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THE EFFECT OF POSTMATURITY ON THE DEVELOPING CHILD
Author(s) -
Lovell Keith E.
Publication year - 1973
Publication title -
medical journal of australia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.904
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1326-5377
pISSN - 0025-729X
DOI - 10.5694/j.1326-5377.1973.tb119574.x
Subject(s) - gestation , pediatrics , medicine , incidence (geometry) , wasting , meconium , respiratory distress , obstetrics , gestational age , pregnancy , fetus , surgery , biology , genetics , physics , optics
A study was made of the neonatal behaviour of 106 postmature infants. Their progress during the first year of life and their social competence at one year were compared with a group of matched controls. There were 77 infants with a gestation between 42 and 43 completed weeks, and 37 whose gestation extended beyond 43 weeks. The incidence of foetal distress was high, the infant was more likely to be asphyxiated at birth and a significant proportion of babies exhibited abnormal neurological signs during the first few days of life. A significant number had severe illnesses and sleep defects during the first year, and at the one‐year examination an increased proportion had low social quotients. These adverse effects were apparent when the postmature babies were compared with the controls, but were even more significant after 43 weeks, when 27% of the babies had a low social quotient compared with 6% in the 42 to 43 week group. Adverse physical signs during the neonatal period were meconium staining of the cord and nails, subcutaneous wasting and adducted thumbs. These were all associated with diminished social competence at one year.