Ch 7: Childbirth and Newborn Characteristics: Help and Review
About This Chapter
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- Have fallen behind in understanding the perinatal and neonatal environments, the birthing process and newborn reflexes, among other related topics.
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- Start at the beginning, or identify the topics that you need help with.
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- Verify you're ready by completing the Childbirth and Newborn Characteristics chapter exam.
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Students will review:
In this chapter, you'll learn the answers to questions including:
- What are some abnormal and normal fetal birth positions?
- What are the three stages of labor?
- How do hormones play a role during labor and delivery?
- What unique activities take place during the three main methods of childbirth?
- Why do multiple and premature births occur?
- How do newborns develop during their first few months of life?

1. The Perinatal Environment and Potential Hazards During the Birth Process
What does perinatal mean? What happens during the birth process? What are some things that can go wrong? You will find the answers to these questions and more in this lesson!

2. The Neonatal Environment: Definition & Apgar Test
The neonatal period lasts from birth until four weeks old. Care during this period is essential to healthy development. In this lesson, explore the neonatal environment and learn how the Apgar test is used to assess newborn functioning.

3. Fetal Dystocia: Normal and Abnormal Fetal Positions Prior to Childbirth
While the majority of births proceed without too many complications, occasionally some births don't go quite as planned. Learn about some of the more common types of complications in this lesson on difficult births and fetal dystocia.

4. Childbirth: The Role of Hormones in Labor and Delivery
How does a mother's body know when it is time to give birth? How does the labor process begin and end? Learn the answers to these questions in this lesson on the hormones involved in childbirth.

5. Childbirth Methods: Natural Delivery, Medicated Delivery & C-Section
Birth is one of the first major developmental milestones, but there are many different ways to give birth. In this lesson, we'll look at three popular methods of childbirth: natural childbirth, medicated childbirth, and C-sections.

6. Premature Births and Associated Complications
What classifies a baby as premature? If they are born premature, how likely is it that they will survive? Learn about this and more in this lesson on the risks and complications of premature birth.

7. The Three Stages of Labor: Dilation, Expulsion & Placental
You may think of the process of labor and childbirth as one long event, but it is actually divided into different stages. Learn about each of the three stages of labor in this lesson.

8. Childbirth Issues: Cultural Differences, Low Birth Weight & Injuries
Childbirth represents one of the first key moments in human development, but there are always challenges that arise with childbirth. In this lesson, we'll look at some common issues surrounding childbirth.

9. The Neonatal Period: Changes During the First Month of Life
Development of our internal systems doesn't stop with birth. Learn about some of the main changes that occur during a newborn infant's first month of life in this lesson on the neonatal period.

10. The Neonatal Environment: Definition & Assessment
How do medical professionals make sure that a baby is healthy at the beginning of his or her life? In this lesson, we'll examine two common assessments given to measure physical and behavioral health: the APGAR Assessment and the Brazelton Scale.

11. Identifying the Reflexes of Newborns
Reflexes allow babies to survive the first few years of life. In this lesson, we'll look at some of the major reflexes of infants, including those that indicate a healthy nervous system response and those designed to help a baby feed itself.

12. Multiple Births: Symptoms, Difficulties & Types
While the thought of twins or triplets may be exciting or intriguing, have you ever considered the difficulties that are involved in the birthing of multiple babies? Learn about the different types of twins and some of the complications that come along with being pregnant with twins, triplets, and other sets of multiple births.

13. Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome: Symptoms & Treatment
Neonatal abstinence syndrome is a group of problems that can occur in a newborn if the mother used opioid drugs during pregnancy. We will discuss how these drugs impact the fetus, symptoms of withdrawal, and treatment.

14. Why Do Toddlers Bite?
Studies show that nearly half of all children in daycare will be bitten by another child. This lesson goes over the causes of this behavior in toddlers.

15. T. Berry Brazelton: Biography & Works
Dr. T. Berry Brazelton is a famous doctor who pioneered the fields of pediatrics and child psychiatry. This lesson will cover some of his many medical achievements and highlight some of his written works.

16. T. Berry Brazelton's Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale
The Brazelton Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale (NBAS) analyzes the development of babies from birth to two months of age, with respect to four key development tasks: control of autonomic and motor systems, state of consciousness, and social interaction. This lesson explains how the NBAS determines areas where the baby needs extra support for development and what their unique strengths are.
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Other Chapters
Other chapters within the Life Span Developmental Psychology: Help and Review course
- Domains of Human Development: Help and Review
- Life Span Development Research Methods: Help & Review
- Help & Review for Life Span Developmental Psychology Foundations
- Impact of Genetics in Development & Psychology: Help & Review
- Prenatal Development Concepts: Help and Review
- Physical Development in Infancy and Toddlerhood: Help and Review
- Help & Review for Cognitive & Psychosocial Development in Infants & Toddlers
- Help & Review for Physical & Cognitive Development in Early Childhood
- Psychosocial Development in Early Childhood: Help and Review
- Help & Review - Psychosocial & Physical Development in Middle Childhood
- Cognitive Development in Middle Childhood: Help and Review
- Physical and Sexual Development in Adolescence: Help and Review
- Psychosocial Development in Adolescence: Help and Review
- Help & Review for Physical & Cognitive Development in Early Adulthood
- Psychosocial Development in Early Adulthood: Help and Review
- Cognitive & Physical Development in Middle Adulthood: Help & Review
- Psychosocial Development in Middle Adulthood: Help and Review
- Physical Development in Late Adulthood: Help and Review
- Cognitive Development in Late Adulthood: Help & Review
- Death and Dying - Stages and Psychological Impact