| Course | PAC 201 Child Development |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 2 |
| Paper type | Prenatal development paper |
| Length | About 1,030 words, 6 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Aspen University |
| Program | Psychology and Addiction Studies |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for PAC 201 Module 2
Timing, Treatment and a Thirty-Week Question: Prenatal Development and Birth for a Mother in Recovery From Opioid Use
Student Name
Psychology and Addiction Studies Program, Aspen University
PAC 201: Child Development
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
Timing, Treatment and a Thirty-Week Question: Prenatal Development and Birth for a Mother in Recovery From Opioid Use
Alicia is twenty-seven and thirty weeks pregnant with her first child. Two years ago she began treatment for opioid use disorder, and she has taken buprenorphine daily since, staying free of other opioids. She attends a parenting group at Desert Sprouts Family Center, an invented program in Tucson, where I work as a family support aide. Last week she asked the group facilitator whether she should stop her medication before the baby comes, because her mother told her she was "giving the baby drugs." This paper explains prenatal development and birth and uses the research to respond to her question. Alicia is a composite and Desert Sprouts is fictional; the studies discussed are real.
Three Periods of Prenatal Development
Prenatal development is usually described in three periods. The germinal period covers about the first two weeks after conception, as the fertilized egg divides and implants in the uterine wall. The embryonic period, from about the third through the eighth week, is when the major organs and body structures form, including the heart, the neural tube that becomes the brain and spinal cord, the limbs and the face. The fetal period, from about the ninth week to birth, is a time of growth and refinement: organs mature, the brain grows rapidly and forms connections and the fetus gains weight and practices movements such as breathing and sucking.
| Period | Approximate timing | Main developments | Typical vulnerability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germinal | Weeks 1 and 2 | Cell division, implantation | Exposures often prevent implantation or have no effect |
| Embryonic | Weeks 3 to 8 | Organs and structures form | Major structural birth defects |
| Fetal, early and middle | Weeks 9 to 27 | Growth, brain development | Growth and functional effects, including on the brain |
| Fetal, late | Weeks 28 to birth | Weight gain, maturation of lungs and brain | Growth restriction; dependence and withdrawal at birth after opioid exposure |
Why Timing Matters: The Dutch Famine
A tragic natural experiment shows the importance of timing. During the winter of 1944 to 1945, a German blockade caused severe famine in the western Netherlands, and daily rations fell to a few hundred calories. Roseboom et al. (2006) reviewed studies of people who had been in the womb during the famine. The effects depended on when in pregnancy the exposure occurred. People exposed in early gestation had higher rates of coronary heart disease, more unfavorable cholesterol profiles and more obesity as adults. People exposed in late gestation were born smaller and later showed more problems with glucose tolerance. The famine lasted only a few months, but its effects on health appeared decades later and varied with the stage of development at which the fetus experienced it.
Opioids in Pregnancy and Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome
Opioids cross the placenta, and a fetus exposed to them late in pregnancy can become physically dependent. After birth, when the supply stops, the newborn may show withdrawal, called neonatal abstinence syndrome, with symptoms such as irritability, a high-pitched cry, tremors, poor feeding and trouble sleeping. Patrick et al. (2012) analyzed national hospital data and found that the rate of neonatal abstinence syndrome in the United States nearly tripled between 2000 and 2009, while the rate of mothers using opioids at the time of delivery rose about fivefold. Newborns with the syndrome stayed in the hospital much longer than other newborns, and hospital costs rose sharply.
Treatment During Pregnancy
For women with opioid use disorder, medication treatment during pregnancy is the standard of care, because it reduces the use of unregulated opioids, the risk of overdose and the cycles of intoxication and withdrawal that stress the fetus. Jones et al. (2010) conducted a randomized trial comparing methadone and buprenorphine in pregnant women with opioid use disorder. About the same proportion of newborns in each group needed treatment for neonatal abstinence syndrome. But newborns exposed to buprenorphine needed much less morphine to treat their symptoms, were treated for fewer days and had substantially shorter hospital stays. More women in the buprenorphine group left the study before delivery, which the authors noted as a consideration in choosing treatment.
Answering Alicia's Question
The research gives Alicia a clear answer, which her medical team can confirm: staying on buprenorphine protects her baby. Stopping suddenly, especially late in pregnancy, would risk withdrawal for both Alicia and the fetus, as well as relapse to unregulated opioids such as fentanyl, which carries far greater danger. Her baby may show some withdrawal after birth, but the trial evidence suggests it is likely to be milder than with methadone and is treatable. Her mother's worry is understandable, but taking prescribed treatment is not the same as using drugs, and Alicia's decision to stay in treatment is one of the most protective things she can do. Any change in her dose is a decision for Alicia and her prescriber, not for a support group.
Birth and the First Days
Birth proceeds in three stages: labor, as contractions open the cervix; delivery of the baby; and delivery of the placenta. Immediately after birth, newborns are assessed with the Apgar scale for heart rate, breathing, muscle tone, reflexes and color. For Alicia's baby, the hospital team will also observe for signs of withdrawal over several days, often using a scoring tool.
Practices around care have changed. Many hospitals now encourage rooming in, in which the baby stays with the mother rather than in a nursery, along with skin-to-skin contact, a quiet, dim environment and breastfeeding when appropriate. These approaches comfort the newborn and help many babies with withdrawal need less medication. For Alicia, this means her own presence and care will be part of her baby's treatment.
Conclusion
Prenatal development unfolds through germinal, embryonic and fetal periods, and the timing of an exposure shapes its effects, as Roseboom, de Rooij and Painter show through the Dutch famine. Patrick and colleagues document the rise of neonatal abstinence syndrome, and Jones and colleagues show that medication treatment can be continued with manageable effects on the newborn. Alicia's question has an answer grounded in evidence: staying in treatment protects her baby, and her care after birth will help him through his first days.
References
Jones, H. E., Kaltenbach, K., Heil, S. H., Stine, S. M., Coyle, M. G., Arria, A. M., O'Grady, K. E., Selby, P., Martin, P. R., & Fischer, G. (2010). Neonatal abstinence syndrome after methadone or buprenorphine exposure. New England Journal of Medicine, 363(24), 2320-2331. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa1005359
Patrick, S. W., Schumacher, R. E., Benneyworth, B. D., Krans, E. E., McAllister, J. M., & Davis, M. M. (2012). Neonatal abstinence syndrome and associated health care expenditures: United States, 2000-2009. JAMA, 307(18), 1934-1940. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2012.3951
Roseboom, T., de Rooij, S., & Painter, R. (2006). The Dutch famine and its long-term consequences for adult health. Early Human Development, 82(8), 485-491. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2006.07.001
Reading the PAC 201 Module 2 assignment instructions
Prenatal development is the second module's focus in PAC 201, and assignments there typically ask for the stages of prenatal growth, how outside influences affect them and what happens at birth. Read the Module 2 assignment as written in your Aspen course; the client here is invented. Describe the germinal, embryonic and fetal periods accurately. Explain why the timing of an exposure matters, using research. Discuss a specific teratogen or exposure with current evidence, including what is known about treatment. Describe birth and the newborn's first days. Address the parent's concerns with accurate, nonjudgmental information, and cite every study in APA 7. Leave medical decisions to the parent and her clinicians, and say so in the paper.
Inside the PAC 201 Module 2 example
Alicia, at thirty weeks, wonders whether she should stop buprenorphine before birth. The paper outlines the germinal, embryonic and fetal periods in a four-row table with the vulnerabilities of each. Roseboom, de Rooij and Painter's Early Human Development review of the Dutch famine shows how early and late exposures produced different adult outcomes. Patrick and colleagues' JAMA study documents rising rates of neonatal abstinence syndrome. Jones and colleagues' New England Journal of Medicine trial compares buprenorphine and methadone in pregnancy. A section explains why stopping medication suddenly carries risk. Birth, the Apgar check, newborn observation for withdrawal and rooming in close the paper, with what Alicia can be told and who should tell her.
PAC 201 Module 2 rubric: what earns full marks
Prenatal papers earn credit for accurate description of development, correct use of research on exposures and clear, nonjudgmental application. This example explains timing through a natural experiment, the Dutch famine, before turning to opioids, so the reader understands why the same exposure can have different effects at different points. It reports the MOTHER trial's findings precisely and notes that neither medication eliminated withdrawal. The paper corrects the common misconception that stopping medication protects the baby. The section on birth describes what Alicia can expect without alarm. Throughout, the language describes Alicia as a mother in treatment, not as a risk to her child, and it leaves dosing decisions to her prescriber.
PAC 201 Module 2 help: mistakes that cost marks
Prenatal papers often list teratogens without explaining why timing matters. Use the germinal, embryonic and fetal periods to show when different systems are most vulnerable. Another weakness is presenting prenatal substance exposure in moralizing terms; describe evidence and treatment accurately. Distinguish exposure to a prescribed medication for opioid use disorder from exposure to unregulated drugs. Report trial findings precisely. Address birth and the newborn period, not only pregnancy. When writing about a parent, use person-first, nonjudgmental language. Do not give medical advice in your paper; describe what the evidence shows and where the parent should turn for decisions. Keep the table of prenatal periods accurate to the week.
Write yours, or have the desk draft it
This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Aspen University document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.
More PAC 201 and Psychology and Addiction Studies sample papers
- PAC 201 Module 1: Theories and Research in Child Development
- PAC 201 Module 3: Physical and Brain Development in Infancy
- PAC 201 Module 4: Perception and Cognition in the First Years
- PAC 201 Module 5: Language Development
- PAC 201 Module 6: Emotional and Social Development
- PAC 201 Module 7: Moral Development
- PAC 201 Module 8: Children's Care, Diversity and Careers
- PAC 310 Module 2: Ethical Decision-Making Model
- PAC 230 Module 7: Family History and Beliefs About Destiny
- PAC 120 Module 3: Attending, Observing and Questioning
- SBS 200 Module 6: Middle Adulthood
PAC 201 Module 2 questions, answered
What does PAC 201 Module 2 usually ask for?
Aspen's PAC 201 covers prenatal development and birth in this module, so explaining prenatal periods, influences and birth with research is typical. See the Module 2 prompt.
What are the three periods of prenatal development?
The germinal period of about two weeks, the embryonic period from about week three to week eight and the fetal period from week nine to birth.
Why does the timing of prenatal exposure matter?
Different organs develop at different times. Roseboom and colleagues found that famine early versus late in pregnancy was linked to different adult health problems.
Where can I find a free PAC 201 Module 2 sample paper?
Here, free: prenatal development, timing and opioid exposure explained through a mother in treatment, with a table of prenatal periods.
Is buprenorphine safe in pregnancy?
Jones and colleagues found that newborns exposed to buprenorphine needed less medication and shorter hospital stays for withdrawal than those exposed to methadone.