LMOIS-CIS GRADE 8 2022-23

Care during fetal development

When humans reproduce, the mother carries the

developing baby in an organ called the uterus for about
nine months. During this time, the mother is said to be
pregnant and the nine-month period is known as
pregnancy.
A developing baby is called a foetus. and it receives an
its nutrients and oxygen from the mother through a
structure called the placenta, which is attached to both
the mother and the baby. Expectant mothers must be
careful about what they take into their body, as these
substances can be passed on to the foetus.

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 Diet
During pregnancy, the mother should eat a balanced
diet in order to receive all the nutrients she needs for
her own health and the health and growth of the fetus.
In places where poverty prevents people from having a
balanced diet. the mother's health may suffer and, as a
result, the growth of the fetus slows down.
When the baby is born, it is smaller than normal and
less able to resist the attack of diseases.
In places where there is a greater variety of food in the
mother's diet, soft cheeses such as camembert should
not be eaten, as they can contain microorganisms that
cause listeria which can be fatal to a developing fetus.
Also, caffeine - a substance found in coffee, chocolate
and tea - must be consumed in smaller amounts than
usual as it can slow down the growth and development
of the foetus.

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Pregnant women and their babies

Pregnant women are much more susceptible to listeria infections than are other
healthy adults. Although a listeria infection might cause only a mild illness in
pregnant women, consequences for their babies can include:

 Miscarriage

 Stillbirth

 Premature birth

 A potentially fatal infection after birth

Causes

Listeria bacteria can be found in soil, water and animal faeces. People can get
infected by eating the following:

 Raw vegetables that have been contaminated from the soil or from
contaminated manure used as fertilizer

 Contaminated meat

 Unpasteurized milk or foods made with unpasteurized milk

 Certain processed foods — such as soft cheeses, hot dogs and deli meats that
have been contaminated after processing

Unborn babies can contract a listeria infection from the mother.

Risk factors

Pregnant women and people who have weak immune systems are at highest risk of
contracting a listeria infection.

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 Smoking
When a person smokes, they inhale nicotine and other
poisons from the burning tobacco which pass into the
bloodstream. If a mother smokes during pregnancy.
these substances travel in the blood and are passed on
to the developing foetus.
Substances from tobacco lower the amount of oxygen
that blood can carry. This means that the foetus has a
reduced supply of oxygen needed for survival and
healthy growth. The foetus responds by increasing the
rate at which its heart normally beats to try and get
more oxygen to its cells.
Smoking in pregnancy also increases the risk of the
baby being born immaturely (before the end of the
usual nine-month period) and having a smaller birth
weight. It may also cause damage to the lungs and the
nervous system and can even result in a stillbirth,
which is where the foetus dies below, it is born.

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 Drugs
Alcohol is classed as a drug because it affects the
nervous system and slows down many actions of the
body.
Non-medicinal (or 'recreational') drugs are drugs which
are not used to treat disease or help restore a body to
health. These non-medicinal drugs include cannabis,
cocaine, heroin and ecstasy.
People become addicted to alcohol and non-medicinal
drugs for a variety of reasons, and they need special
care at health centres and rehabilitation centres to
break their addictive habit and become healthy again.
The effects of alcohol and drug use during pregnancy.

Drug Effect on foetus

Alcohol  Drinking even small amounts can cause nerve damage.

 Drinking large amounts can cause the head to be
smaller and cause abnormal development of the eyes.
nose and lips.
 Fetal alcohol syndrome causes the effects listed
above. as well as further issues after the baby is born.
including poor coordination and memory, inability to
concentrate well and being more active than normal
(hyperactivity).

Non  These slow down fetal growth.

medicinal  They make a fetus less able to fight disease.
drugs

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  The baby can be born dependent on the drug that the
mother was taking.

When A Pregnant Female Drinks alcohol:

 Alcohol enters the bloodstream and reaches the developing foetus by

crossing the placenta

 Alcohol causes higher blood alcohol concentrations in the developing

baby than the mother’s body because a foetus metabolizes alcohol
slower than an adult does

 Alcohol interferes with the delivery of oxygen and optimal nutrition to the
developing baby

 Exposure to alcohol before birth can harm the development of tissues

and organs and cause permanent brain damage in your baby

Effects of diseases on the foetus

Diseases that affect adults and children can also affect
a developing foetus.
If a mother has malaria, for example, it can potentially
cause the foetus to die, or may slow down its
development so that a smaller baby than normal is
born.
Tuberculosis during pregnancy may also cause the
death of a foetus.
Some diseases can damage the fetus, which results in
the baby being born with a disability of some kind.

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 For example, rubella (which is also known as German
measles, because German doctors first identified it 250
years ago), is a disease which is transmitted by droplets
which are coughed or sneezed into the air. It can
damage the nervous system of the fetus and result in
deafness and blindness. The heart can also be
damaged.
If a mother has a sexually transmitted disease (STD)
such as chlamydia, gonorrhoea or syphilis during
pregnancy, it can cause blindness, deafness, a swollen
liver and skin sores in her baby. A mother with AIDS
may pass on the virus during pregnancy or at birth and
this will damage the immune system of the baby.
Symptoms
The severity of fetal alcohol syndrome symptoms
varies, with some children experiencing them to a far
greater degree than others.
Signs and symptoms of fetal alcohol syndrome may
include any mix of physical defects, intellectual or
cognitive disabilities, and problems functioning and
coping with daily life.

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 Neonatal care
The term neonatal refers to the period of time from
birth until twenty-eight days later.
If a baby is ill or is born with some of the conditions
mentioned in this chapter, it will need extra care to
survive during this time, which can be provided by
placing the baby in an incubator.
A major problem for a baby that is born early can be
controlling and maintaining its body temperature at a
healthy level.
If the baby cannot do this, as its temperature drops,
hypothermia can set in and the baby may die.

In the nineteenth century, babies in danger of

developing hypothermia were placed in baskets with
blankets and hot water bottles. Despite this care,
many babies continued to die.
In the 1870s, the French doctor Stephane Tarnier
began to search for a way to solve the problem.
When Tarnier visited the Paris Zoo, he saw a chicken
incubator being used to hatch eggs and protect the
young chicks. This encouraged him to invent a similar
piece of equipment for human babies. His first
invention had enough room for several babies to be
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warmed together, just like chicks in their Incubator. He
later modified his Invention so that it only held one
baby in order to provide greater Individual care.
In 1889, another French doctor, Alexandre Lion,
modified the basic design of the incubator by –
adding a thermostat to control the temperature and a
fan to keep a flow of air moving over the baby to
provide it with oxygen.
Later, during the twentieth century, further
developments were made which resulted in the
creation of the incubators that hospitals use today.

AN INCUBATOR
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An incubator may be a closed transparent box with
openings in the side. or it may have an open top. It
may have a number of features, which include a
temperature and humidity regulator to keep the baby
warm and to provide air at the correct moisture level
to prevent dehydration. It might have an extra oxygen
supply, a ventilator to blow air into the lungs. feeding
tubes and built-in life sign monitors for checking the
temperature, breathing and heart rate of the baby
inside. In time, the baby may be able to leave the
incubator and join its family when it Is strong enough.

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