Eugenics Continued: Prenatal Care (Nutrition, Hygiene, Abstinence from Smoking and Alcohol, Prenatal Education) and Prenatal Diagnosis

(5) Prenatal care

The normal development of a fetus depends on the nourishment from the mother's own essence and blood, and is also closely related to the quality of care during pregnancy. Promoting prenatal care is an important factor in ensuring healthy births; therefore, the following points should be noted during pregnancy.

Proper nutrition is essential. The fetus grows and develops primarily through nutrition supplied by the mother. The pregnant mother must provide nutrition for both the fetus and herself, therefore, she must increase her nutritional intake and ensure a balanced diet, avoiding unbalanced nutrition. For example, long-term deficiencies in vitamin D and calcium and phosphorus can not only affect fetal bone development but also cause osteomalacia in the mother. Iron deficiency can lead to poor fetal growth and development, and anemia in the mother. Zinc deficiency can also affect normal fetal development or cause birth defects. Research on human brain development shows that the first peak in fetal brain cell growth occurs around the 10th to 18th week of pregnancy, and the second peak occurs in the third month after birth. During pregnancy and the first three months postpartum, it is particularly important to consume eggs and fish to promote healthy development.

Hygiene during pregnancy. Be mindful of your daily routine, adapt to changes in temperature, and wear loose, comfortable clothing. Avoid binding your breasts too tightly to prevent restricting breast growth and the movement of the growing fetus.

Cautions during pregnancy: ① Viral infections: Viruses such as rubella, shingles, measles, polio, herpes simplex, influenza, and hepatitis can cross the placental barrier and enter the fetus, leading to fetal heart malformations, deafness, cataracts, hepatosplenomegaly, microcephaly, purpura, intellectual disability, or even intrauterine death, miscarriage, or premature birth. ② Medications: Some medications can cross the placenta and enter the fetus, causing embryonic gene and chromosome mutations, resulting in fetal malformations, stillbirth, or miscarriage. Examples of medications include chlordiazepoxide (causing cleft lip and palate), aspirin (causing skeletal, nervous system, and kidney malformations), barbiturates (causing microdactyly), estrogen (causing feminization in male infants), medroxyprogesterone acetate (causing masculinization in female infants and hypospadias in male infants), chloramphenicol (suppressing bone marrow, causing gray baby syndrome), tetracycline (causing enamel hypoplasia and congenital cataracts), kanamycin (damaging the auditory nerve, causing congenital deafness and kidney damage), and sulfonamides (causing neonatal jaundice and kernicterus). Therefore, medications should not be abused during pregnancy. If medication is taken for medical treatment, it must be used under the guidance of a doctor to ensure the safety of the pregnant woman and fetus. ③ Avoid sexual activity: Sexual activity during pregnancy should be moderated, especially during the first three months of pregnancy and in the late stages of pregnancy. ④ Avoid smoking and alcohol: Excessive alcohol consumption not only harms the mother but also inevitably damages the fetus. Extensive data shows that certain toxic substances formed after alcohol decomposes can cross the placental barrier and enter the fetus, leading to "fetal alcohol poisoning." This can cause fetal growth retardation, resulting in offspring with developmental delays, intellectual disabilities, personality abnormalities, or even birth defects. Therefore, pregnant women should abstain from alcohol. Tobacco contains over 1200 toxic substances. These substances can cause uterine and placental blood vessels to constrict, reducing blood flow and depriving the fetus of sufficient nutrients and oxygen, leading to fetal hypoxia, affecting fetal growth and development, and causing miscarriage, premature birth, and stillbirth. Children born from such exposure are also more likely to be weak, sickly, and intellectually disabled. Furthermore, the toxic substances in tobacco can cause mutations in genetic material, leading to congenital heart disease and developmental malformations in the fetus. Therefore, for the health of both mother and child, pregnant women should not only refrain from smoking themselves but also avoid the dangers of passive smoking.

(6) Prenatal education

Prenatal education does not mean that the fetus receives education directly from the mother's psychological activities, but rather that the various activities of the mother during pregnancy, especially her mental cultivation, can influence the fetus's development.

It has been proven that the concept of prenatal education in Traditional Chinese Medicine is a scientifically valuable theory. Doppler ultrasound monitoring and hysteroscopic observation have confirmed that after three months, most of the fetus's organs have gradually developed and matured, and its senses respond to external sounds and movements. Therefore, prolonged fear, anger, irritability, and sadness in pregnant women can lead to significant changes in bodily functions and various endocrine hormones, and induce alterations in the uterine environment, thus affecting eugenics.

Because a pregnant woman's emotions and well-being have a significant impact on the health and intellectual development of the fetus, it is crucial to avoid mental stimuli that are harmful to the pregnant woman's physical and mental health. At the same time, her family members should provide her with more care and attention, encouraging her to listen to pleasant music and view beautiful scenery to promote emotional stability and well-being, which is beneficial for the health, intelligence, and longevity of the fetus after birth.

(7) Obstetric diagnosis

Prenatal diagnosis, also known as "prenatal diagnosis" or "intrauterine diagnosis," is an effective method for preventing the birth of children with serious congenital or hereditary diseases and provides a scientific basis for active treatment and selective abortion. Commonly used methods include: amniocentesis, B-mode ultrasound, and blood type and Rh factor testing for both partners.

(8) Treating maternal illness and removing a defective fetus

For optimal birth outcomes, timely treatment of maternal illnesses is crucial. Actively treating pregnancy-related illnesses ensures normal fetal development. For pregnant women with serious illnesses that preclude pregnancy, abortion should be recommended. From a eugenic perspective, selective abortion is a positive and effective measure for mothers with serious illnesses that lead to fetal developmental disorders and birth defects, such as anencephaly, male fetuses conceived by mothers with hemophilia, or those who have had viral diseases like rubella in early pregnancy or have used large amounts of teratogenic drugs.