Please respond to at least one classmate on this disscusion question. Do they have similar obstacles? Do you have any advice that might be helpful?
Disscusio 1
As a labor & delivery nurse, I feel as though both pregnant and breastfeeding women are some of the most vulnerable populations in health care. The effects of pregnancy on a woman’s immune system is significant, and typically healthy women can quickly become immunocompromised. Suddenly, this population becomes vulnerable to the quality of the air they breathe, and the temperatures in which they live in; aspects of which climate change can negatively impact. Education is an extremely important tool that we as nurses can offer to these women, as the issue of climate change is complex and can be difficult to understand.
One visible affect that climate change has had on this population is the observance of an increased percentage of babies born with low birth weights in communities located near areas of higher air pollution. “Studies show that breathing polluted air while pregnant can be harmful to pregnant women and their fetuses and may increase the risk of a baby having low birth weight” (Harvard, 2021).
Outside of some studies that have been conducted both here in the United States and China, there is not a ton of resources readily available regarding how to have a healthy pregnancy while living in areas that are subject to elevated pollution. One local resource to my population is the Connecticut Environmental Health Network. This organization’s mission is to “protect the developing child from environmental health hazards and promote a healthier environment” (CEHN, 2021). CEHN is a great resource to learn of climate change and the effects it can have on both mom and baby, and this organization also has a real presence in Washington D.C. in order to advocate for the population.
References:
Pregnancy: Low birth weight. C-CHANGE | Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. (2021, October 6). Retrieved August 28, 2022, from https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/c-change/subtopics/climate-change-and-pregnancy-low-birth-weight/
Children’s Environmental Health Network. Children’s Environmental Health Network – A healthy environment for all children. (n.d.). Retrieved August 28, 2022, from https://cehn.org/
