A Project Report on

Possible effects of Maternal Behaviour on foetal

Development

Submitted By
KRISH KEDIA
Class: 12th (Science)

Under the Guidance of

Mrs. Sony Jha
Biology Teacher
Department of Biology
D.A.V- K.V.B. School, Biratnagar -13
Morang (Nepal)
 Department of Biology
D.A.V- K.V.B. School, Biratnagar -13
Morang (Nepal)

CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that KRISH KEDIA

Of Class XII (Sci) has prepared the report on the Project entitled
“Possible effects of Maternal Behaviour on foetal Development”. The
report is the result of his efforts & endeavours. The report is found
worthy of acceptance as final project report for the subject Biology
(044) laid down in the regulation of CBSE for the purpose of Practical
Examination in Class XII to be held in DAV School, Biratnagar on
______________. He has prepared the project under my guidance.

(Mrs. Sony Jha)

Biology Teacher
Department of Biology
D.A.V- K.V.B. School,
Brt -13 Morang (Nepal)
j dd

Department of Biology
D.A.V- K.V.B. School, Biratnagar -13
Morang (Nepal)

CERTIFICATE

The Project report entitled

“Possible effects of Maternal Behaviour on foetal
Development”,
Submitted by KRISH KEDIA of Class XII (Sci) for
the CBSE Senior Secondary Examination Class XII of
Biology (044) at D.A.V - K.V.B School, Biratnagar-13
Morang (Nepal) has been examined.

SIGNATURE OF EXAMINER
 DECLARATION

I hereby declare that the project work entitled

“Possible effects of Maternal Behaviour on foetal
Development”, Submitted to Department of Biology,
D.A.V-K.V.B School, Biratnagar-13, Morang (Nepal)
is prepared by me. All the coding are result of my
efforts.

KRISH KEDIA
Class XII (Sci)

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
 I would like to express a deep sense of thanks & gratitude to my
Project guide Mrs. Sony Jha Mam for guiding me immensely through the
course of the project. She always evinced keen interest in my work. Her
constructive advice & constant motivation have been responsible for the
successful completion of this project.

My sincere thanks goes to Shri R.K. Mishra, Our principal Sir for his
Co-ordination in extending every possible support for the completion of
this project.

I also thanks to my parents for their motivation & support. I must

thanks to my classmates for their timely help & support for compilation
of this project.

Last but not the least, I would like to thank all those who had
helped directly or indirectly towards the completion of this project.

KRISH KEDIA
Class XII (Sci)

CONTENTS
 INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

 ALCOHOL ABUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

 USE OF ILLEGAL AND ILLICIT DRUGS . . . .

 CIGARETTE SMOKING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

 BIRTH CONTROL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

 STRESS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

 CLASSIFICATION OF BIRTH DEFECTS . . . .

 CONCLUSION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

 BILBIOGRAPHY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

INTRODUCTION
Nutrition is the major environmental factor that alters expression of the
foetal genome and may have lifelong consequences. Maternal under
nutrition during gestation reduces placental and foetal growth of both
domestic animals and humans. Available evidence suggests that foetal
growth is most vulnerable to maternal dietary deficiencies of nutrients
during the peri-implantation period and the period of rapid placental
development.
Under nutrition in pregnant women may result from low intake of
dietary nutrients owing to either a limited supply of food or severe
nausea and vomiting known as hyperemesis gravidarum.
Pregnant women may also be at increased risk of under nutrition
because of early or closely-spaced pregnancies.
Pregnant women are usually recommended to avoid soft cheeses,
smoked fish, precooked meats and foods made with unpasteurized milk.
These foods may contain a bacterium called Listeria. This bacterium
does not usually cause people much harm, but even a mild infection in
a pregnant woman may cause miscarriage.
Listeriosis is a serious infection caused by the germ Listeria
monocytogenes. People usually become ill with listeriosis after eating
contaminated food. The disease primarily affects pregnant women,
newborns, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems.

ALCOHOL ABUSE
When you're pregnant, drinking alcohol can be very harmful to your baby.
It can cause your baby to have a range of lifelong health conditions.
Drinking alcohol during pregnancy can cause miscarriage, preterm birth
and stillbirth.
When you drink alcohol during pregnancy, so does your baby. The same
amount of alcohol that is in your blood is also in your baby's blood. The
alcohol in your blood quickly passes through the placenta and to your
baby through the umbilical cord.
Although your body is able to manage alcohol in your blood, your baby's
little body isn't. Your liver works hard to break down the alcohol in your
blood. But your baby's liver is too small to do the same and alcohol can
hurt your baby's development.
That's why alcohol is much more harmful to your baby than to you during
pregnancy.
Alcohol can lead your baby to have serious health conditions, called
foetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). The most serious of these is
foetal alcohol syndrome (FAS).
Alcohol can also cause your baby to:
• Have birth defects (heart, brain and other organs)
• Vision or hearing problems
• Have intellectual disabilities
• Have learning and behaviour problems
• Have sleeping and sucking problems
• Have speech and language delays

USE OF ILLEGAL AND

 ILLICIT DRUGS
It's possible that you may not have a serious or long-lasting problem
after using drugs. But the same is not always true for a foetal. Drug-
using mothers often give birth to "drug babies."
Studies show that using drugs during pregnancy has a direct impact on
the foetal. If you smoke, drink alcohol, or ingest caffeine, so does the
foetal. If you use marijuana or crystal meth, your foetal also feels the
impact of these dangerous drugs. And if you are addicted to cocaine,
you're not only putting your own life on the line, but you are risking the
health of your unborn baby. The consequences of using cocaine include
heart attacks, respiratory failure, strokes, and seizures. Taking
drugs during pregnancy also increases the chance of birth defects,
premature babies, underweight babies, and stillborn births. Exposure to
drugs such as marijuana before birth has been proven to cause behavior
problems in early childhood. These drugs can also affect the child's
memory and attentiveness. In addition, some findings show that babies
born to these women may have brain structure changes that persist into
early adolescence.

CIGARETTE SMOKING
Smoking during pregnancy affects you and your baby before, during,
and after your baby is born. The nicotine (the addictive substance in
cigarettes), carbon monoxide, and numerous other poisons you inhale
from a cigarette are carried through your bloodstream and go directly to
your baby.
Smoking while pregnant will:
• Lower the amount of oxygen available to you and your growing baby.
• Increase your baby's heart rate.
• Increase the chances of miscarriage and stillbirth.
• Increase the risk that your baby is born prematurely and/or born with
low birth weight.
• Increase your baby's risk of developing respiratory (lung) problems.
• Increases risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.
The more cigarettes you smoke per day, the greater your baby's chances
of developing these and other health problems. There is no "safe" level
of smoking while pregnant.
Nicotine reduces the diameter of the foetus’ blood vessels. This reduces
the volume of blood that can flow through them. This, too, reduces the
amount of oxygen reaching the foetus’ developing tissues. Nicotine also
appears to affect the development of the nervous system.

BIRTH CONTROL
Birth control methods include hormonal contraceptives, such as
pills, shots and patches. Each method and brand have a unique
mixture of estrogen and progestin and delivery molecules that
can potentially affect a foetus. In most cases, taking birth control
during the first four to eight weeks of a pregnancy will have no
ill side-effects on a foetus. The risk of miscarriage due to birth
control is possible; For instance, Drugs.com reports that Yasmin
has been placed in category X due to the fact that animal studies
have shown that some of the chemicals in Yasmin have produced
miscarriages.

STRESS
 Given the animal and human research suggesting effects of stress
during pregnancy on offspring outcomes, recent research has
explored the possible influences of other prenatal emotional states,
such as anxiety and depression, on infant development. In an
“intervention” study Field and her associates randomly assigned
anxious, first-time pregnant women to supportive feedback during
ultrasound versus traditional ultrasound. They found that women in
the support group had less anxiety and their newborns were less
active and irritable, suggesting that anxiety during pregnancy may be
associated with more active and irritable neonatal behaviour.
 Babies born to mothers who report depressive symptoms at the time
of the child’s birth have lower motor tone and endurance, are less
active, less robust, and more irritable on a neurobehavioral exam.
These babies also exhibit fewer facial expressions in response to
models of happy and surprise faces and have indeterminate sleep
patterns.
 Comprehensively, levels of stress, anxiety, and depression during
pregnancy are associated with altered infant neurobehavioral
development and, by extension, that these alterations arose and can be
detected in the foetal period. The findings point to the possibility that
women’s emotional states during pregnancy influence foetal
development, which affects the later behaviour of the child.
 A balanced maternal diet is essential for proper foetal development,
and the consumption of a nutritionally inadequate diet during
intrauterine development and early childhood is associated with a
significantly increased risk of metabolic and brain disorders in
offspring.
 The maternal high-fat diet during pregnancy or lactation has effects
on metabolic changes, molecular alterations in the brain, and
behavioural disorders in offspring.
 Offspring exposed to a maternal high-fat diet during pregnancy and
lactation manifest increased depressive like and aggressive
behaviours, reduced cognitive development, and symptoms of
metabolic syndrome. Recently, epigenetic and molecular studies have
shown that maternal nutrition during pregnancy and the suckling
period modifies the development of neurotransmitter circuits and
many other factors important to central nervous system development.
This finding confirms the importance of a balanced maternal diet for
the health of offspring.

CLASSIFICATION OF
BIRTH DEFECTS
• Malformations present at birth

• May also be known as congenital malformations

• Inborn errors of metabolism

• Disorders of the blood

• Chromosomal abnormalities

• Perinatal injuries

 Hence, according to previous discussion the psychological

environment, dietary habits and any sort of addictions of mother
has severe impacts on developing foetus.

CONCLUSION
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. Google.com
2. NCERT Biology Text Book
3. Encyclopaedia Britannica
4. Wikipedia