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PRENATAL DEVELOPMENT
(2) Period of the embryo (start of 3rd week to end of 8th week)
► formation of major organs, heart starts to beat
After implantation:
►embryonic disk differentiates into 3 layers of cells
1) ectoderm (hair, skin, nails, oil & sweat glands, nervous system)
2) mesoderm (muscles, bones, connective tissue, circulatory & excretory
systems)
3) endoderm (digestive tract, trachea, bronchi, lungs, pancreas, liver)
►after 4th week post-conception, heart is beating, embryo is 10000 times bigger
than a zygote
►during 2nd month embryo grows 1/30th of an inch every day, brain develops
quickly
►by end of 5ht week, skeleton and limbs are forming, eyes have developed
►by 8th-9th week, sexual development begins” genital ridge (i.e. the “indifferent
gonad”)
(3) Period of the fetus (9th week til birth, about 7 months)
►major organs start to work
►by end of 3rd month, organs are refined, bones hardening, muscles developing,
fetus starts to move limbs, wiggle fingers
2
►in 2nd trimester (4th, 5th, 6th months) sin thickens, nails harden, eyelashes and
hair develop
►by 6th month (25 weeks) auditory and visual systems are functional; fetus is 15
inches long, weighs about 2 lbs
►22nd to 28th week: brain and respiratory system develop; fetus is “viable”
► in third trimester (7th, 8th, 9th months) gain weight (fat), respiratory system
strengthens
►by middle of 9th month, fetus is so big that it rests head-down, limbs curled
around body (fetal position). Mother has uterine contractions to prepare for
childbirth.
Maternal Characteristics:
►age: < 15, greater odds of stillborn fetus or later-dying baby;
higher odds of dying in childbirth
> 35, greater risk of fetal and neonatal deaths, spontaneous
abortion
►Nutrition:
mother should gain 25-30 lbs while pregnant
malnourished mothers risk congenital defects, long labor,
stillbirth, infant
mortality in 1st year
►Maternal Diseases
rubella in pregnancy: blindness, deafness, cardiac problems, mental
retardation
- worse in 1st trimester (50-80% affected)
- still high in 2nd trimester (13%)
AIDS (HIV infection): 25% of babies with infected mothers are infected.
Can get the virus 3 ways:
1) prenatally if virus passes placental barrier
2) during birth, if blood is exchanged as umbilical cord separates
from placenta
3) after birth via mother’s milk
► Drugs
Thalidomide: a mild tranquilizer prescribed to pregnant women in the
1960s to alleviate morning sickness. Led to thousands of defective
children, esp. when taken during 2nd month
- deformities of the eyes, ears, nose, hearts, fusion of
fingers/toes, phocomelia (parts or entire limbs missing,
feet/hands may attach directly to torso)
o 21st day: no ears
o 25th – 27th day: deformed/missing arms
o 28th – 36th day: deformed or missing legs
o after 40th day: no effect
alcohol:
- fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS): microcephaly,
heart/limb/joint/facial malformation, irritability, hyperactivity,
seizures, small size, delayed physical maturation, low IQ,
mental retardation
- even moderate consumption (1-3 ounces per day) can lead to
fetal alcohol effects (FAE): retarded growth, motor skills
problems, physical abnormalities, poor attention span,
subnormal IQ
hallucinogens:
- heavy marijuana use linked to premature birth, low birth weight
- LSD increased risk of miscarriage, stillbirth, chromosomal
abnormalities in offspring
► Environmental Hazards
3 stages of childbirth
1st stage (8-14 hours for first-borns, 3-8 hours for later borns): contractions of
uterus 10-15 minutes apart, leading to fully dilated cervix
5
2nd stage (1/2 hour to 1 ½ hours): starts when fetus’ head is at cervical opening
- head eventually passes through cervix into vagina
- eventually emerges from mother’s body
3rd stage, the afterbirth (5-10 minutes): placenta is expelled from uterus
Perinatal Hazards:
Brackbill (1985): babies of mothers who were medicated smile less, are
irritable/inattentive, hard to comfort or feed
Due to mothers’ smoking, drinking, poor nutrition; mothers who are too young;
multiple births