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Wedderburn Latavia Wedderburn College Writing Mrs Lago 11/7/13 Pregnancy Complications The toughest obstacle for a woman to surpass is pregnancy. There are countless hitches that can arise before and during the process of birth. There is no clear distinction between complications of pregnancy, symptoms and discomforts of pregnancy, but throughout the nine month process the baby as well as the mother carrying it, is at great risk. Many individuals feel for the duration of pregnancy the baby alone is affected if something goes wrong, but the carrier is also at risk. A woman has a fifty-fifty percent chance of survival during pregnancy without complications, so imagine her chances with it. There are other sources that determine whether an individual is at high risk of a complicated pregnancy, such as age or race. From the book, High-risk Pregnancy, studies have shown that the optimal age for childbearing is between twenty and thirty years, with a steadily increasing risk of prenatal mortality. Meaning that between those ages its safer and less likely to have complications during birth. Children of mothers nineteen years and younger and the first born of mothers thirtyfive of age and older are at an increased risk for prematurity and other pregnancy complications. So many things can go wrong at these early and late stages of life when bearing a child because the body isnt really fully developed for younger ages and the body might not work as it used to for the older ages so around these ages woman are more prone to problems during or before birth. Additionally, babies born to woman over thirty-five years of age have an increased risk of genetic defect such as Downs syndrome and other genetic abnormalities, so why would woman

Wedderburn at this age still attempt to get pregnant (Crandall et al, 1986) ? Throughout life many people take this risk and are unable to handle the managements of a child with a defect. So before a woman has a child at these ages, they should understand what comes along with it and if they have the time, money, and patience to take care of a child like that. For woman at the age that can cause prenatal mortality needs to know how risky it is. They need to realize that if they get pregnant theyre going to be responsible for their lives as well as the unborn baby. They need to keep in mind the harm that can come to them having a baby at this age and the complications that leans towards the baby. Does one have the heart to take that chance? Research shows that four recurring causes account for more than half of all infant deaths such as birth defects, disorders related to short gestation and preterm birth, maternal complications of pregnancy including complications of the placenta, cord and membranes and sudden infant death syndrome. In recent years some causes of infant mortality have increased, particularly in the percentage of births that were preterm and of low birth weight which were caused from the conception age of the mother (Anderson). Having a child at a young or even an old age can cause unbarring results. Can one bear the thought of this happening to their child? One might question how this topic impacts me personally at this age, but it does have some effect on me. I am a woman as well, and soon I will have a child of my own and depending on what age I have it, these complications can occur before and during my delivery. So yes, this topic pertains to me. It also, relates to a broad population, to every woman who is over the age of childbearing and wants to know if they should or shouldnt go through with it. Some of these facts are unknown to most woman so its up to those are educated in this certain area as well a physicians to inform those who are unaware of these problems. If not, not only the woman will

Wedderburn put themselves through this and the baby. No one will ever gain from the loss of a baby or it having an illness; its always going to be a thought of what if. When I grow up my first career will be a Registered Nurse focusing on obstetrics. Soon after that I will go for an obstetrician/gynecologist. Being in this line of work, now one should see how it will affect me. My whole life surrounds this issue. Ive always dreamt of being an obstetrician and if that become my final career choice, why wouldnt I care if my patients have or is prone to have a complicated pregnancy. Their lives will be basically in my hands. The consequences of pregnancy are more likely to be more severe among younger adolescents. Once a girl becomes pregnant at this early age, she is at greater risk for repeat pregnancies while still an adolescent. Evidence indicates that younger adolescents are more likely to have a second pregnancy within eighteen months after their first. Furthermore, repeating births among adolescents who begin childbearing before age seventeen dramatically increase the risk of perinatal death (Anderson). Does this make one want to wait when thinking of having a child. Im not saying wait till the end of time, but wait until you and your baby life is safe and less likely for any harm to appear. Race, also comes into play when dealing with complications with pregnancies. It was mentioned that young black mothers have poorer pregnancy outcomes compared with whites. A method was used to explain their reasoning and to test out their theory. The results showed that blacks were at higher risk for delivering infants that were under 2,500 and 1,500 grams. They were also more likely to deliver infants who were preterm and or very preterm. Furthermore their infants were more likely to be small for gestational age and infants that are extremely immature are more likely to experience subsequent morbidity and developmental problems (Leland). That

Wedderburn being said not only do woman have to worry about their age when getting pregnant, another category has been added to even more complicate their conceiving time choice, which is race. Women also have to realize that whichever race they are conflicts with their choice of pregnancy and can also cause difficulty as well. Stop! Actually process this information. Now, reviewing all the wrongs that can occur during pregnancy, if one of these complications were to happen to someone within the age range shown above, which can put them and their baby at risk, would they still continue with the pregnancy? Should one get pregnant over the age forty-two knowing the high risk of complications?

Wedderburn

Work Cited Knuppel, Robert A., and Joan E Drukker. High-risk Pregnancy: A Team Approach. 2nd ed. Philadelphia: Saunders, 1993 Anderson, J. E., Ebrahim, S., Floyd, L., & Atrash, H. (2006). Prevalence of risk factors for adverse pregnancy outcomes during pregnancy and the preconception period--united states, 2002-2004. Maternal and Child Health Journal, 10, 101-6. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10995-006-0093-z Leland, N. L., Petersen, D. J., Braddock, M., & Alexander, G. R. (1995). Variations in pregnancy outcomes by race among 10-14-year-old mothers in the united states. Public Health Reports, 110(1), 53. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.wpunj.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/230145997?accou ntid=15101