A child’s needs.
- Physical.
- Social.
- Emotional.
- Intellectual.
Physical needs
The need for food, air, water, activity, rest and physical safety.
- Nutritional foods.
- adequate sleep, housing and access to healthcare.
Social needs.
The need for belonging, self-worth and the respect of others.
- Socialisation.
- Provide love, affection, confidence, attention and opportunities.
Emotional needs.
The need to feel loved and wanted by caregivers.
- Positive parent practices with warmth and praise to create emotional security.
Intellectual needs.
Knowledge, understanding, curiosity and search for meaning.
- Learning and communication.
Social support for parents.
informal or practical assistance from
relatives, friends, neighbours or the community.
This could include practical assistance with money and babysitting.
Having family members and individuals you trust to help babysit so parents can work and increase their financial resources.
With higher social support parents can better cope with stress and be more resilient.
Good for a child to have others in their life, for support and affection to help with development.
Emotional support for parents.
The feeling that others understand your needs and will try to help you.
Fears of being a good parent.
Lack of sleep.
‘Baby blues’ feel anxiety, mood swings and irritability.
Children who have a good emotional and social support network, when they become adults they may find it easier to create and maintain a supportive social network.
Health Literacy.
Knowledge people have regarding basic health information to make appropriate decisions about their health and well-being.
Antenatal Care.
Medical care is given to a pregnant woman before her baby is born.
Medicare
Covers whilst pregnant (help with cost):
- routine ultrasounds
- pregnancy counselling
- blood tests
- some immunisations
- care from midwives and obstetricians.
Dad and partner pay
New dads and partners receive up to 2 weeks of government-funded pay whilst on unpaid leave from work during the 1st year of birth or adoption.
Paid parental leave
A short-term payment while you are on leave from work to care for your new child.
Maternal and Child Health Service
Primary health service (free). A nurse will visit their homes after the baby is born, and talk about parenting, growth, development, promotion of health and wellbeing and social supports.
The Maternal and Child Health (MCH) app
Find essential and trustworthy information on pregnancy and infancy.
Can assist parents with appointments and finding useful contacts.
My Health, Learning and Development Record
- A record of a child’s health and wellbeing, growth and development
- Reminder for parents to attend maternal and child health visits and ask questions about the baby’s progress.
- Important child health and well-being and development education
- A booklet for information to be recorded at visits to a maternal and child health nurse
- a way of communicating between parents, and healthcare professionals.
Maternal and Child Health Line
Telephone support networks. Childcare health nurses provide information, support and advice regarding a child’s health.
Sperm
Male sex cell.
Ova
Female egg.
Fertilisation (conception)
Half of the mum and dad’s genetic material forms to create a zygote.
Where does fertilisation occur?
Fallopian tube.
In-vitro fertilisation.
Extracting an ova from a woman’s ovaries and mixing them with sperm outside the woman’s body. The zygote is then implanted into the woman’s uterus.
Stages of pre-natal development.
- Germinal
- Embryotic
- Foetal
Germinal Stage
0-2 weeks.
Starts at fertilisation and ends at implantation (cluster of cells attached to endometrium).
The zygote travels down the fallopian tube whilst dividing, after 4 days the zygote reaches 16 cells and becomes a morula.
5 days after: 64 cells –> transform into blastocyst.
Morula
Solid ball of cells.
