Preparing for Pregnancy: What to Know About Conception & Childbirth - Essay Sample

Introduction

Pregnancy and childbirth are the most interesting and yet surprising topics. Most people men and women alike know very little of all details about pregnancy and childbirth. From reading about the topic, I came to learn some of the most wonderful aspects involved during the 9 months pregnancy period. I also realized the need to learn more about childbirth and appreciate the risks associated with it.

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I was dumbfounded by the conception and implantation process. The process involves a release of an ovum by the Graafian follicle where fertilization occurs as the ovum moves down the fallopian tube. Interestingly, chemical reactions prevent other sperms from penetrating an already fertilized egg. The sperm and ovum nuclei combine to form a single cell called a zygote. Cell division occurs as the zygote moves towards the uterus. This cell division transforms a zygote into a morula, then blastocyst, and lastly becomes an embryo when the blastocyst attaches to the endometrial lining of the uterus. After conception, the woman and embryo body change the course of the pregnancy, which is divided into 3 trimesters. A woman's organs undergo adjustments and shifts to incorporate the growing fetus. The fetus similarly transforms during the 3 trimesters as they develop, where they surprisingly begin to realize whatever is happening in the real world despite being in the womb.

Another vital lesson I learned from the readings is the complications associated with pregnancies. Alcohol, tobacco and other drugs have detrimental effects on fetuses when used during pregnancies. The main problems attributed to drug use are they can cause; miscarriage, low-birth-weight, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), ectopic pregnancies, brain and behavioral disorders, and physical retardation and deformities. Women should avoid drug use in the entirety of the pregnancy period to ensure that they will conceive healthy infants. Pregnancy complications like preeclampsia and Rh incompatibility also interested me. These problems can be detected through methods like chorionic virus sampling, ultrasound, celocentesis, and amniocentesis. With the detection of these issues, they can be corrected with fetal surgeries that are proven to be successful.

Before reviewing the topic, I always had numerous unanswered questions regarding childbirth, labor, and delivery, I have learned that the labor process involves three stages that involve contractions, cervix dilation, baby delivery, and afterbirth detaching of the placenta. There are two types of deliveries namely vaginal delivery and the cesarean section. Women in the US are advised to choose the type of delivery they are most comfortable with. There exist various childbirth complications which are; placenta previa (blocking of the cervix by the placenta), breech births (the baby is not correctly positioned for birth), and preterm infants (babies born earlier than expected). These complication warrants for the cesarian section to save both the mother and the child or either.

Infertility and fecundity was also an engrossing topic. Infertility is an inability to conceive while fecundity is the ability to conceive within a particular period-commonly a year. Infertility in men can be attributed to low sperm count due to hormonal problems, heat and radiation exposure, infections, use of drugs, varicosity in the spermatic cord, or age. On the other hand, fallopian tube blockage, endometriosis, and failure to ovulate regularly are the causes of infertility in women. Modern-day reproduction technology has come to solve infertility and fecundity problems. Some of the most fascinating technologies include; surrogacy, in vitro fertilization (IVF), gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT), and zygote intrafallopian transfer (ZIFT).

References

King, B. M., & Reagan, P. C. (2019). Pregnancy and childbirth. In Human Sexuality Today (8th ed.). New York, NY: Pearson College Division.