Chapter 4 - Birth and Physical Development during the First Three Year

Question 1

The act or process of giving birth.

Answer 1

parturition

Question 2

False contractions during the final months of pregnancy, or even as early as the second trimester, when the muscles of the uterus tighten for up to 2 minutes.

Answer 2

Braxton-Hicks contractions

Question 3

Begin typically 266 days after conception

Answer 3

Contractions

Question 4

Stages of Childbirth

Answer 4

1. Dilation of the cervix
2. Descent and Emergence of the baby
3. Explusion of the Placenta

Question 5

Mechanical monitoring of fetal heartbeat during labor and delivery.

Answer 5

electronic fetal monitoring

Question 6

Usual method of childbirth

Answer 6

Vaginal Delivery

Question 7

Delivery of a baby by surgical removal from the uterus.

Answer 7

cesarean delivery

Question 8

Method of childbirth that seeks to­ prevent pain by eliminating the mother’s fear through education about the physiology of reproduction and training in breathing and relaxation during delivery.

Answer 8

natural childbirth

Question 9

Method of childbirth that uses i­nstruction, breathing exercises, and social support to induce controlled physical responses to uterine ­contrations and reduce fear and pain.

Answer 9

prepared childbirth

Question 10

Local (vaginal) anesthesia, usually during the 2nd stage of labor

Answer 10

Pudendal Block

Question 11

A painkiller which reduced the perception of pain by depressing the activity of CNS

Answer 11

Analgesic

Question 12

A regional anesthesia, which can be injected into a space in the spinal cord between the vertebrae in the lumbar region.

Answer 12

Epidural

Question 13

An experienced mentor who furnishes emotional support and information for a woman during labor.

Answer 13

doula

Question 14

First 4 weeks of life, a time of transition from intrauterine dependency to independent existence.

Answer 14

neonatal period

Question 15

Newborn baby, up to 4 weeks old

Answer 15

neonate

Question 16

Lack of oxygen, which may cause brain damage.

Answer 16

anoxia

Question 17

Reduced oxygen supply

Answer 17

Hypoxia

Question 18

A stringy, greenish-black waste matter formed in the fetal intestinal tract.

Answer 18

Meconium

Question 19

Condition, in many newborn babies, caused by immaturity of liver and evidenced by yellowish appearance; can cause brain damage if not treated promptly.

Answer 19

neonatal jaundice

Question 20

Standard measurement of a newborn’s condition; it assesses appearance, pulse, grimace, activity, and respiration.

Answer 20

Apgar scale

Question 21

Neurological and behavioral test to measure neonate’s responses to the environment.

Answer 21

Brazelton Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale (NBAS)

Question 22

An infant’s physiological and behavioral status at a given moment in the periodic daily cycle of wakefulness, sleep, and activity.

Answer 22

state of arousal

Question 23

States of arousal in Infancy

Answer 23

Regular Sleep
Irregular Sleep
Drowsiness
Alert Inactivity
Waking activity and crying

Question 24

Weight of less than 5½ pounds (2,500 grams) at birth because of prematurity or being small-for-date.

Answer 24

low-birth-weight babies

Question 25

Infants born before completing the 37th week of gestation.

Answer 25

preterm (premature) infants

Question 26

Infants whose birth weight is less than that of 90 percent of babies of the same gestational age, as a result of slow fetal growth.

Answer 26

small-for-date (small-for-­ gestational-age) infants

Question 27

Method of skin-to-skin contact in which a newborn is laid face down between the mother’s breasts for an hour or so at a time after birth.

Answer 27

kangaroo care

Question 28

A fetus not yet born as of 2 weeks after the due date or 42 weeks after the mother’s last menstrual period.

Answer 28

postmature

Question 29

Death of a fetus at or after the 20th week of gestation.

Answer 29

stillbirth

Question 30

Proportion of babies born alive who die within the 1st year.

Answer 30

infant mortality rate

Question 31

Sudden and unexplained death of an apparently healthy infant.

Answer 31

sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)

Question 32

As the brain is still developing in infancy, the baby’s head should be protected from falls or other injuries. Also, the baby SHOULD NOT be shaken.

Answer 32

Shaken Baby Syndrome

Question 33

Breastfeeding is almost always best for infants. It should begin immediately after birth & ideally continue for at least a year

Answer 33

Nutrition

Question 34

part of the brain responsible for such basic bodily functions as breathing, heart rate, body temperature, and the sleep-wake cycle

Answer 34

Brain Stem

Question 35

the part of the brain that maintains balance and motor coordination. (smaller brain)

Answer 35

Cerebellum

Question 36

the largest part of the brain, is divided into right and left halves, or hemispheres, each with specialized functions

Answer 36

cerebrum

Question 37

Tendency of each of the brain’s hemispheres to have specialized functions.

Answer 37

lateralization

Question 38

nerve cells; send and receive information

Answer 38

neurons

Question 39

Outer layer of cerebrum

Answer 39

Cerebral Cortex

Question 40

nourish and protect the neurons

Answer 40

Glia/Glial Cells

Question 41

tiny gaps, which are bridged with the help of neurotransmitters

Answer 41

Synapses

Question 42

send signals to other neurons

Answer 42

Axon

Question 43

receive incoming messages

Answer 43

dendrites

Question 44

Process by which neurons coordinate the activities of muscle groups.

Answer 44

integration

Question 45

Process by which cells acquire specialized structures and functions.

Answer 45

differentiation

Question 46

In brain development, normal elimination of excess brain cells to achieve more efficient functioning.

Answer 46

cell death

Question 47

Process of coating neural pathways with a fatty substance called myelin, which enables faster communication between cells.

Answer 47

myelination

Question 48

Automatic, involuntary, innate­ responses to stimulation.

Answer 48

reflex behaviors

Question 49

related to instinctive needs for survival and protection

Answer 49

Primitive reflexes

Question 50

reactions to changes in position or balance

Answer 50

postural reflexes

Question 51

resemble voluntary movements that do not appear until months after the reflexes have disappeared.

Answer 51

Locomotor reflexes

Question 52

Modifiability, or “molding,” of the brain through experience.

Answer 52

Brain plasticity

Question 53

the use of both eyes to focus, enabling perception of depth and distance—usually does not develop until 4 or 5 months

Answer 53

Binocular vision

Question 54

Babies first learn simple skills and then combine them into increasingly complex systems of action, which permit a wider or more precise range of movement and more effective control of the environment.

Answer 54

Milestones

Question 55

The thumb and index finger meet at the tips to form a circle, making it possible to pick up tiny objects.

Answer 55

pincer grasp

Question 56

Screening test given to children 1 month to 6 years old to determine whether they are developing normally.

Answer 56

Denver Developmental Screening Test

Question 57

These perceptions are useful for navigating & manipulating the world

Answer 57

Motor development & Perception

Question 58

Use of the eyes to guide movements of the hands or other parts of the body.

Answer 58

visual guidance

Question 59

Ability to perceive objects and surfaces three dimensionally.

Answer 59

depth perception

Question 60

Ability to acquire information about properties of objects, such as size, weight, and texture, by handling them.

Answer 60

haptic perception

Question 61

Are produced by movement of the object or the observer, or both

Answer 61

Kinetic cues

Question 62

Apparatus designed to give an illusion of depth and used to assess depth perception in infants.

Answer 62

visual cliff

Question 63

Theory developed by Eleanor and James Gibson, which describes developing motor and perceptual abilities as interdependent parts of a functional system that guides behavior in varying contexts.

Answer 63

ecological theory of perception

Question 64

Esther Thelen’s theory, which holds that motor development is a dynamic process of active coordination of multiple systems within the infant in relation to the environment.

Answer 64

dynamic systems theory (DST)