Pregnancy
Student Learning Objectives:
1. Distinguish among definitions of: Caesarian Section, Cell, Chromosone, Gene, Navel, Umbilical Cord, Fetus, Embryo, Placenta, Miscarriage, Prenatal Care, Premature Birth, and Birth Defect
2. Recognize that vaginal birth is the most common.
3. Explain the difference between fraternal and identical twins.
5. Explain the importance of Prenatal Care.
6. List 3 health behaviors recommended for pregnant women.
1. Distinguish among definitions of: Caesarian Section, Cell, Chromosone, Gene, Navel, Umbilical Cord, Fetus, Embryo, Placenta, Miscarriage, Prenatal Care, Premature Birth, and Birth Defect
2. Recognize that vaginal birth is the most common.
3. Explain the difference between fraternal and identical twins.
5. Explain the importance of Prenatal Care.
6. List 3 health behaviors recommended for pregnant women.
Vocabulary
- Cell: the smallest structural and functional unit of an organism. Each cell is made up of 46 chromosomes, 23 from your mom and 23 from your dad. An egg (ovum) and a sperm are two types of specialized cells.
- Chromosomes: determine a lot about how the person looks and how fast he or she grows and are made up of genes. Sperm carry either the X chromosome for females or the Y chromosome for males.
- Gene: a unit of heredity that is transferred from a parent to child and is held to determine some characteristic of the child.
- Navel: also known as "belly button" a depression in the middle of the abdomen that marks the point of former attachment of the umbilical cord to the embryo
- Umbilical Cord: a cord arising from the navel that connects the fetus with the placenta, it is how the fetus receives food and oxygen while inside the mother.
- Fetus: a developing human from usually two months after conception to birth
- Embryo: the developing human individual from the time of implantation to the end of the eighth week after conception
- Placenta: the organ in mammals that forms inside the mother's uterus, nourishes the unborn baby, and is pushed out of the mother after the birth of the baby
- Breast: the front part of a person's body between the neck and the stomach; in women, the parts that produce milk when she has a baby.
Remember: in order for pregnancy to occur, you must first have FERTILIZATION which is a meeting of the sperm (male) and ovum (female)
Anatomy of Pregnancy
Birth Terms
- Prenatal Care: the health care you get while you are pregnant
- Vaginal Birth: the baby will come out through the birth canal- Most common type of birth.
- Caesarian Section: The delivery of a baby where the doctor has to operate to remove the baby directly from the uterus.
- Premature Birth: a birth that takes place more than three weeks before the baby is due
- Birth Defect: a problem that happens while a baby is developing in the mother's body
- Identical Twins: One of a pair of twins who develop from a single fertilized ovum and therefore have the same genotype, are of the same sex, and usually resemble each other closely.
- Fraternal Twins: One of a pair of twins, not necessarily resembling each other, or of the same sex, that develop from two separately fertilized ova (eggs).
Signs & Symptoms of Pregnancy
- Positive Pregnancy Test
- Missed Menstruation cycle (Missed period)
- Tender, swollen breast
- Nausea with or without vomiting
- Increased urination
- Fatigue (Tired)
- Food aversions or cravings
- Slight bleeding
- Mood swings
- Dizziness
- Constipation
Embryo and Fetal Development
Embryo Growth (Implantation until the end of the 8th week of pregnancy)
4 weeks = approximately 7 mm (0.3 inches)
8 weeks = approximately 4 cm (1.6 inches)
Fetal Growth (9th week of pregnancy until birth)
12 weeks = approximately 10 cm ( 4 inches)
16 weeks = approximately 18 cm ( 7 inches)
21 weeks = approximately 25 cm (10 inches)
25 weeks = approximately 30 cm (12 inches)
29 weeks = approximately 34 cm (14 inches)
36 weeks = approximately 43 cm (17 inches)
40 weeks = approximately 51 cm (20 inches)
4 weeks = approximately 7 mm (0.3 inches)
8 weeks = approximately 4 cm (1.6 inches)
Fetal Growth (9th week of pregnancy until birth)
12 weeks = approximately 10 cm ( 4 inches)
16 weeks = approximately 18 cm ( 7 inches)
21 weeks = approximately 25 cm (10 inches)
25 weeks = approximately 30 cm (12 inches)
29 weeks = approximately 34 cm (14 inches)
36 weeks = approximately 43 cm (17 inches)
40 weeks = approximately 51 cm (20 inches)
What can go wrong?
- Miscarriages and birth defects may be caused by:
...a chromosomal abnormality in the ovum or sperm
...mother's consumption of drugs (including alcohol and tobacco)
...father's consumption of drugs (including alcohol and tobacco)
...mother's illness
...radiation and environmental pollution
...mother's age (the healthiest, safest time is in her 20s and early 30s)
...father's age
...birth trauma
...unknown factors
- Some possible reasons for the higher rate of birth defects, miscarriages, premature birth,
and low birth weight in babies born to teens are:
...no prenatal care
...late prenatal care
...poor nutrition
...consumption of alcohol, cigarettes and other drugs
...a chromosomal abnormality in the ovum or sperm
...mother's consumption of drugs (including alcohol and tobacco)
...father's consumption of drugs (including alcohol and tobacco)
...mother's illness
...radiation and environmental pollution
...mother's age (the healthiest, safest time is in her 20s and early 30s)
...father's age
...birth trauma
...unknown factors
- Some possible reasons for the higher rate of birth defects, miscarriages, premature birth,
and low birth weight in babies born to teens are:
...no prenatal care
...late prenatal care
...poor nutrition
...consumption of alcohol, cigarettes and other drugs