Consider the following patient scenario:

A mother comes in with 9-month-old girl. The infant is 68.5cm in length (25th percentile per CDC growth chart), weighs 6.75kg (5th percentile per CDC growth chart), and has a head circumference of 43cm (25th percentile per CDC growth chart).

Describe the developmental markers a nurse should assess for a 9-month-old female infant. Discuss the recommendations you would give the mother. Explain why these recommendations are based on evidence-based practice.

The Health Assessment Of Infants-Sample Solution

Developmental Markers in a 9-month-Old Female Infant

Infants achieve various development milestones throughout their growth. For instance, in assessing a 9-month-old female infant, Brown, Parikh, and Patel (2020) observe that nurses should look for milestones like grasping and transferring objects from one hand to the other. Besides, such infants can stand with support and take steps while holding onto furniture. Other markers include playing with favorite toys, showing anxiety to strangers, understanding words like “no,” and can put things like toys in their mouth.(Developmental Markers in a Female-Infant Essay-Sample)

Recommendations

In the case scenario identified, the child’s length, weight, and head circumference are shorter than those of the same age group (National Centers for Health Statistics, 2018). The child is growing slowly and may lack essential nutrients like adequate nutrition. As a result, the nurse should educate the mother about the nutritional elements that are essential supplements of breast milk, such as nutrient-dense foods, fruits, and vegetables (Sentongo, 2019). It is also crucial to test the child and administer medications for digestive conditions like celiac disease, which hinder children from eating appropriately. They should also embrace breastfeeding instead of bottle feeding since breast milk contains the nutrients required for an infant’s healthy development.(Developmental Markers in a Female-Infant Essay-Sample)

The mother should also teach cause and effect and allow playtime with the child, such as stacking blocks and inviting the child to knock them out. Playtime is necessary for muscle development and calorie burnout, influencing them to consume more food and improve their weight (Brown, Parikh & Patel, 2020). Moreover, the child should undergo physical and occupational therapy in case of microcephaly. It is a disorder that hinders brain development and is caused by exposure to drugs like alcohol, brain injury during birth, or viral infections like rubella (Kempińska et al., 2022). These recommendations are evidence-based guidelines incorporating current evidence with clinical practice to improve patient outcomes. They have been tested and explicitly evaluated in breastfeeding mothers and infants.(Developmental Markers in a Female-Infant Essay-Sample)

References

Brown, K. A., Parikh, S., & Patel, D. R. (2020). Understanding basic concepts of developmental diagnosis in children. Translational pediatrics, 9(Suppl 1), S9. https://doi.org/10.21037%2Ftp.2019.11.04

Kempińska, W., Korta, K., Marchaj, M., & Paprocka, J. (2022). Microcephaly in neurometabolic diseases. Children, 9(1), 97. https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/9/1/97#

National Centers for Health Statistics (2018). Clinical Growth Charts. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved January 18, 2023, from https://www.cdc.gov/growthcharts/clinical_charts.htm

Sentongo, T. (2019). A new approach to comprehensive growth and nutrition assessment in children. Pediatric Annals, 48(11), e425-e433. https://doi.org/10.3928/19382359-20191017-01