Summarize the Impact of Environmental Factors on Prenatal Development and Describe

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The Answer is A developing baby and its mother are linked through the placenta, and a mother's behaviors can affect the baby dramatically.
Severe maternal malnutrition is linked to increased risk of birth complications and neurological problems in the newborn. Moderate maternal malnutrition has been shown to have negative effects for many years after birth. Research links maternal malnutrition to vulnerability, schizophrenia, and other psychiatric disorders in adolescence and early adulthood.
Maternal drug use can significantly impact a developing baby, even if the drugs are legal, like alcohol and cigarettes. Many drugs, both prescription and recreational, are linked to birth defects. Problems can even be caused by some over the counter drugs.
Fetal alcohol syndrome, one of the leading causes of mental retardation, is a collection of congenital (inborn) problems associated with excessive alcohol use during pregnancy. Problems include microcephaly, heart defects, irritability, hyperactivity, and delayed mental and motor development. FAS is also related to increased incidence of depression, suicide, and criminal behavior in adulthood.
Maternal illness can also interfere with prenatal development; the nature of the damage depends, in part, on when the mother contracts the illness and the type of illness. Diseases such as measles, rubella, syphilis and chicken pox can all be hazardous to the fetus. The HIV virus can also be transmitted to the offspring through either the placenta or breast feeding or during delivery of the baby.
Prenatal health care begins early in pregnancy, with a focus on guidance from health professionals. Prenatal care is associated with higher survival rates and reduced prematurity, but many women, because of poverty and other problems, do not receive prenatal care.

Summarize the Impact of Environmental Factors on Prenatal Development and Describe

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