Posts

Tips to reduce exam stress

Stress leads to an imbalance between demands and resources. Today, the stress level is increasing…

1 year ago

3 Types of Conflict

If two or more conditions are present, then the fulfillment of all the conditions is…

2 years ago

7 Types of Socialization Processes

Society is an integral part of our life. As we grow up, we develop ourselves…

2 years ago

factors affecting growth and development

Most people consider growth and development to be the same. But there are different definitions…

2 years ago

5 Different Schools of Psychology

Psychology becomes its own subject matter after separating from philosophy. As the ideologies of psychologists…

2 years ago

Need and Importance of Educational Psychology

Educational Psychology is the branch of applied psychology. Among all branches of psychology, It plays…

2 years ago

This website uses cookies.