Prenatal Development and Birth - Essay Sample

Introduction

Prenatal development is divided into three sections one, two and three. Part one of the prenatal development involves germinal, embryonic and fetal growth. The germinal period takes place during the first fourteen days, and it has its vulnerability that about 50% of all conceptions fail to grow and implant correctly hence not able to survive this stage. Between the first third and eighth week is the embryonic period. Chromosomal abnormalities lead to abortion of around 20% of the total number of embryos. The period between the ninth week and birth is the fetal period. Abortion affects five percent of the total fetuses. About 31% of all the zygote survives to bring forth new life.

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The activities taking place during the germinal period include developmental of the placenta, implantation and rapid growth of the organism. During the embryonic stage, structures like ears, nose, mouth, head, and eyes are formed. Heart pulses can be felt. Neural tube, spine and the brain start to grow. During the fetus, rapid growth with considerable variation takes place, the SRY gene triggers the development of sex organs, and in the third month, neurological sex difference begins (Eriksson, 15). Body systems are said to develop at this period together with the nails of fingers and toes.

At 22 weeks after conception, the baby is ready to survive if medical care is provided. During the middle three months, the brain experiences rapid growth and can regulate primary body activities. The last three months involves final maturation of the heart, the lungs and folding in the cortex.

At birth, fetal brain signals release hormones that trigger uterine muscles of the mother to expand. During the first minutes, the following reflexes are expected to happen. The baby to cry spontaneously, bluish color to change to pinkish, eyes to open, fingers to grab and toes to stretch. Apgar scale should be introduced to assess the heartbeat, breathing muscle tone, color, and reflexes. Characteristics depend on support encouragement during labor, father or other relatives, midwife and medical professional. In the case of abnormalities, cesareans section should be performed. Birth can take place in the hospital labor room, birthing centers or even at home. Harmful substances such as behavioral and prenatal teratogens pose a danger. Risk analysis factors are a critical time, threshold effect, innate vulnerability, and teratology.

Average birth weight is above 2500 grams, and if the weight is below this, then the newborn is said to be of low birth weight. This poses a risk to the infants; they are later to smile, hold a bottle, walk and communicate. When the baby has been born, a test should be conducted to measure responsiveness and records of 46 behaviors including twenty reflexes. Newborns seek to protect themselves in different ways, maintaining oxygen, constant body temperature and feeding. Other reflexes that are important but not necessary for survival include Babinski, stepping, palmar grasping and moro reflexes.

Work Cited

Eriksson, Johan G., et al. "Prenatal growth and CKD in older adults: longitudinal findings from the Helsinki Birth Cohort Study, 1924-1944." American Journal of Kidney Diseases 71.1 (2018): 20-26.