Importance of Pre-Birth Nurturing

Reflection Essay
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This course has been very enlightening, especially regarding the finer details of social work. In particular, human biology has come to the fore as the most crucial aspect of the field. Understanding human biology is vital in handling people at all stages of life, from pre-birth right to old age. The biggest takeaway from the course has been the importance of nurturing a kid right from the start. Before starting the course, I thought a child could only be moulded after birth. The class, however, has really changed my belief in the same. Nurturing a child starts from the time they are still in the womb. The course has taught me that pre-birth nurturing is one of the most crucial for a child since it directly plays a role in the real nurturing after birth. People always take pregnancy more about the mother than the unborn child, yet the child needs to have a say too.
Pre-birth nurturing entails avoiding any instance that might cause an imbalance within the unborn baby's environment. These include alcohol, drugs, or cigarette smoking[PowerPoint Class 1, slide 16]. Drugs such as cocaine usually have a devastating impact on the development of the fetus, as they can easily pass through the placenta and, therefore, directly impact the fetus [PowerPoint Week 8, Addictions, slide 4]. The main issue with a drug such as cocaine is that it often causes addiction, and an addict mother-to-be is one of the worst scenarios. It always goes down the spiral when the mother has to keep taking some drugs to stay 'normal' or 'functional.'
Perhaps the most important thing to note is that even caffeine can significantly impact the child. While the abuse of the 'big' drugs such as cocaine, heroin and cannabis and their impacts are well documented, caffeine comes as a surprise. This is because it is the main ingredient in most beverages and is therefore not considered dangerous. Too much caffeine consumption and even industrial caffeine pellets can result in brain complications for the baby and the mother [PowerPoint Addictions, slide 2]. Long-term brain damage can also be evident in the case of the mother since drugs keep on 'frying' the brain (CPSI Youtube, 2015).
The fetus might end up with severe deformities and even heart complications. Most of these deformities are associated with incomplete development and include; a small head, flat midface, short nose, underdeveloped jaws, small eye openings and elongated nasal bridge [PowerPoint, Week 8, Addictions, slide 7]. A child might also have autism if the impact severely affects the brain. Cigarette smoking increases the chances of developing clots due to the increased sizes of the red blood cells. Stopping it helps the body's homeostasis to detoxify (AsapScience, 2017). This will be a breath of fresh air for the fetus as it depends directly on the mother.
How It Affects Future Practice
Unborn babies are usually so vulnerable to anything affecting the mother. Antenatal care is as crucial as any postnatal care. Knowing the importance of antenatal care is essential in helping pregnant women understand the same. Training pregnant women on antenatal care is essential, helping them bond with their babies and hence form a relationship, id...