Nature versus nurture is a topic that many people love to debate about. Nature refers to your biological traits. It refers to our genes that we have, and the personal characteristics that we hold. Nurture is what we have learned after birth. Such as, where we live, the environment we are brought up in, even the people that we hang out with. Nature and nurture both play roles in our lives whether we like it or not. There is not one that we can just erase and forget about because that’s how important these things are to individuals. Both nature and nurture play key roles in child development. Child development begins at birth. Pre-term babies are children that are born from weeks 36 and under. Term babies are children that are born from week 37 through week 39. Pre-term babies have to pass test before they are able to go home. Hospitals are not able to release them, until they complete the checklist for a healthy baby.
Pre-term babies don’t get this name for no reason. Yes, the child is born early, but this also comes along with health problems that they are exposed to. Since there bodies aren’t fully developed, these leaves there immune system at higher risk then if they were full term babies. Even at a young age, young children are more likely to get sick due to the lack of support there immune system has. So being born early isn’t helping them. They are at high risk of Anemia, PDA (Patent ductus arteriosus), NEC (Necrotizing enterocolitis), RDS(Respiratory distress syndrome),etc,. The list goes on and on, and this can result in long term effects as well.
Long term effects can happen as well. Even if a premature child is born and is perfectly fine, over time it can catch up with them. There are cases where symptoms don’t show even through 20 years living. According to March of babies, “Prematurity can cause problems for babies all throughout their lives. The earlier a baby is born, the more likely he is to have health problems. Some of these problems may not show up for several years, even into adulthood.”. A premature child can develop ADHD(attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) over the course of his life time. The individual may also have signs of anxiety, depression, vision problems, infections,etc,. All these long term problems due to a lack of care from the parents. The majority of the time, preterm children happen because the mother is using or around bad influences. Such as drugs or alcohol. This can even happen from a lack of nutrition that the mother is getting.
Before a child is born, it is crucial to understand the proper ways to care for a child. Not just after birth, but during the pregnancy as well. If an individual is able to understand the consequences of their actions, then they will be able to prepare for the child the best way possible. Whether that’s proper eating, quitting smoking, or taking away the intake of alcohol, every step along the way matters for a healthy child. When we take a step back and look, Nature and Nurture both play critical roles in the child’s life before he/she is born. This will be able to determine if a child is going to live a healthy life. It all starts by the parent being aware of what is going on through their pregnancy and forward.
