Introduction
The
phase of infancy is from 0 to 24 months (2 years). The infant is helpless,
excessively dependent and highly prone to several challenges from external
environment which are termed as hazards. The hazards can either be
psychological and physical. The hazards tend to influence the development and
growth process.
Hazards
1. Psychological
&
2. Physical
Psychological Hazards
(i) Birth
Related Beliefs and Ideas – The beliefs and ideas
are the outcome of cultural influences for example post-delivery women are kept
in a dark room for week or two in some cultures. These cultural practices can
have negative effect on the psychological set up of women and infant.
(ii) Natural
Helplessness – The total dependency of infant makes
her helpless that is found to interfere with proper development of
psychological profile of infant.
(iii) Overprotection
(Helicopter Parenting) – The overprotectiveness of
infants can lead to compromised immune system of a child, lower confidence,
lower self-esteem, and escaping from responsibility type personality etc.
(iv) Developmental
Lag – A child lagging behind in growth and
development to other children of her age is called developmental lag. It can
occur due to birth complications, environmental factors and certain medical
conditions.
(v) Developmental
Issues – The infant can face developmental issues
in cognitive, emotional, speech and language areas due to various risk factors
associated with infancy.
(vi) Mother’s
Psychological Health – This condition is big hazard
for infant’s development. The mothers suffering from apprehension, depression,
anxiety etc. have different behaviour that can be detrimental for the infant.
(vii) Parental
Attitude – The parental attitude determines the
child rearing practices which correlates with the growth and development of
infant.
(viii) Family
Members’ Attitude – The social and cultural beliefs
dictate the family members’ attitude that is reflected in their behaviour and
have direct effect on the infant.
(ix) Naming – The name is the primary identifier and have lifelong impact on
the personality and ‘Self’ of the individual. The funny and inappropriate names
can be psychologically damaging.
2. Physical
Hazards
(i) Pre-mature
Birth – Birth occurring more than 3 weeks or more
earlier than the due date. It is a significant hazard where such babies have
immature lungs, face difficulty in regulating body temperature, feeding related
issues and slower weight gain etc.
(ii) Birth
Process Complications – The birth related problems
such as abnormal position of the baby before birth, the umbilical cord is
wrapped around the baby's neck, the umbilical cord comes out of the birth canal
before the baby, baby is caught in the birth canal etc. can be hazardous for
the mother as well as child.
(iii) Neonate
or Infant Mortality – The number of death (infants)
per 1000 before 5th birthday. The premature birth, pneumonia, congenital
malformations, prolonged labour, neonatal infection, diarrhoea, malaria,
measles and malnutrition etc. are few factors that leads to infant mortality.
(iv) Vulnerability
– The infants are highly vulnerable to attack from
pathogens due to several factors such as undeveloped immune system and harsh
environmental conditions.
(v) Post-maturity
Delivery – The babies born after 42 weeks of
pregnancy are considered as post-mature delivered. They are prone to obesity,
childhood diabetes, infant breathing in amniotic fluid, lack of oxygen due to
placenta insufficiency (placenta fails to deliver sufficient oxygen) etc.
(vi) Multiple
Births – Birth of more than one baby. The multiple
births have certain risks i.e., chances of premature birth are higher, they are
at higher risk of digestive tract and heart problems, anaemic, low birth weight
etc.
(vii) Carry-over
Effect of Prenatal Period – The development of each
organ is associated with specific time period during the prenatal development
which is dictated by the genetic blueprint. Any developmental delay or lag can
have significant effect on the post-natal life and can be hazardous too.
(viii) Behaviour
of Older Sibling – The arrival of new baby is
little disturbing for the older sibling leading to adjustment related problems.
The older sibling feels jealous, poke, hit, pinch, bite or even suffocates the
new born with a pillow. These activities are indicators of frustration in older
sibling.
References:
1. https://www.slideshare.net/danielesguapito/
infancy-the-early-stage-of-development
2. https://www.babygaga.com/15-crazy-ways-childbirth-differs-from-culture-to-culture/
3.
https://www.understood.org/en/learning-attention-issues/treatments-approaches/early-intervention/what-you-need-to-know-about-developmental-delays.
4.
https://www.familylives.org.uk/advice/early-years-development/behaviour/dealing-with-challenging-behaviour-when-a-new-baby-arrives
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