Ch 7: Childbirth and Newborn Characteristics: Help and Review

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.