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Describe the effect of extremely low birth weight babies on the family and community

NRS-434VN Topic 1 DQ 1

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.
 

An extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infant is defined as one with a birth weight of less than 1000 g (2 lb, 3 oz). Most extremely low birth weight infants are also the youngest of premature newborns, usually born at 27 weeks’ gestational age or younger. Extremely low birth weight was associated with a negative impact on families.  Financial problems for the family, disruption of planning, disruption of planning, caretaker and family burden are some of the effects by ELBW infants. Parents of infants receiving neonatal intensive care are at increased risk of experiencing adverse mental effects and depressive symptoms. (Holm et al. 2022).
A baby with low birthweight may be at increased risk for complications. The short-term complications are low oxygen levels at birth, inability to maintain body temperature, difficulty feeding and gaining weight, infection and breathing problems caused by immature lungs. The long-term effects of low birth weights are mental retardation, chronic lung disease, cognitive delays, cerebral palsy, and neurosensory deficits (ie, deafness and blindness).
Racial disparities in maternal and infant health in the U.S. have persisted for decades. Black, American Indian, and Alaska Native (AIAN), and Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander (NHOPI) women also have higher shares of preterm births, low birthweight births, or births for which they received late or no prenatal care compared to White women. Pregnancy-related mortality rates among Black and AIAN women are over three and two times higher, respectively, compared to the rate for White women. Differences in health insurance coverage, no prenatal care, Receiving pregnancy-related care late or nit receiving the care  compared to White women are the disparities in maternal and infant health. (Hill et al. 2022).
BUY AN ESSAY HERE
Prenatal care is a key factor in preventing preterm births and low birthweight babies. Many mortalities and morbidity can be prevented by addressing the factors associated with low birth weight. The total health assessment of infants is important. Birth history, history of past and present health concerns, immunization history, developmental history, feeding history, family health history, and insight into the home environment is important.
Healthy Moms and Babies Connecticut offers resources for mothers and families to promote a healthy start, and information for clinicians.  It is part of the Connecticut Perinatal Quality Collaborative, which supports high quality maternal and newborn care by: (healthy moms and babies, n.d.).

Working collaboratively with healthcare providers
Supporting the best care
Sharing resources
Gathering data that helps improve care.

 
 
Healthy moms and babies, n.d. Healthy Moms and Babies. Connecticut. We’re about making moms and babies healthier. https://healthymomsandbabiesct.org.
Hill L., Artiga S., & Ranji U. 2022. Racial Equity and Health Policy Women’s Health Policy Racial Disparities in Maternal and Infant Health: Current Status and Efforts to Address Them.

Racial Disparities in Maternal and Infant Health: Current Status and Efforts to Address Them

Holm K.G., Aagaard H., Maastrup R., Dreier S. Brodsgaard A., & Visitor H. 2022. Journal of Pediatric Nursing. How to support fathers of preterm infants in early parenthood – An integrative review. https://www.pediatricnursing.org/article/S0882-5963(22)00246-9/fulltext. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pedn.2022.10.001
 

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xx great job. I agree with you DQ response. Due to the ongoing treatment and care needs for the ELVW infants its extremely important that we as nurses are educating the families and connecting to the proper resources to help the families through the growth and developmental phases so they understand and are aware. Not meeting these needs can lead to growth and developmental delays and a predisposition to subsequent development of chronic diseases (Green 2022).  We want to minimize complication and risk early, so yes prenatal care is a must for the pregnant women. In California Choc has a NICU Bridge Program The NICU Bridge program helps ease the transition and ensure your baby continues to receive care from familiar team.
 
Resource:
NICU Bridge Program. https://www.choc.org
 
Reference:
 
Green, Sue Z. (2022). Health Assessment: Foundations for Effective Practice. Nutrition and Oral Care During the First Year. (2nd ed.).
 

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A wonderful post, xx!. Thank you for bringing up the important issue of extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants and the impact it has on families. It is indeed true that ELBW infants often face numerous challenges and complications, and these can take a toll on the emotional, financial, and overall well-being of their families. The short-term and long-term complications associated with low birth weight are significant, and parents need to be informed and prepared to navigate through them. Healthcare providers must provide support, education, and resources to families of ELBW infants to help them understand and cope with these potential challenges (Gilarska et al., 2019). The racial disparities in maternal and infant health that you mentioned are also a concerning issue. It is essential to address and eliminate these disparities to ensure equitable access to prenatal care and improved outcomes for all women and infants, regardless of their race or ethnicity. Prenatal care plays a vital role in preventing preterm births and low birthweight babies. By providing comprehensive prenatal care, healthcare providers can identify and address risk factors early on, potentially reducing ELBW infants’ incidence and associated complications.
Reference
Gilarska, M., Raaijmakers, A., Zhang, Z. Y., Staessen, J. A., Levtchenko, E., Klimek, M., … & Kwinta, P. (2019). Extremely low birth weight predisposes to impaired renal health: a pooled analysis. Kidney and Blood Pressure Research, 44(5), 897-906.

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Your post on extremely low birth weight infants provides very insightful information for both individuals interested in the subject and families looking to be educated on the topic. You touched on some disparities that are specific to certain ethnic / cultural populations which is an important consideration due to certain risk factors associated with different ethnic / cultural groups (Mowitz, 2022). You also provided great examples for complications that are associated with extremely low birth weight infants.
 
References :
 
 
Mowitz, M. E. (2022, December 23). Burden of comorbidities and healthcare resource utilization among Medicaid-enrolled extremely premature infants. Journal of health economics and outcomes research. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9790150/#:~:text=Extremely%20premature%20infants%20are%20at,mortality%20or%20long%2Dterm%20disabilities.
 

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Hello XX regarding your post, I agree with you on the definition of extremely low birth weight babies are babies with a weight below 2.2lbs (Siva, S. 2023)They are usually born at 27weeks as you mentioned , they effects of having extremely low birth weight baby does not only affect the baby but also affects the the entire family and might extend to the community. These babies are faced with different problems with breathing, cognitive delays and mental retardation . Family are usually faced with long hospital stays ,financial problems and psychological problems like depression. Disparities in ethnic and cultural groups such a poverty, poor housing, limited access to health  has also contributed to extremely low birth weight baby. Like you said prenatal care is key to prevention of preterm babies.
 
References
 
Siva, A. (2023) Extremely Low Birth Weight Infant https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/979717-overview

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Hi  !
Indeed, extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants bring about significant challenges for both families and society. As Shea et al. (2021) discussed, these infants not only cause emotional and financial stress on families but also lead to a higher risk of depression among parents. This creates a considerable burden on families. Providing comprehensive prenatal care, as you pointed out, is crucial in reducing the risks of low birth weight. Your reference to Healthy Moms and Babies Connecticut is a valuable community resource for promoting healthy pregnancies and maternal and newborn care.
Shea, S., & Holschuh, J. (2021). Perinatal Outcomes in Extremely Low Birth Weight Infants. American Journal of Perinatology, 38(10), 1036-1040.

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Health disparities can be associated with the increasing number of children suffering from low birth weight babies. One of these is associated with ethnic groups such as African American mothers, who are likely to be affected by several challenges contributing to an increase in low birth weight babies. The first challenge is unlocking resources within the community related to better nutrition and health education. This is a challenge that contributes to situations where the young ones are affected as a result of poor nutrition options and less information about their babies’ health. Health education is significant because it contributes to improving the situations of affected patients while creating awareness of changes that are required within the community (March of Dimes, 2021).
Reference
March of Dimes. (2021). Low birthweight. https://www.marchofdimes.org/complications/low-birthweight.aspx

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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.

                      Extremely low birth weight babies have an effect on the family and community.  Low birth weight babies typically weigh less than 2.2 pounds and can have lasting impacts.  Short-term effects can include emotional and psychological stress for the families.  The parents can feel anxiety or fear for their baby’s survival.   The hospital costs in order to take care of their low birth weight babies can be enormous which may cause additional stress on the families.   The parents need to spend a substantial amount of time in the neonatal intensive care unit which can affect their work and family responsibilities.
There are also long-term impacts for the babies and families.    “Although higher rates of child abuse and neglect have been reported among preterm infants”  (Strathearn, Gray, O’Callaghan,, & Wood, 2001, p. 146).  There has been a connection between socioeconomic factors such as poverty, lack of education, and single parenthood.  They are also at a higher risk of health issues throughout their lives.  They may experience development delays or chronic health conditions, and this may cause ongoing medical care which again costs a substantial amount of money. There may be academically and socially issues which can impact them being successful in school.  If long-term conditions continue, parents may need to decrease their hours at work which can cause a financial burden on the families’ living situations.  Hospitals who have to take care of the low birth weight babies may have a financial burden of the medical costs until insurance may send payments to them to pay for the nurses, doctors, and the medical care it takes to help them survive.  The community may need to get involved with the increased demand on the hospitals for other future low-weight birth babies.  The medical demands of the babies alone can be devastating.   ELBW babies are more likely to experience complications including respiratory distress since their lungs are not developed yet, sepsis, or other medical issues which ultimately leads to longer hospital stays and increased costs.
When you examine disparities relating to ethnic and cultural groups, there is a higher rate of ELBW babies.  The reasons include having limited access to healthcare, financial hardships, and other lifestyle factors.  “Significant and persistent disparities in preterm birth and low birthweight exist: some minority populations (in particular, African Americans and Native Americans) and poor women are at far greater risk for these poor birth outcomes” (Fuller, 2000, p. 435).  These disparities have not changed in the past 100 years.  There is a pattern of risk factors for mothers such as lack of maternal education, medical conditions that existed before pregnancy, hypertension, lack of nutrition, poor access to health care, tobacco or alcohol use, and other environmental factors.  These racial disparities can have an unfair impact on specific communities more than others.
In Palm Beach County, there is a department called, The Maternal Child Health Division, which provides home visits to pregnant women and their infants.   They also give support and education to the entire family.  The end goal is to improve the birth outcomes by registered nurses who are their case managers.   The programs are called Health Beginnings, Nurse Family Partnership, and Women’s Health Initiative.  Their goals are to reduce low birth weights, increase parenting skills, help organize immunizations for children, offer family support, and breastfeeding education, and a host of other services.   They also offer support and education in different languages to eliminate any barriers that may exist.
 
https://palmbeach.floridahealth.gov/programs-and-services/clinical-and-nutrition-services/maternal-child-health/index.html
 
Fuller, K. E. (2000). Low birth-weight infants: the continuing ethnic disparity and the interaction of biology and environment. Ethnicity & disease, 10(3), 432-445.
 
Strathearn, L., Gray, P. H., O’Callaghan, F. M. J., & Wood, D. O. (2001). Childhood neglect and cognitive development in extremely low birth weight infants: A prospective study.                         Pediatrics, 108(1), 142-151.
 

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What a nice post! Extremely low birth weight babies not only have a significant impact on their families but also the community as a whole. The short-term effects on families include emotional and psychological stress, as parents may experience anxiety and fear for their baby’s survival. The financial burden of hospital costs for the care of low birth weight babies can also add to the stress experienced by families. Additionally, the time that parents need to spend in the neonatal intensive care unit can affect their ability to fulfill work and family responsibilities. Low birth weight babies can also have long-term impacts on both the families and the babies themselves. There is a higher risk of child abuse and neglect among preterm infants, which may be linked to socioeconomic factors such as poverty, lac

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