I nfluences on Development

1. Influences on Development By Bethany Burton, Emily Dudley, Hannah Elsby and Rosie Evans 

2. Influences of Alcohol The department of health recommend that men should not have more than four units of alcohol in a day and women should not have any more than three units. Statistics show that in 2007 32% of young men and 49% of young women have lifestyles which involves heavy drinking. Alcohol can affect people in many different ways, the more alcohol a person drinks their basic human functions such as walking and talking become a lot harder to perform. Alcohol can cause a person to be sick, feel nausea and sometimes have diarrhoea. This is because it irritates the stomach. In addition to this alcohol has a dehydrating effect which means that the next day a person will usually encounter a painful headache (hangover).

3. Influences of Alcohol Continued Alcohol can give an individual many different illnesses and problems if they drink to much through out their lives. A person may occur; • Alcohol poisoning • Liver disease • Cancer • Pancreatitis and diabetes • Heart disease • Mental health • Dependence • Appearance

4. Continued 2 Alcohol can also affect women and their child through pregnancy. This is because alcohol is a toxin, and when a women drink alcohol when they are pregnant, it will quickly reach the baby by passing through the placenta via the bloodstream. The baby’s cells can become permanently damaged if too much alcohol is drunk, features such as the baby’ face, organs and brain growth could also be affected. The baby's nervous system will also become damaged this will result in the child having learning difficulties, problems with their movement and coordination throughout their whole life. The name that is given to all these problems is foetal alcohol spectrum disorders. It is called spectrum because the problems which occur can range from mild learning difficulties, through to birth defects.

5. Continued 3 If a mother is a heavy drinker throughout her pregnancy then this could cause a miscarriage and premature birth. In addition too much alcohol can increase the risk of the baby being stillborn. Babies who have FAS will most likely have facial defects, be born small and will continue to be small for their age. The child may also encounter learning difficulties, have poor coordination and also have behavioural problems. These problems will be apart of the individual throughout their whole life.

6. Lifestyle Lifestyle is the way that individuals, families and societies live, each individual, family and society will have different lifestyles. Your lifestyle is different to everyone else’s because you all have different factors. Lifestyle could also mean you different choices. These could be whether you eat healthy or unhealthily.

7. Lifestyle during pregnancy A healthy diet will benefit your baby before it is even conceived. A healthy body will increase the likelihood of you having a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby. Try to have a healthy diet during pregnancy and try and be the correct weight for your height. If you smoke you should try and give up smoking as it can affect fertility and it could have harmful effects on the developing baby. Also try and limit your alcohol intake. If you exercise regularly this will benefit your developing baby and help keep your body in healthy condition.

8. How An Unhealthy Lifestyle Can Affect Pregnancy There are some lifestyle factors that can have an effect on pregnancy . if woman have an unhealthy lifestyle and is overweight, being overweight reduces the chances of a women getting pregnant, however if a woman is underweight being underweight can often lead to the body’s reproductive system to shut down because the body will not be able to cope with pregnancy. Stress can have an effect on pregnancy.

9. Bella’s Case Study Physical – • One extra chromosome is gained during cell division. • She will have different facial features – her eyes will be at a slant, and she will have a flat facial profile. There may also be an effect on organ development while in the womb which could cause a heart defect. • Because she is born prematurely, she will become anaemic earlier than full-term babies. • Bella’s weight drops when a dramatic event occurred in her life. • Now being an adolescent, her weight is changing and this is affecting her joints. • Her heart condition is deteriorating with the stress of gaining weight. Intellectual – • Bella will have severe learning disabilities. • She has hearing aids so she can improve her communication skills. • She has begun a level 1 catering course at college. • Bella has won an award for her commitment for college. • She has job at a restaurant. • She has had to retire from her job due to her joints becoming too painful.

10. Bella’s Case Study Continued Emotional – • Bella has a hearing impairment. • Attends drama group to improve confidence. • Self-harms due to bullying. • Relaxes more when she is with James but goes through a very traumatic experience when he dies. • Worries due to pain in joints. • Begins to feel sad when she is aware that it is near the end of her life. Social – • Bella’s mother took her to a mother and baby group so she can socialise with other children. • She has a good circle of friends. • She does an online mentoring scheme to help her overcome her self-harming. • She gains skills from being at work.

11. Effects Of Alcohol On Bella Alcohol can cross the placenta to an unborn baby and affect the baby’s health and development. The alcohol will reach an unborn baby very quickly and their blood alcohol level will be the same as the mother. Alcohol drunk by mothers during pregnancy can seriously affect the health and development of their unborn children. Some of these babies will have Foetal Alcohol Syndrome and have signs of harm when they are born. Some babies affected by alcohol can also have serious lifelong disabilities without all the features of Foetal Alcohol Syndrome. These babies are said to have Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders.

12. Effects Of An Unhealthy Lifestyle On Bella Eating junk food while pregnant can take the place of other important nutrients that a baby needs for their growth and development. Research shows that it could also cause problems for the baby in later life as the child is prone to have Diabetes. Smoking while pregnant can cause a higher rate of miscarriage, babies that are small for their age, cot death, babies that have smaller organs than an average baby, babies that are ill more frequently, poorer lung function that can lead to breathing problems later in the baby’s life. Smoking also limits the amount of oxygen and blood that reaches the placenta so this can risk the baby dying while in the womb. Taking drugs while pregnant can cause a baby to have major birth defects and it could also risk a mother having a premature birth or a smaller than average baby. Being malnourished could affect baby’s brain and/or cause spinal deformities and it will also mean that the baby is not receiving all the nutrients that they need for their development.

13. References • Drinkaware.co.uk The effects of alcohol consumption: How alcohol affects your body Drinkaware.co.uk (2012) The effects of alcohol consumption: How alcohol affects your body. [online] Available at: http://www.drinkaware.co.uk/facts/effects-of-alcohol-2 [Accessed: 1 Feb 2013]. • http://www.examiner.com/article/affects-of-an-unhealthy-lifestyle-on-fertility • http://www.medicine.ox.ac.uk/bandolier/booth/hliving/healpreg.html • http://www.cyh.com/HealthTopics/HealthTopicDetails.aspx?p=114&np=122&id=1950 • http://filterpages.safetynet.rmplc.co.uk/1047/1/60418.asp?d=1700&p=1047&t=567227&u=http%3A%2F%2Fkkkmedicine.blogspot.com%2F2012%2F03%2F4-unhealthy-lifestyle-for-pregnant.html • http://www.totalswindon.com/lifestyle/staying-healthy-during-pregnancy/