Week 3: Ch
3, 4, & 5
This large chunk of
chapters went through the beginning of conception to infancy. That is the cells
and how they form all the way until the birth of the newborn. There is
information about the disorders that can develop from genes, stress, and
substances taken in during the pregnancy that can harm the fetus. The last
chapter discusses the development physically and mentally of the infant.
The entire start of
the reading was basically my biology and health class but what peaked my
interest was the paragraph on the Postpartum Adjustment. It talked about
depression usually because of the hormonal changes during and after having the
baby. It also talked about bonding, single parenting, and family dynamics.
These last ones I have never heard of but in general I have rarely heard this
or read of post-partum adjustment anywhere. It coming up in the text book
surprised me. I knew it existed I just was not expecting it to come up, especially
because a friend of mine's mother had gone through the depressive stage with
her son and had some pretty intense thoughts. Stating that she felt upset,
lost, and shameful, and had ideas of leaving baby to the cold to quietly sleep…The
idea of it sends shivers down my spine but it is not necessarily talked about
as often as SIDs, (sudden infant death syndrome.) (note: do not worry her and
the baby (my friend) are fine!) I am curious to know if it affects the infants
after birth too though. My friend was
fine but what about others?
Chapters 3-5 did provide a in-depth look at conception to infancy in it's entirety. I agree with you that the concepts of single parenting, postpartum adjustment, and SID's were interesting to think about. SID's puts life in perspective and makes you think that a precious little life can be taken away just like that. This is a serious concern so new parents should be on alert. Of course you shouldn't worry about these things happening to your child, but focusing on the controllables is the only thing you can do.
ReplyDeleteI am glad that our book spoke about the postpartum adjustment period. To an extent, I would guess that lots of women go through it. I did. With my first born, I would have sworn he was a girl...and it took me a few weeks to snap out of it, and come to terms that I had a son. I never had ill thoughts, but I guess you could say that it was the "blues"... And a woman's body goes through so many physical changes after a baby is born, it takes time to heal and get it back to "normal." I love that postpartum adjustment is in the book, because maybe it could help one person identify a friend, relative, or even themselves who needs some help.
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