Running Head: PRENATAL AND POSTNATAL LIT REVIEW 1PRENATAL AND
POSTNATAL LIT REVIEW Cain2
The Importance of Prenatal and Postnatal Care for Mothers Lit
ReviewDominique C. Cain1A RuthAuthors NoteDominique C. Cain, ALA
student, Chapin High schoolDominique C. Cain is in the ALA program
at Chapin High schoolCorrespondences concerning this article should
address Dominique C. Cain, Chapin High school, Dr. Ruths 1A class.
The Importance of Prenatal and Postnatal Care for Mothers Lit
Review
Prenatal care, care for a pregnant woman during the time in the
maternity cycle that begins with conception and ends with the onset
of labor, is widely accepted as the optimal upkeep for women
bearing an unborn baby. Without this type of care, many women in
the world could fall victim to dangerous health risks that plague
undeveloped as well as developed countries today, such as birth
defects, pre-eclampsia, stillbirth, and many more complications
(March of Dimes, 2010). Much like prenatal care, postnatal care is
just as important, which is care for a woman after the maternity
cycle has ended and the baby is out of the womb. The aim of
postnatal care is to not only ensure the immediate health of both
mother and baby post birth, it is also aimed at ensuring that
parents are confident enough with going home and caring for a
newborn and it is the midwifes as well as the doctors role to
facilitate in providing education to make this happen without this
optimal care infant mortality rates could sky rocket (LabSpace,
2011). The postnatal period that women have in hospital is really a
rather short amount of time to establish the essentials for looking
after a newborn, such as initiating breastfeeding and learning to
read their babys different moods and needs and adjusting to caring
for this helpless individual while simultaneously helping the
mother recover from labor, according to a survey done by the Mayo
Clinic (Mayo Clinic, 2012). For some women, giving birth may be the
most joyous time of their lives, but for others it could be a
traumatic and terrifying experience, many are exhausted and these
are the women that need the right support, advice and guidance.
Without the proper guidance many women could fall victim to the
ongoing challenge we have in American today - there isn't enough
proper education about prenatal and postnatal care and to reduce
newborn and maternal mortality, essential postnatal care should be
promoted and supported in policies and integrated into more
existing health programs.
According to the CIA the more developed a country is the less
the infant mortality rates are and vise versa - however since 2009
and on the United States has been ranked between 165 and 175 for
infant morality rates out of 224 countries (CIA, 2013). Even the
Bermuda's - which I mind you is a less developed country - infant
morality rates are much lower than the United States, Bermuda sits
at 2.27 deaths per 1000 births, whereas the U.S sits at 6.90 deaths
per 1000 births (CIA, 2013) - though this number may seem small
now, it could grow higher as less and less mothers are informed as
well as educated about pre and post natal care for their baby.
Another problem that affects infant morality rates is the fact
that doctors aren't promoting educational programs that educate
mothers about the timeline of a baby's development (Discovery
Health, 2012) - many mothers try to rush their baby's through the
early stages of his or her development that is most essential to
learning and sustaining wellness throughout their life (Sines,
2012). For example, mothers should be greatly educated about one of
the baby's most important stage - which is the phase in which the
baby has started to show signs of voluntary age, however this
doesn't happen until about 2 to 4 months post-pregnancy (Discovery
Health, 2012). This could be for one of two reasons - number one
price cost and age gap or number "the reality check". The price
cost and age gap theory comes from the idea that the "more older,
and mature a women was, the more pre and post natal care she got"
(Martin, 2011). Economically this theory sounds great - usually the
older someone is the better job they have, because they've spent
years educating themselves as well as planning for a family.
However, logically speaking, this theory just doesn't hold out -
the older doesn't always means the wiser and richer. A wise man
once said "Each generation imagines itself to be more intelligent
than the one that went before it, and wiser than the one that comes
after it" (Orwell) - and mind George Orwell was in his twenties
when is came up with that quote, which isn't such as wise age to
many. Nevertheless, the second theory is based upon that the idea
that mothers dream what there baby should be doing, rather than
actually understanding why their baby is doing the exact opposite
(Mayo Clinic, 2012). For example, Jocelyn has a baby, she thinks
that little Johnny will sleep through the night after just a week
or so, and gurgles happily while she runs errands and only fusses
when he's hungry. What Jocelyn doesn't know is that her dream, is
just that a dream - the reality of having a baby is much tiresome
and thicker in stress than the dreams mother's try to wrap
themselves in. The actual reality of having a baby is that their
favorite playtime is after 2 a.m., in which they want to feed, and
stay up. Crankiness peaks when the mother is out and about, as well
as when she least expects it - and the crying... it never stops
(Mayo Clinic, 2012). In this scenario, or any of this kind, it
would be a proper time for the mother to contact her OBGYN or the
baby's pediatric doctor so that she can get educated in postnatal
care. For example, many mothers think that when a baby is crying he
or she either wants to eat, sleep, or their wet - however, those
aren't the only signs. Baby's not only cry when they are sleep,
hungry, or wet, but also when they're lonely(attention, or cuddling
the baby helps), had enough(too much noise, movement or visual
stimulation might drive your baby to tears - moving to a calmer
environment or white noise, such as ocean waves, or soft music,
helps the baby relax), or wants to simply move(changing position or
simply rocking the baby calms them down - keeping precautions in
mind, one wouldn't want to throw a newborn in the air as one would
play with a baby who is of a year) (Mayo Clinic, 2012).
Today, mothers and their newborn babies are at highest risk of
dying during the early neonatal period, especially in the first 24
hours following birth and over the first week of after delivery
(March of Dimes, 2010). 45 to 50% of the mothers and newborns who
die, do so in the first 24 hours after birth, and 65 to 75% of the
maternal and neonatal deaths occur within one week of birth (Lab
Space, 2011). This is compelling evidence to provide optimum and
integrated maternal and newborn care during the first few days
after delivery. For some life-threatening maternal and newborn
conditions, effective postnatal care is either given in the first
few hours and days, or it will happen too late. The earlier these
clinical conditions are detected, the more effectively they can be
managed; the quicker they are referred for specialized treatment,
the better the outcomes will be - unfortunately, most of these
interventions are highly time-dependent in order to be effective
(Sines, 2012). So this is why doctors, midwifes, and the others
responsible for the mother's and baby's wellness must educate not
only mothers, but the public about pre and post natal care.
Overall, neonatal (pre and post) care is likewise necessary to
ensure that no complications will, or have developed in the woman
before and after childbirth. This may include a more costly
regiment for this type of holistic care that not only treats
physical wellness such as health, contraception, diet, etc. but
emotional wellness such as postnatal depression, family planning,
and so on. However, the need for such an operation is great - and
to sit and watch as a choice that could change the world by veering
it off the wrong side of the rode isn't being stop, hurts more than
one could ever know.BIBLIOGRAPHY CIA Site Redirect Central
Intelligence Agency.The World Factbook: INFANT MORTALITY
RATE.Retrieved 5, 2013, from
http://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2091.htmlDiscovery
Health .Child Development Timeline.Retrieved September 1, 2013,
from
http://health.howstuffworks.com/pregnancy-and-parenting/baby-health/newborn-development/child-development-timeline.htmDiscovery
Health .INFANT DEVELOPMENT AND TOXINS. Retrieved September 3, 2013,
from
http://health.howstuffworks.com/pregnancy-and-parenting/baby-health/newborn-development/infant-development-and-toxins.html
(2011, ). LabSpace - The Open University.1.1Why is effective
postnatal care so important? - Postnatal Care HEAT Module -
LabSpace - The Open University.Retrieved September 2, 2013, from
http://labspace.open.ac.uk/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=452790§ion=1.3(2011,
). LabSpace - The Open University.1.2When do most mothers and
newborns die in the postnatal period? - Postnatal Care HEAT Module
- LabSpace - The Open University. Retrieved 2, 2013, from
http://labspace.open.ac.uk/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=452790§ion=1.4(2010,
). Home | March of Dimes.Neonatal death .Retrieved 5, 2013, from
http://www.marchofdimes.com/loss/neonatal-death.aspxMartin, J.,
Hamilton, B., & Sutton, P. (2011, ). Maternal and Child
Health.Prenatal Care Child Health USA 2011.Retrieved September 5,
2013, from http://mchb.hrsa.gov/chusa11/hsfu/pages/312pc.html(2012,
16). Mayo Clinic.Crying baby: What to do when your newborn cries -
MayoClinic.com.Retrieved September 5, 2013, from
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/healthy-baby/PR00037(2011, 27).
Mayo Clinic.Pacifiers: Are they good for your baby? -
MayoClinic.com.Retrieved September 5, 2013, from
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/pacifiers/PR00067Sines, E., Syed,
U., Wall, S., & Worley, H. (2012, January). Postnatal Care: A
Critical Opportunity to Save Mothers and Newborns.Save the
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