Discuss how preconception care contributes to healthy pregnancy and positive pregnancy outcomes. Post answers as reply in the discussion forum.
Preconception care is very important for mothers because the health of the mother before being pregnant will dictate how viable can a baby survive in the body of the mother. One of the most basic knowledge where we can relate this is the requirement of adequate folic acid to avoid the possibility of neural tube defects, miscarriage, and down syndrome. The article discussed a lot of factors that can affect the vulnerability of the fetus.
Some of the factors cited in the paper were physiological factors and its vulnerability to exposures. I learned that placenta is unable to filter an array of toxins that can be dangerous for the survival of the fetus. In addition, immature fetal liver cannot efficiently detoxify contaminants, and immature blood-brain barrier becomes more permeable to adverse chemical agents. With these, and other factors cited, it is important that the mother should avoid being exposed to harmful chemicals in the environment because if deposited a lot in the body of the mother, the fetus can absorb them all yet unable to detoxify. This calls for the mothers-to-be on making sure not to go to places with chemical exposures such as factories, and other places which emits chemicals.
As presented in the introduction, nutritional status can also affect the outcomes of the pregnancy. The mother should make sure that her body is conditioned well to support the normal development of the baby. Several deficiencies can contribute to possibilities of different illness for the baby. Other examples of important minerals stated in the paper were gestational iron, maternal iodine, maternal biotin, and maternal vitamin B12. Insufficient gestational iron could be associated with cognitive and immune impairment. Insufficient maternal iodine can cause pediatric hyperthyroidism and intellectual disabilities. Insufficient biotin deficiency was also related to potential fetal sequelae, including cleft palate. Lastly, insufficient maternal vitamin B12 increases the risk for neural tube defects. These could be addressed by mothers taking supplementation
With the given examples, I think family planning to the extent of physical preparation should be considered by both parents. Proper family planning can also prepare the environment and nutritional status of the mother before conception. In contrast, I also reflected on how can the poor access all these privileges. Other mothers were forced to work in environment exposed to these harmful chemicals. Others might not have access to supplementation from the center due to insufficient supply if the mother cannot buy them. This is a question for me to reflect on. As future nurses, what can I learn to help these mothers in their goal of having a healthy baby?