Postmaturity

Subject: Midwifery II (Theory)

Overview

Pregnancy typically lasts 37 to 41 weeks. Babies born after 42 weeks are referred to as postmature. Only a few babies are born at 42 weeks or later. Researchers are unsure why some pregnancies stay longer than others. A mother's pregnancy due date may be inaccurate because she is unsure of her previous menstrual period. If the date is incorrect, the baby may be born early or later than predicted. When a woman has already had a post-term pregnancy, post-maturity is more likely. After one post-term pregnancy, the risk of a second post-term birth increases by 2 to 3 times. Each newborn may exhibit different signs of prematurity.

The average pregnancy lasts 37 to 41 weeks. Postmaturity refers to newborns born after 42 weeks of gestation. At 42 weeks or later, very few babies are born. Post-term, postmaturity, protracted pregnancy, and post-date pregnancy are all words used to describe these late births.

Causes

Researchers are baffled as to why some pregnancies endure longer than others. Because a mother is unsure of her last menstrual period, her pregnancy due date may be wrong. If the date is incorrect, the baby may be born sooner or later than predicted.

Risk Factors

Postmaturity is more prevalent when a mother has already had a post-term pregnancy. The probability of a second post-term birth increases by 2 to 3 times after one post-term pregnancy. Other risk factors are:

  • First pregnancy
  • Male baby
  • Older mother
  • Mother or father's personal history of postmaturity
  • White mother

Symptoms

Each baby may exhibit various postmaturity symptoms. Among these signs are:

  • Dry, loose, peeling skin
  • Overgrown nails
  • Visible creases on palms and soles of feet
  • A small amount of fat on the body
  • Green, brown, or yellow coloring of skin from baby passing stool in the womb
  • More alert and "wide-eyed"

Postmaturity symptoms can mimic those of other medical problems. Make an appointment for your child to see a doctor for a diagnosis.

Diagnosed

The baby's doctor will examine:

  • The baby's physical appearance
  • The length of your pregnancy
  • How old baby appears to be

Treatment

The healthcare provider will examine the health of the unborn baby and seek any concerns. There may be tests that must be performed, such as:

  • Nonstress ultrasound testing. This investigates how the fetal heart rate reacts to fetal movement.
  • Checking the amniotic fluid level

Several factors may influence a healthcare provider's decision to begin your labor early. During childbirth, an electronic monitor may be used to monitor the baby's heart rate. This will aid in detecting variations in heart rate caused by low oxygen levels. Changes in the baby's condition may necessitate a cesarean birth.

Special Care for the Post-term Baby

  • Examining for breathing issues caused by the baby's breathing in fluid containing the first stools (meconium)
  • Low blood sugar blood tests

References

  • www.chop.edu/conditions-diseases/postmaturity
  • Tuitui, Roshani, and S. N. Dr. Suwal. Manual of Midwifery II (Intrapartum Care). Bhotahity, Kathmandu: Vidyarthi Pustak Bhandar, 2014.
  • www.msdmanuals.com › Home › Children's Health Issues › Problems in Newborns
  • www.medicinenet.com › home › medterms medical dictionary az list
  • https://www.urmc.rochester.edu › Encyclopedia
     
Things to remember
  • The average pregnancy lasts 37 to 41 weeks. Babies born after 42 weeks are referred to as postmature.
  • At 42 weeks or later, very few babies are born. Post-term, postmaturity, protracted pregnancy, and post-date pregnancy are all words used to describe these late births.
  • Researchers are baffled as to why some pregnancies endure longer than others.
  • Because a mother is unsure of her last menstrual period, her pregnancy due date may be wrong.
  • If the date is incorrect, the baby may be born sooner or later than predicted.
  • Postmaturity is more prevalent when a mother has already had a post-term pregnancy.
  • The probability of a second post-term birth increases by 2 to 3 times after one post-term pregnancy.
  • Each baby may exhibit various postmaturity symptoms.
  • Dry, loose, peeling skin, overgrown nails, noticeable creases on palms and soles of feet, and green, brown, or yellow coloration of skin from a baby passing stool in the womb are some of the symptoms.
  • Checking for breathing issues caused by the newborn breathing in fluid containing the first feces may be part of the post-term baby's special care (meconium).
Questions and Answers

Postmaturity

Pregnancy typically lasts 37 to 41 weeks. When a baby is born after 42 weeks, the term "postmaturity" is used. At 42 weeks or later, very few babies are delivered. These late pregnancies are also referred to as post-term, postmaturity, prolonged pregnancies, and post-dates pregnancies.

Causes

Why some pregnancies endure longer than others is a mystery to researchers. When a mother is unsure of when she last had a period, her estimated due date for the baby might be wrong. If the date is incorrect, the baby might arrive earlier or later than anticipated.

Risk Factors

Postmaturity is more likely to happenwhen a mother has hada post-term pregnancy before.After one post-term pregnancy, the risk of a second post-term birth increase by 2 to 3 times.Other risk factors include:

  • First pregnancy,
  • Male baby,
  • Older mother,
  • Mother or father personal history of postmaturity,
  • White mother.

Symptoms

Each baby may show different symptoms of postmaturity. Some of those symptoms are:

  • Dry, loose, peeling skin,
  • Overgrown nails,
  • Lvergrown nails,
  • Visible creases on palms and soles of feet,
  • Small amount of fat on the body,
  • Green, brown, or yellow coloring of skin from baby passing stool in the womb,
  • More alert and "wide-eyed".

Treatment

The healthcare provider wil check unborn baby's health and look forany problems. Tests may need to be done such as:

  • Ultrasound,
  • Nonstress testing. This looks at how the fetal heart rate responds to fetal movement.
  • Checking the amount of amniotic fluid.

Several factors may influence the decision of your doctor to induce labor early. An electronic monitor may be used to keep track of the baby's heart rate during childbirth. This will make it easier to detect changes in heart rate brought on by low oxygen levels. The baby's condition may change, necessitating a cesarean delivery.

The following special considerations for post-term babies:

  • Checking for breathing problemscaused bybaby's breathing in fluid containing the first stools (meconium).
  • Blood tests for low blood sugar.

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