This paper examined the existing literature on delayed childbirth. It was noted that several factors contribute to delayed childbirth including: the decision to put off having children until one's education is completed, the decision to make career gains prior to motherhood, and so forth. The literature also indicated that there are both advantages and disadvantages associated with having children later in life but that despite the advantages, there are certain pregnancy and labor risks. These were said to include:longer first stage labor, greater intrapartum fetal distress, the need for need more intramuscular analgesia during labor, higher rates of cesarean delivery, higher rates of birth asphyxia, greater fetal growth restriction, malpresentation, and gestational diabetes, lower birth weight infants, lower gestational age at birth and higher risks of maternal mortality.
Several nursing interventions designed to maintain the health of both the mother and baby were examined. These interventions included: collecting relevant data, assisting parents with pertinent screening tests, providing pregnancy/birth education informing mothers about the risks and how to lower them such as changing certain lifestyle habits, and providing mothers with a variety of supportive services as well as with psychoemotional support.
The review concluded by noting that colleges need to provide nurses with additional training in the area as there are indications that delayed childbirth is a growing trend in America. It was also noted that ongoing research needed to be conducted toward the goal of determining optimal interventions for nurses in the work with these mothers.
According to O'Reilly-Green and Cohen (1993), delayed childbirth is a changing trend in parenting consisting of the decision to put off pregnancy until one is 35 years of age or older. This report examines the phenomena of delayed childbirth. The topics discussed in the paper in...