Traumatology and Caring for the Widows - Essay Example

Traumatology and Caring for the Widows Caring for a child when there are two parents can cause an immense amount of stress. When there is one parent, the stress is amplified. To complicate issues is when there is trauma or a life-changing event occurs in reference to the mother, such as the loss of a spouse. At this point, the women would go from a state of stress to a state of trauma in which there can be lasting psychological repercussions not only for the mother, but for the child as well. One component of dealing with the mother after a traumatic event is addressing the psychological damage associated with the event.

In the context of September 11th, many women were widowed. This left a crucial element of support empty in the context of preparing for a baby. Social support is important in helping ward off psychological ailments such as stress, depression, and other maladaptive coping measures. Counseling services can especially help with the mother learning how to cope with these types of incidents. In addition, social support services can help with the daily stresses such as cleaning and cooking while the mother learns how to deal with the loss as well as adapt to the absence of the husband.

Prenatal development can also be effected by trauma and stress. Stress is known to cause an increase in hormone levels such as Cortisol, which can have an impact on the baby’s development. Increased blood pressure and heart rate in the mother can also lead to more complications as far as birth defects and other illnesses that can be born with the baby. Lastly, stress and trauma have a high comorbidity with alcohol and other illicit substances. If a mother takes these drugs while she is pregnant, it can result in birth defects and abnormalities which could possibly lead to premature labor, still borns, or the death of the baby after birth.

By making sure regular health checkups are in place for the mother, neonatal doctors and other medical practitioners can make sure that the baby is born free of illness and that the mother is living a healthy lifestyle, not only for herself, but for the child as well. Another component, which is important to understand are the benefits and economical situations. Often in the case of pregnancy, many mothers are forced to remain away from work in order to prepare for the birth as well as make preparations.

Thus, the husband is the main source of income as well as benefits, which can include the medical and medical support insurance. With the death of the husband, the wife can loose these benefits leaving her in a desperate situation. In order to deal with this situation, support from hospitals and organizations are needed to help fund and care for the mothers not only before the child is born, but also after in providing natal care. Trauma and crisis counseling are extremely diverse and difficult counseling professions to pursue.

The stress and anxiety that impacts an individual is different in every aspect. In the case of pregnant women, there are a few things such as money and insurance, which are of prime concern that can have repercussions, which could last past the birth. Also, it is important to address the mental aspect as it can lead to the development of depression and later on post partum depression. By offering services to these widowed mothers, not only is it addressing the problem for the mother, but it is also ensuring the survival and well being of the infant.