Healthy Prenatal Development

To start, I apologize for my lateness with this blog assignment! I had no idea there was Assignment 4 as I looked all over it, and just found it as I was preparing to complete Assignment 3 for this week! So sincerest apologies for my tardiness! For this blog assignment I have chosen to focus on healthy prenatal development and my advocacy message is entailed below;

Prenatal visits scheduled by a medical doctor should be a 'must' on an expectant mother's to-do list. There are many important and pivotal moments during an unborn child's duration inside of an expectant mother. Research shows that the largest change that any human will ever face, happens during the time when we were still 'cooking in the oven'! Berger (2014) states that "The most dramatic and extensive transformation of the entire life span occurs before birth" (p. 94).  This statement alone leads me to believe that this transformation is definitely a time in life that should be guided as well as checked on consistently by a trained professional. Another important reason why I stand behind prenatal visits is that brain growth is heightened during prenatal stages of development. Brain development is essential to a newborns survival rate. When the brain of a fetus is not functioning properly, then other organs of the body lose hope of working in harmony. Berger (2014) states that "The reason brain growth is critical at this point is that the entire central nervous system becomes responsive during mid-pregnancy, beginning to regulate basic body functions such as breathing and sucking" (p. 97). Because of these findings, I feel that performing prenatal tests as well as getting regular ultrasound type checkups definitely benefits both the mother and the unborn child. The only way these types of tests are administered is through monthly prenatal check-ups. Not only are these checkups great for fetuses, but for the expectant mother as well. Sometimes mothers who are expecting experience high blood pressure or even gestational diabetes. How can these things be determined if a expectant mother fails to attend prenatal visits. Lack of these type visits can cause detrimental effects to the unborn fetus as well as the woman carrying.

The message that I am trying to convey about prenatal visits is that lack of them can cause great damage to an unborn fetus as well as the mother in many cases. Of course each case will not be as serious as life or death, but it's better to be safe than sorry when dealing with prenatal issues. Children can't speak for themselves, we as adults have to speak for them. Expectant mothers can take a silent stand and advocate for their unborn child by simply attending scheduled prenatal visits. The life of their unborn child is in their hands, so why not do the right thing and seek a obstetrician or another type of trained professional. Berger (2014) states that medical entities aim to "protect every developing fetus and every newborn" (p. 93). Mother's should most definitely fight for the health of their unborn child, as the child cannot do it on their own.

I have given birth to two boys. Both were blessed with good health because I listened to medical professionals during both pregnancies. I was considered high risk as I had high blood pressure with each pregnancy. This is disease that could have affected my children had I not sought medical attention. The blood pressure pill that I was taking before pregnancy was a danger to an unborn fetus. If I never attended prenatal visits, this is something that I would not have known and I could have seriously caused harm to my children when they were in the womb. My own experience taught me of the high importance that prenatal visits truly have! 

Classmates/Colleagues, if any of you have shared positive experiences because of prenatal care such as I have, please chime in and share your experience! 

Berger, K.S. (2014). The Developing Person Through Childhood, 6th edition. Worth Publishers. New York, NY