Describe the effect of extremely low birth weight babies on the family and community. Consider short-term and long-term impacts, socioeconomic implications, the need for ongoing care, and comorbidities associated with prematurity. Explain how disparities relative to ethnic and cultural groups may contribute to low birth weight babies. Identify one support service within your community to assist with preterm infants and their families and explain how the service adequately addresses the needs of the community, or a population in your community. Provide the link to the resource in your post.Comorbidities Associated With Prematurity Essay

Describe the effect of extremely low birth weight babies on the family and community. Consider short-term and long-term impacts, socioeconomic implications, the need for ongoing care, and comorbidities associated with prematurity. Explain how disparities relative to ethnic and cultural groups may contribute to low birth weight babies. Identify one support service within your community to assist with preterm infants and their families and explain how the service adequately addresses the needs of the community, or a population in your community. Provide the link to the resource in your post.Comorbidities Associated With Prematurity Essay

Low birth weight babies are often born premature, and face increased risks during early life. Low birth weight can result from a variety of factors, some preventable and some nonpreventable. Preventable risk factors include smoking cigarettes and abusing drugs or alcohol while pregnant. Other preventable risk factors include poor prenatal care, inadequate nutrition throughout pregnancy, physical abuse, and lack of available resources while pregnant. I find it interesting that every single one of the aforementioned preventable risk factors are greatly exacerbated by poverty. Following that train of thought, it is simple to understand how weight disparities have a higher prevalence in poor communities with higher than average incidences of drugs and violence. In addition, certain ethnic and cultural groups are likelier to give birth to low birth weight babies. According to Sims et al., low-income African-American and Hispanic women who smoke are likelier to give birth to low birth weight babies in relation to affluent mothers who do not smoke. Moreover, culture and ethnicity influence diet, which can be a major contributing factor to low birth weight if the mother is not eating healthy enough. In addition, babies born to teenage mothers and being pregnant with multiples increases the risk of premature birth. NRS-434VN Health Assessment

Regardless of the reason for pre-term birth, low birth weights have a profound impact on the family. Mothers with smoking habits or drug addictions can be crippled by extreme guilt once the baby is born. Even if the mother did not contribute to the pre-term birth, many women still experience profound guilt. Low birth weights are concerning because babies are frail, especially as newborns. When born prematurely, babies can have difficulty with temperature regulation because they do not have as much body fat to generate heat with. Depending on how premature the baby is, it might be born before its lungs are fully developed or not have enough surfactant produced yet for adequate ventilation. Premature babies also have issues fighting off infection because their immune systems may not be fully developed. Finally, low birth weight babies may have difficulty feeding due to fatigue and impaired rooting reflexes. Issues with prematurity can resolve in the short term with adequate treatment, but there can be long term consequences. Depending on how preterm the baby was born or if there were any sustained difficulties with oxygenation at birth, the baby may face neurological impairment for the rest of its life.

Furthermore, low birth weight babies require ongoing care even if their issues are resolved successfully. These babies are usually at higher risk of being neglected or falling victim to physical abuse. Additionally, their nutritional status needs to be closely monitored to ensure sufficient growth, especially with babies born into poverty whose parents may not have access to food or formula. There is also a huge need for continued education in such populations. There are assistance programs available, but they place a financial burden on the community and need special funding to stay in operation. Many of you have probably heard of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women Infants, and Children (WIC) program. This program is available in every state, and provides primary and secondary prevention services to at-risk and low-income families. For example, WIC improves birth outcomes by offering services to pregnant women to ensure that they receive prenatal care and have adequate nutrition (“About WIC”, 2013). Moreover, WIC provides parental education, monitors at-risk children, and provides free vouchers so that families can afford to purchase formula and nutritious age-appropriate food.

References

About WIC- how WIC helps. (2013). Special supplemental nutrition program for women, infants, and children. U.S. Department of Agriculture. https://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/about-wic-how-wic-helps

Sims, M., Sims, T., & Bruce, M. (2016). Community income, smoking, and birth weight disparities in Wisconsin. J Natl Black Nurses Association.