Prenatal Influences on Development

How much does the time spent in your mothers womb really effect you? Do your mothers actions effect you at all? The answer is YES! Your mothers actions greatly effect you while you are in the womb. You, as you are growing and preparing for birth, rely on your mother for nutrients and protection from the outside world. There are three reasons that the prenatal period is said to be so vulnerable:
1. Some destructive substances such as drugs, viruses, and antibodies can pass through the placenta
2. The organs,body parts and nervous system are still forming
3. The Blood Brain Barrier is not completely formed until birth
Drugs and alcohol can be very dangerous to a fetus and they can both cause various birth defects, some mild and some severe. Nicotine, found in cigarettes, causes not only physical diseases, but also behavioral disorders. These include learning disabilities and problems being able to calm down. Although there are severe birth defects to drugs and alcohol, there are many subtle effects that do not make headlines. These subtle effects end up costing the government more money, because they are much more common, and when they are multiplied by hundreds of thousands, they end up costing millions per year. Exposure to mercury can cause many birth defects. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Fetal Alcohol Effects are produced by alcohol consumption during the gestation period. A child with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is small in size and has widely placed eyes with an extra fold over eyes. The child also has severe learning disabilities. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome occurs when the mother drinks early in her pregnancy most commonly, but can occur with any alcohol consumption. Fetal Alcohol Effects children usually do not have any visible physical abnormalities- they usually have more subtle behavioral, cognitive and neurological problems. This occurs most often when the mother drinks late in her pregnancy and the children often look perfectly normal. While many birth defects seem to have no rhyme or reason to them at all, many of these can and should be prevented. Women need to carefully consider their life choices when they are pregnant so they can protect their children to the best of their ability.