Case Study: Child Bearing Focus Care

Case Study: Child Bearing Focus Care Name Institutional Affiliation Case Study: Childbearing Focus Care The complex problems related to pregnant teens more so the runaway and homeless teens results in many challenges for the government and short-term shelter services. Despite the fact the pregnancy rates among teens have been fluctuating over the last few years, the country has had one of the highest rate of teen pregnancies in the western industrialized world (Pender, Murdaugh, & Parsons, 2015) This is a clear indication that teen pregnancy remains a serious public health problem. Childbearing during teenage years has been associated with a number of negative maternal concerns among them being school dropout, risk of being unmarried, and unemployment. In addition, children born to teenagers are most of the time born prematurely and at low birth weight. Infant mortality is also likely to be higher during the first year as compared to mothers who are over twenty years old (Voellmin et al. 2013; O’Donnell, et al. 2016) The case of Rita in this case is highly similar to what runaway and homeless teens experience during pregnancy. The fact that Rita also takes alcohol and smokes cigarette albeit during the weekend even makes her case more complicated. Despite the fact that she feels the need to keep healthy by exercing and eating a healthy diet, she also runs the risk of overheating as advised by the mother. In addition, she is unemployed so her child risks living an improvised life which is common among most teenage mothers. This paper seeks to discuss issues related to teen pregnancies and propose solutions to the problem. More importantly, the paper seeks to discuss the support measures, health promotion and the positive impact of these measures. Issues Facing the Young Family Over Activity Maintaining a systematic exercise routine during pregnancy may be healthy. Regular exercise can help one improve her posture and reduce some common issues such as fatigue and backaches. In addition, physical activity can help prevent gestational diabetes, reduce stress and increase the much-needed stamina for labor and child delivery. For someone who was physically active before pregnancy, continuing with exercising moderation should be relatively easy. However, it is not advisable to start exercising at one’s former level. It is important to engage in what is most comfortable for someone. Low impact aerobics are encouraged as compared with high impact aerobics. This is not the case for Rita who goes to the gym, plays soccer and uses the train often as this can have a negative impact on her growing fetus. Being overactive during pregnancy can affect the growing fetus especially if one was not active before. Alcohol and Smoking Prenatal exposure to alcohol and smoking increases the risk for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDs). Exposure to alcohol and smoking results in physiological changes which though not much is known about them have been associated with alterations in the autonomic nervous system. Newborns born to alcoholics and smokers are more likely to have a lower beat-to-beat heartrate variability as compared with those who are born to non-smokers or non-alcoholics. The fact that Rita only drink on weekend or smokes just three cigarettes in a day does not make her growing fetus any safe. This situation is further aggravated by the fact that her boyfriend is a heavy smoker a fact that makes her a second smoker. Nutrition Most healthcare providers recommends one to take prenatal supplement before or shortly after conception. This ensures that a pregnant woman meets all her nutritional needs. It is however to note that a prenatal supplement is not a supplement for a healthy diet. The case of Rita is however different in that she is not in a financial position to afford the recommended prenatal supplement. However, eating a vegetarian diet means she is also lacking in some of the minerals available in other types of diets. The nurse should in this case advice the young family on the importance of eating other foods especially fruits. Equally, the nurse should be able to advice Rita if some of the prenatal requirements can be available to the young family either through public health insurance programs or through private programs. Tension with Boyfriend While it is not clear if the pregnancy was planned, living together can be tricky especially given the fact that she is afraid of having sex. Notably, it is Rita’s as well as her boyfriend first experience with pregnancy, which suggest that there is no solid foundation to fall back to. Equally, it is evident that the two are only starting to learn basic things about each other, which makes things more confusing for the two. Moreover, there pressure on the relationship as the two are just learning about each other and thoughts about marriage or responsibilities is obvious high (Watts, Liamputtong & Mcmichael, 2015) However, seeking the advice of a specialist is important in shedding this pressure. However, such advice should be sought together without any party laying blame on each other. Emotional Issues During pregnancy, changes in hormones tend to have an effect on most women. Emotional reactions also tend to come when one is faced with financial difficulties or is worried about what to do with the pregnancy, as is the case with Rita. Despite the fact that it is unsettling, it is common for women to have experience emotional reactions more so for a person who is having her first pregnancy (Frederiksen et al. 2018) Taking good care of yourself by, for example, taking enough rest and sleep can help reduce emotional reactions. Equally, Rita can also join an antenatal course or a support network to help deal with psychological and physical difficulties, which may arise along the way. Financial Problems Research indicates that stress during pregnancy can have a lasting effect on a child. During pregnancy, women are often anxious or stressed on issues relating to finances, which can result in low birth weight among other problems (Maravilla, Betts & Alati, 2019) Having a new baby can increase financial concerns especially for an unemployed person such as Rita. This calls for psychological interventions to address pregnancy related anxiety. The healthcare practitioner should be able to assess the financial position of Rita and advise her on how she can best meet her medical expenses and childcare expenses. Support Measures Postpartum emotional distress is common during pregnancy and can pose to both mothers and their unborn children. Prenatal care is important in that it help health care providers to provide pregnant women with care, support and the right information, wh...