Chapter 3 : PRENATAL DEVELOPMENT AND BIRTH

Prenatal development can be divided into three periods ____

1. germinal 2. embryonic 3. fetal

postpartum depression

Characteristic of women who have such strong feelings of sadness, anxiety, or despair that they have trouble coping with daily tasks in the postpartum period.

The danger of structural defects caused by teratogens is greatest early in ______

embryonic development

Less sensitivity to teratogens, although still potentially significant is in ____

fetal period

Some exposures to teratogens do not cause physical birth defects but can alter the developing brain and influence cognitive and behavioral functioning, in which case the field of study is called ______

Behavioral teratology

Particular teratogen influence both the severity of the damage to an embryo or fetus are ____

- Dose - Genetic susceptibility - Time of exposure.

Typical prenatal development begins with _____ and ends with _____ , lasting between 266 and 280 days (from 38 to 40 weeks).

- fertilization - birth

Factors that can harm the embryo or fetus

- number of drugs, - environ mental hazards, - maternal diseases - incompatible blood types - nutrition - age, and - emotional states and stress.

The birth process occurs in three stages

1. The first stage is the longest of the three stages. Uterine contractions are 15 to 20 minutes apart at the beginning and last up to a minute. These contractions cause the woman's cervix to stretch and open. 2. The second birth stage begins when the baby's head starts to move through the cervix and the birth canal. 3. Afterbirth is the third stage, at which time the pla- centa, umbilical cord, and other membranes are detached and expelled. This final stage is the shortest of the three birth stages, lasting only minutes.

By the time babies are born, they have approximately _____ neurons, or nerve cells, which handle information processing at the cel- lular level in the brain.

100 billion

Doula

A caregiver who provides continuous physical, emotional, and educational support for the mother before, during, and after childbirth.

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD)

A cluster of abnormalities that appears in the offspring of mothers who drink alcohol heavily during pregnancy.

Umbilical cord

A life-support system containing two arteries and one vein that connects the baby to the placenta.

Placenta

A life-support system that consists of a disk-shaped group of tissues in which small blood vessels from the mother and offspring intertwine.

Brazelton Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale (NBAS)

A measure that is used in the first month of life to assess the newborn's neurological development, reflexes, and reactions to people and objects.

Prepared childbirth, or the Lamaze method

A method similar to natural childbirth, developed by French obstetrician Ferdinand Lamaze It includes a special breathing technique to control pushing in the final stages of labor, as well as more detailed education about anatomy and physiology.

Apgar Scale

A widely used method to assess the health of newborns at one and five minutes after birth. It evaluates an infant's heart rate, respiratory effort, muscle tone, body color, and reflex irritability.

Small for date infants

Also called small for gestational age infants, these infants' birth weights are below normal when the length of pregnancy is considered. Small for date infants may be preterm or full term.

Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Neurobehavioral Scale (NNNS)

An "offspring" of the NBAS, the NNNS provides an assessment of the newborn's behavior, neurological and stress responses, and regulatory capacities.

Low birth weight infants

An infant that weighs less than 51⁄2 pounds at birth.

The postpartum period involves a great deal of adjustment and adaptation. The adjustments needed are _______

physical, emotional, and psychological.

Organogenesis

Organ formation that takes place during the first two months of prenatal development.

Germinal period

Takes place in the first two weeks after conception. Includes the creation of the zygote, continued cell division, and the attachment of the zygote to the uterine wall.

The field of study that investigates the causes of birth defects is called ____

Teratology

Cesarean delivery

The baby is removed from the mother's uterus through an incision made in her abdomen.

Breech position

The baby's position in the uterus that causes the buttocks to be the first part to emerge from the vagina.

Bonding

The formation of a close connection, especially a physical bond, between parents and their newborn in the period shortly after birth.

Blastocyst

The inner layer of cells that develops during the germinal period. These cells later develop into the embryo.

Amnion

The life-support system that is a bag or envelope that contains a clear fluid in which the developing embryo floats.

Trophoblast

The outer layer of cells that develops in the germinal period. These cells provide nutrition and support for the embryo.

Postpartum period

The period after childbirth when the mother adjusts, both physically and psychologically, to the process of childbirth. This period lasts for about six weeks or until her body has completed its adjustment and returned to a near prepregnant state.

Natural childbirth

This method attempts to reduce the mother's pain by decreasing her fear through education about childbirth and relaxation techniques during delivery.

Preterm infants

Those born before the completion of 37 weeks of gestation (the time between fertilization and birth).

kangaroo care

Treatment for preterm infants that involves skin-to-skin contact.

Psychoactive Drugs

Drugs that act on the nervous system to alter states of consciousness, modify perceptions, and change moods. Examples include caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine, as well as illicit drugs such as cocaine, methamphetamine, marijuana, and heroin.

The end of the first trimester as well as the second and third trimesters are part of the _____

Fetal period

Both the germinal and embryonic periods occur during the ______

First trimester

Teratogen

From the Greek word tera, meaning "monster." Any agent that causes a birth defect. The field of study that investigates the causes of birth defects is called teratology.

Embryonic period

Its occurs from two to eight weeks after conception. It includes the rate of cell differentiation intensifies, support systems for cells form, and organs appear.

Fetal period

Lasts about seven months, is the prenatal period between two months after conception and birth in typical pregnancies. Growth and development continue their dramatic course during this time.