Assignment task: Reply to this student with a well thought and well-written response.
Environments significantly affect development at all stages, including prenatal development. From conception to birth, developing fetuses are exposed to various environmental influences that positively or negatively affect their development. According to (Papalia et al., 2014), the prenatal environment is a mother's body; everything that influences the mother's well-being could impact the surroundings of her unborn child, influencing its growth and health. A mother's environment includes her nutrition, age, health, physical activity, and exposure to toxins. During pregnancy, a mother's diet determines the developing baby's health; eating too few calories and important nutrients such as vitamin D exposes the child to malnutrition and the possibility of developing complications such as multiple sclerosis. Exposure to chemicals and stress also puts the baby's health at risk and can lead to brain damage, missing limbs, stillbirths, low birth weight, and mental health issues. For instance, alcohol abuse during pregnancy leads to Fetal alcohol syndrome, which affects mental and cognitive development (Papalia et al., 2014).
The best way to help families and expecting mothers about environmental influences during the prenatal stage is through creating awareness and educating them. While it might look obvious to some people that things like prescription drugs and stress are bad for the baby, others do not know that they affect the baby negatively. Also, caffeine from coffee is dangerous for the baby; four or more cups of coffee per day during pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of infant death (Papalia et al., 2014), without proper education some people would not know that, they would continue taking their coffee as they normally do. Mothers need to be taught this and guided on how to do it. This can be done during prenatal visits; healthcare professionals should take it seriously and offer comprehensive guides to expecting mothers instead of just mentioning it. This awareness can also be done online through social media by trusted health organizations that can reach all populations and educate them. Also, having this taught in schools and colleges would go a long way in equipping mothers and families with knowledge as early as possible.
The public health system should have significant control over issues of prenatal development. The developmental experiences of a baby are linked to crucial later-life outcomes such as educational success, physical well-being, and mental health (Tooley et al., 2021). This shows that prenatal development determines nearly all of an individual's life, which makes it a very important thing that should have the attention of the public health system. Giving enough control of these issues to the public health system can help provide research-based guidelines that are also evidence-based. Sensitive issues such as vaccinations should be in the hands of trusted bodies.