The Expectant Mother and Birth

The expectant mother. An expectant mother should receive medical care and lead a healthy lifestyle to protect the health of her baby. The first weeks of pregnancy, when the embryo begins to develop, are especially important. For this reason, a woman should have a physical examination as soon as she learns she is pregnant. In addition, she should arrange for regular physical checkups throughout her pregnancy. The examination and checkups help a doctor prescribe the kind of prenatal care that an expectant mother should receive.

Most women require more food, especially foods high in proteins, after they become pregnant But weight gain should be gradual. A sudden gain may indicate a physical disorder. Meals should provide the same nourishment as any well-balanced diet (see Nutrition). In addition, doctors often prescribe extra amounts of certain vitamins and minerals for expectant mothers.

Weight-losing diets should be avoided except under a doctor's orders. Any chemical in an expectant mother's bloodstream enters the developing baby's bloodstream through the placenta. For this reason, women should not smoke or take unnecessary drugs while they are pregnant.

A woman should continue her normal activities, including proper exercise, during pregnancy. She should also get enough sleep and rest For more information on this subject, see Pregnancy.

Birth. The birth process is called labor. A woman is ready to give birth when she feels labor pains as the muscles of the uterus begin to contract The alternate tightening and relaxation of the muscles enlarges the opening from the uterus to the birth canal, or vagina. As the muscle activity continues, it forces the baby out of the uterus and through the birth canal.

Most babies are born head first. The head is bigger around than the rest of the body and so enlarges the opening that leads outside the mother's body. The rest of the baby's body thus passes through the opening easily.

Within a few minutes after birth, a baby starts to cry heartily, which helps the lungs expand and fill with air. The umbilical cord is still attached to the placenta after a baby is born. The doctor clamps and cuts the cord close to the baby's skin. This tiny stump of tissue dries up and falls off within 7 to 10 days, leaving a scar, called the navel, on the abdomen.

The muscles of the uterus continue their activity until the placenta separates from the uterus and passes out the birth canal. The discharged placenta is called the afterbirth. For additional information, see Childbirth; Reproduction, Human.

Baby. Baby, also called infant, is a child up to about 18 months of age. Almost everyone loves babies. They are among the most talked-about and most photographed subjects in the world. Poets have praised them, and painters have pictured them as models of innocence.

But throughout most of history, people had to accept the fact that many babies would die of disease or hunger before they were 1 year old. Since the late 1800's, advances in medicine, public health, and food production have sharply reduced the number of infant deaths in many parts of the world. The greatest progress has been in the industrial countries, especially Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, the United States, and most Western European nations.

Today, less than 1 per cent of the babies born in these countries die before the age of 1 year. Progress has been much slower in the nonindustrial countries of Africa, Asia, and Latin America. In some African and Asian countries, more than 20 per cent of all babies die before they are 1 year old.

Newborn babies are completely helpless. They cannot sit up, move from one place to another, feed themselves, or talk. Crying is their only means of telling people when they are hungry, unhappy, or hurt. With good care, babies gradually learn to do certain things for themselves. By the time they are about 1 8 months of age, most children can walk and run without help, feed themselves, play simple games, and say a few words and phrases.

They are then no longer considered to be infants. This article traces the development and growth of babies from before birth through infancy. It also discusses baby care. For more information on the growth and behavior of babies and of older children, see the articles Child; Growth. For information about the young of various kinds of animals, see Animal (How animals raise their young).