Conception To Birth Assignment Paper

Conception To Birth Assignment Paper

Your life began at the very moment you were conceived. "Conception" means the combining of the mother's egg cell, called the ovum, with the father's sperm cell. At that moment you were as small as the period at the end of this sentence and only barely visible to the naked eye, but that was your beginning.Conception To Birth Assignment Paper

As the DNA content of these two cells was combined within those first few hours, your very own traits were determined - the color of your hair, eyes, and skin; the configuration of your face and body; and even aspects of your temperament and intelligence. You were totally unique - a blend from two different parents which had never existed before.

As each generation of parents has passed down physical and other traits to their children, who later became parents themselves, you are then a combination of the attributes of all your ancestors! Amazing!

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However, it has only been in the last century that science has advanced enough for us to know all this.

Before then, there were only theories. For example, did you know that when the first sperm was seen under the microscope, some scientists believed that each sperm contained a perfectly formed baby, that we all descended from our fathers, and that mothers were only incubators for these already formed babies? In fact, some observers even claimed to have seen these complete babies inside the sperm! Those who believed in this were called "homunculists." Conception To Birth Assignment Paper

There was also an opposing group of scientists called "ovists," who believed that all mothers contained these perfectly formed babies within their ovums (egg cells). In fact, they believed that one mother would contain her daughter, her granddaughter, her great-granddaughter, etc.

Of course, these theories seem funny to us now that we have such an exact science on our own beginnings. As science progressed, we continued to learn more amazing things about our time before birth - how we could hear, and learn, and taste, and feel!Conception To Birth Assignment Paper

Read on and see how you grew to the person you are today.

How did you grow before birth?

After conception, the only thing you needed from that point was nourishment - to grow into the baby who emerged at the end of nine months and the person you now are.

Just curious or need info for a school report??? Feel free to download and print any of the photos and information you want!

Your 1st Month

First of all, with an occasional exception, there is only one egg cell released by the mother each month, and those cells were developed way back before her own birth! The sperm cells, on the other hand, are constantly produced by the father, who may release 20,000,000 to 500,000,000 at one time - all trying to reach that egg to produce a new life! If an egg cell has been released by the mother, it is estimated that it only takes about one hour for just one of those sperm cells to reach it. The tiny sperm have to actually "swim" up the mother's ovarian tube, a distance of about seven inches, to reach the ovum (egg). Talk about an Olympic event! Only a few dozen of the original millions of sperm cells make it! And only one "gets the gold" - actually penetrates and fertilizes the ovum.Conception To Birth Assignment Paper

There you have it - conception! This is zero hour of day one!

There's no turning back now! A brand new life has been created and immediately starts to grow!

Within a few hours the genetic codes of the parents are merged to create a completely new and unique person - unlike anyone else on earth - ever before or ever more!

OK. It's now time for a new home! Within that first week, you move down the ovarian tube and into the womb (uterus) where you pick a spot to attach yourself and remain for the next nine months. This is actually called "implantation" or "nesting." The uterus is lined with spongy tissue rich in blood supply which will be essential for your growth. This is how world-know geneticist, Dr. Albert Lily, the "Father of Fetology," describes this event:Conception To Birth Assignment Paper

"the young individual, in command of his environment and destiny, with a tenacious purpose, implants in the spongy lining and, with a display of physiological power, suppresses his mother's menstrual period. (This is why a missed period is a sign of pregnancy.) This is his home for the next 270 days, and to make it habitable, the embryo (new baby) develops a placenta (nutrition source) and a protective capsule of fluid for himself."

Now you've got a home, nutrition, and a safe environment, so it's time to really start growing. Cells increase from hundreds to many thousands, all with their own special purpose. Within the next couple of weeks, arms start to emerge, followed two days later by the legs. Concurrently, internal organs are developing and starting to function! Did you know that your heartbeat could be detected just 18 days after conception???By the end of the first month, you have experienced the greatest size increase and physical change of your entire lifetime. You are now ten thousand times larger than you were at conception, but still tiny - just ¼ to ½ inch long - but it's you nevertheless!Conception To Birth Assignment Paper

During this second month, you'll really be getting down to detail. By day 40 your brain waves could actually be measured! You're becoming a well-proportioned, small-scale baby. Check out this amazing picture of a still living baby at just 6 weeks after conception.

Dr. Paul E. Rockwell, Director of Anesthesiology at Leonard Hospital in Troy, New York, stated:
"Eleven years ago while giving an anesthetic for a ruptured tubal pregnancy, I was handed what I believed to be the smallest living human being ever seen. The embryo sac was intact and transparent. Within the sac was a tiny human male swimming extremely vigorously in the amniotic fluid, while attached to the wall by the umbilical cord. This tiny human was perfectly developed, with long tapering fingers, feet and toes. It was almost transparent, as regards the skin, and the delicate arteries and veins were prominent to the ends of the fingers."Conception To Birth Assignment Paper

"The baby was extremely alive and swam about the sac approximately one time per second with a natural swimmer's stroke."

In the sixth and seventh week, nerves and muscles work together for the first time. The lip area is the first to become sensitive to touch; and if the lips are stroked, you will pull away - your first reaction to a stimulus.

By the seventh week your body has become nicely rounded and padded with muscles. Your internal organs are not only present, they are beginning to function. Your stomach produces digestive juices; your liver manufactures blood cells, and your kidneys extract uric acid from your blood. Your body is completely developed into a small-scale baby, just one inch tall!

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You also begin your own exercise program as you bend and stretch those new muscles. This movement is considered to be as important as your growth itself, as you prepare for your life after birth.

By this point, if you have been kept safe from harmful chemicals and diseases, you will have a good start at life. During this development stage, the accelerated cell growth can be adversely affected by diseases of the mother which can be given to the baby, causing significant birth defects. Also, the use of alcohol, cigarettes, and drugs can cause birth defects, mental retardation, or even death of the developing baby.

As your ears, hands, and feet are nearing completion, they are also taking on their individuality, shaped according to family patterns. For example, if big ears or large feet "run in the family" and this is a dominant gene, these individualized appearances will occur at this time.Conception To Birth Assignment Paper

By eight weeks, all your body systems are present, and it's time to start using the various parts of this new body.

Your 3rd Month

Moving from the second to the third month marks the end of the "embryo" and the beginning of the "fetus." The word "fetus" is Latin for "young one." The body is now essentially complete, and the skeleton is beginning to change from cartilage to actual bone cells. Consequently, embryologists chose to identify this as a time for perfecting the functions of the body, following the perfection of the body's structure.

Your eyelids and palms are now becoming sensitive to touch, and you will make a partial fist on an object placed in the palm of your hand.

In the ninth and tenth weeks, these nerve/muscle connections increase three-fold, and almost your entire body becomes sensitive to touch. You can squint, swallow, and frown in response to stimuli. You can make facial expressions and even smile! You've become so coordinated in your movement that you can even turn summersaults - both forward and backwards.

All this activity, and your mother didn't even feel it! That's because you are still small enough to fit in the palm of your parent's hand.

By the end of the 12th week, you have reached another milestone. Your movement is now becoming fluid and graceful. Your facial expressions are actually similar to your parents! You also have your own fingerprints, which will remain with you throughout your lifetime.Conception To Birth Assignment Paper

You are also beginning to breathe! You are not breathing air though. You're breathing the fluid which surrounds you. You may wonder how this is possible. Wouldn't you drown? Well, since you are getting your oxygen from your mother through the umbilical cord, breathing the fluid actually develops your lungs for breathing air when you're born.
Unfortunately, this is also a difficult time for babies whose mothers smoke, as they are receiving this same smoke-filled air, which decreases their breathing by 20%.Conception To Birth Assignment Paper

From now on you will continue to rehearse and improve the vital functions of breathing and moving in preparation for birth.

Your 4th Month

During this four-week period, you increased your weight six fold and added five inches to your height. You have now reached about half your height at birth. Now your mother knows you're there. You're big enough for her to feel you move, and you are forcing the growth of her abdomen to accommodate your ever-increasing size.

Your taste buds are now working, and you show preferences! Sweetener introduced into the fluid surrounding babies will result in an increase in swallowing, and sour substances will result in a decrease.Conception To Birth Assignment Paper

By the end of the fourth month, your heart is pumping about 25 quarts of blood per day!
You can also hear now. What can you hear?

A tiny microscope was placed next to the head of a baby in the womb, which revealed that he heard everything the scientists heard. They stated:

"We heard almost everything, from people talking 12 feet away, to a door opening in the room, to a cart going down the hall with the door closed. The clarity was incredible. It was easy to tell who was talking."Conception To Birth Assignment Paper

Your 5th Month

This month you grow to about one foot long. You are also growing hair - on your head, eyebrows, and eyelashes. Your mother is really feeling your presence too. You are turning and kicking on a regular basis, and even your hiccups can be felt.
You are also beginning to establish a sleep and wake pattern and may even dream! Rapid eye movement (REM), indicative of dreaming, has been recorded at just 17 weeks after conception.Conception To Birth Assignment Paper

Boxing matches have even been seen between twins. As one twin batted his brother, the other batted back. After a few minutes they both rested and then started another round!

Other experiments during this time period have shown that loud music can cause a baby to cover his ears, and a very bright light on his mother's abdomen can cause him to move his hand to a position shielding his eyes.

Your 6th Month

You are now about fourteen inches long and have begun to accumulate a little fat under your skin. Your eyelids are now open; and you are vigorously exercising your eyes, moving them back and forth. Your grip is also becoming very strong.

At this stage, many babies with birth defects or other medical problems can be operated upon to correct these things before birth. Babies who previously had very low survival potential are now routinely operated upon during these last few months. This amazing photograph was taken during an operation on a 21-week baby who had a spinal problem compressing on his brain. Little Samuel Armas is now a teenager, but he shook his doctor's hand well before he was born!Conception To Birth Assignment Paper
"My name is Michael Clancy and I am the photojournalist that photographed Samuel Armas reaching from his mother's womb and reacting to the touch of his surgeon at twenty-one weeks in utero during a spina bifida corrective procedure in 1999."

"Out of the corner of my eye I saw the uterus shake, but no one's hands were near it. It was shaking from within. Suddenly, an entire arm thrust out of the opening, then pulled back until just a little hand was showing. The doctor reached over and lifted the hand, which reacted and squeezed the doctor's finger. As if testing for strength, the doctor shook the tiny fist. Samuel held firm. I took the picture! Wow! It happened so fast that the nurse standing next to me asked, "What happened?" "The child reached out," I said. "Oh, they do that all the time," she responded." Photo by Michael Clancy.

Your 7th, 8th, and 9th Month

Now you are really gaining weight, in preparation for your birth, putting on several pounds. You are practicing sucking your thumb; and if you are lucky enough to have hair on your head, it is growing rapidly.Conception To Birth Assignment Paper

You are getting cramped in your womb home, and all your movements are easily felt by your mother. Sometimes you even keep her up nights with your kicking!

During these final months you are also getting important immunities transferred from your mother to protect you from diseases during the first few months after birth.

New research on the baby's ability to learn while still in the womb is showing amazing results. We now know that as early as eight weeks before birth, the baby prefers his own mother's voice to anyone else! Mothers are being encouraged to sing lullabies before their babies' births, which will then sooth them in those first months after birth. Recognition of their mothers' voices is evidence that they are capable of learning. This has lead scientists to believe that the process of learning language may actually begin before birth.Conception To Birth Assignment Paper

OK. So now those two cells which united nine months ago have become two hundred million cells, and they weigh six billion times more than the fertilized egg! There's no more room for you in the womb, so it's time to break out.

And guess who determined when you would be born - you did! (Unless the doctor decided to deliver you by C-section.) As Dr. Lily has stated:

And, finally, he determines his own birthday, for unquestionably, the onset of labor is a unilateral decision of the fetus.

It wasn't easy for you and your Mom - this birth event. You got pretty squeezed, and she got stretched, but eventually you saw the light of day. And now, just like those first nine months, you continued to change, grow, and learn to become the person you are today. As long as you have nutrition and a safe environment, now you will continue to change, grow, and learn for your entire lifetime - however long that may be!Conception To Birth Assignment Paper

A normal pregnancy usually lasts about 40 weeks, counting from the first day of a woman's last menstrual period, which is about two weeks before conception actually occurs.

Pregnancy is divided into three trimesters. Each of these periods lasts between 12 and 13 weeks.

During each trimester, changes take place in a pregnant woman's body as well as in the developing fetus, and a summary of these changes will be described below.

About two weeks after a woman has her period, she ovulates and her ovaries release one mature egg. The egg can be fertilized for 12 to 24 hours after it's released as it travels down the Fallopian tube toward the uterus. Conception To Birth Assignment Paper

If an egg meets up with a sperm cell that has made its way into the Fallopian tube, it combines into one cell, a process that's known as fertilization or conception.

At fertilization, the sex of the fetus is already determined, depending on whether the egg receives an X or Y chromosome from a sperm cell. If the egg receives an X chromosome, the baby will be a girl; a Y chromosome means the baby will be a boy.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, it takes about three to four days for the fertilized egg (or embryo) to move to the lining of the uterus, where it attaches or implants to the uterine wall. Once the embryo is implanted, the cells start to grow, eventually becoming the fetus and the placenta, which is tissue that can transport oxygen, nutrients and hormones from the mother's blood to the developing fetus throughout pregnancy.Conception To Birth Assignment Paper

A woman will experience a lot of symptoms during her first trimester as she adjusts to the hormonal changes of pregnancy. In the early weeks, the pregnancy may not be showing much on the outside of her body, but inside many changes are taking place.

For example, human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) is a hormone that will be present in a woman's blood from the time conception occurs. Levels of hCG can be detected in a woman's urine about a week after she has a missed period, and it is why a woman will have a positive result on a home pregnancy test.

Other hormonal changes can contribute to pregnancy symptoms: Rising levels of estrogen and hCG may be responsible for the waves of nausea and vomiting known as morning sickness that a woman typically feels during her first few months of pregnancy. Despite its name, morning sickness can occur any time of day. Conception To Birth Assignment Paper

A woman will also feel more tired than usual during the first trimester, a symptom that's linked with rising levels of the hormone progesterone, which increases sleepiness. She may also need to urinate more frequently as her uterus grows and presses on her bladder.

Early in pregnancy, a woman's breasts will feel more tender and swollen, another side effect of rising levels of pregnancy hormones. Her areolas, the skin around each nipple, will darken and enlarge.

A pregnant woman's digestive system may slow down to increase the absorption of beneficial nutrients. But reduced mobility of the digestive system might also trigger such common complaints as heartburn, constipation, bloating and gas, according to the Office on Women's Health (OWH).

Many parts of the body will work harder during pregnancy, including a woman's heart. Her heartbeat will increase to pump more blood to the uterus, which will supply it to the fetus.

As more blood circulates to a woman's face, it will give her skin a rosier complexion, described as a "pregnancy glow."

Besides the physical changes in a woman's body, she may also experience emotional highs and lows in the early months of her pregnancy and throughout it. These emotions may range from weepiness, mood swings and forgetfulness to fear, anxiety and excitement. Conception To Birth Assignment Paper

A developing baby is called an embryo from the moment conception takes place until the eighth week of pregnancy.

During the first month of pregnancy the heart and lungs begin to develop, and the arms, legs, brain, spinal cord and nerves begin to form, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG).

The embryo will be about the size of a pea around one month into a pregnancy, Burch said. Around the second month of pregnancy, the embryo has grown to the size of a kidney bean, he explained. In addition, the ankles, wrists, fingers and eyelids form, bones appear, and the genitals and inner ear begin to develop.

After the eighth week of pregnancy and until birth occurs, a developing baby is called a fetus.

By the end of the second month, eight to 10 of the fetus' main organs will have formed, Burch said. At this stage of pregnancy, he stressed, it's extremely important that pregnant women do not take harmful medications, such as illegal drugs. The first trimester is also the period when most miscarriages and birth defects occur. Conception To Birth Assignment Paper

During the third month of pregnancy, bones and muscles begin to grow, buds for future teeth appear, and fingers and toes grow. The intestines begin to form and the skin is almost transparent.

By the second trimester, some of the unpleasant effects of early pregnancy may lessen or disappear as a woman's body adjusts to its changing hormone levels. Sleeping may get easier and energy levels may increase.

Nausea and vomiting usually get better and go away, Burch told Live Science. But other symptoms may crop up as the fetus continues its growth and development.

Women feel more pelvic pressure, Burch said, adding that the pelvis feels heavy like something is weighing it down.

A more visible baby bump appears as the uterus grows beyond a woman's pelvis, and the skin on her expanding belly may itch as its stretches, according to the OWH.

As the fetus is getting bigger and a woman is gaining more pregnancy weight in the front of her body, she may also experience more back pain, Burch said.

Sometime between the 16th and 18th weeks of pregnancy, a first-time mother may feel the first fluttering movements of the fetus, known as quickening, Burch said. If a woman has had a baby before, she is likely to feel the fetus kicking, squirming or turning even sooner because she knows what to expect, he explained.

The 20th week usually marks the halfway point of a woman's pregnancy. Conception To Birth Assignment Paper

Burch encourages his patients to take a "baby-moon" — a mini-vacation or weekend getaway — during the second trimester, and he said the best time to get away is around the 28th week of pregnancy. A woman is generally feeling pretty good at this point, there's a lower risk of miscarriage and premature labor, and some health professionals may discourage airplane travel after the 36th week.

In the second trimester, the fetus is growing a lot and will be between 3 and 5 inches long, Burch said. Sometime between 18 and 22 weeks, an ultrasound may reveal the sex of the baby, if parents want to know this information in advance.

By the fourth month of pregnancy, eyebrows, eyelashes, fingernails and the neck all form, and the skin has a wrinkled appearance. In addition, during the fourth month the arms and legs can bend, the kidneys start working and can produce urine, and the fetus can swallow and hear, according to ACOG.

In the fifth month of pregnancy, the fetus is more active and a woman may be able to feel its movements. The fetus also sleeps and wakes on regular cycles. A fine hair (called lanugo) and a waxy coating (called vernix) cover and protect the thin fetal skin.

By the sixth month of pregnancy, hair begins to grow, the eyes begin to open and the brain is rapidly developing. Although the lungs are completely formed, they don't yet function. Conception To Birth Assignment Paper

During the third trimester, as a woman's enlarged uterus pushes against her diaphragm, a major muscle involved in breathing, she may feel short of breath because the lungs have less room to expand, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. Her ankles, hands, feet and face may swell as she retains more fluids and her blood circulation slows.

A mother-to-be will need to pee more frequently because more pressure will be placed on her bladder. She may also have more backaches and more pain in the hips and pelvis, as these joints relax in preparation for delivery.

Her face may develop dark patches of skin, and stretch marks may appear on her belly, thighs, breasts and backside. She may also notice varicose veins on her legs.

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In the third trimester, a woman's breasts may experience some leakage of colostrum, a yellow liquid, as they get ready for breastfeeding, according to the OWH. The baby will drop lower in her abdomen.

False labor, known as Braxton-Hicks contractions, may begin to occur as a woman gets closer to her due date. A "nesting instinct" may kick in as a mother-to-be and her partner baby-proof their home, shop for baby items, prepare the nursery and await their new arrival.

During the final weeks of pregnancy, it will become harder to find a comfortable sleeping position, so women may be extremely tired, Burch said. Conception To Birth Assignment Paper

As delivery approaches, some women love the experience of being pregnant, while others may feel like they can't wait for it to end, Burch said.

By the seventh month of pregnancy, the fetus kicks and stretches, and can even respond to light and sound, like music, Burch said. Eyes can open and close.

During the eighth month of pregnancy, the fetus gains weight very quickly. Bones harden, but the skull remains soft and flexible to make delivery easier. Different regions of the brain are forming, and the fetus is able to hiccup, according to ACOG.

The ninth month is the home stretch of pregnancy, and the fetus is getting ready for birth by turning into a head-down position in a woman's pelvis. The lungs are now fully mature to prepare for functioning on their own. The fetus continues to gain weight rapidly.

The new definition of a full-term pregnancy is when a baby is born after 39 to 40 weeks (it used to be 37 weeks), Burch said.

Conception

Out of hundreds of eggs and millions of sperm, one egg and one sperm unite at conception. This union, called fertilization, takes place in the woman’s Fallopian tube and the fertilized egg, also called a zygote, divides into approximately 12 to 16 cells on its journey through the fallopian tube to reach and implant in the uterus.

First Trimester

In the first four weeks from conception, fetal growth of the ovum begins with development of the spinal cord, nervous system, gastrointestinal system, heart and lungs. By eight weeks, in the embryonic stage, the face is forming, arms and legs move, the baby’s heart begins beating and the brain and other organs form.

By 12 weeks, the baby, now called a fetus, grows to 3 inches long and weighs 1 ounce. She can move fingers and toes. Fingerprints are present. The baby smiles, frowns, sucks, swallows and urinates. The sex of the baby can be discerned by this time.Conception To Birth Assignment Paper

Second Trimester

During the second three months of pregnancy, the baby kicks, can hear and has a strong grip. At 16 weeks a strong heartbeat is evident. The skin is transparent and fingernails and toenails form. The baby can roll over in the amniotic fluid. At 20 weeks, the heartbeat can be heard with a stethoscope. The baby has hair, eyelashes and eyebrows. He can suck his thumb and may have hiccups. By 24 weeks, the baby is 11 to 14 inches long and weighs 1 to 1 1/2 pounds. His skin is covered with a protective coating, his eyes are open and meconium, which will be his first bowel movement after birth, is collecting in his colon.

Third Trimester

The baby is very active at 28 weeks and initial breathing movements begin. She is adding body fat. By 32 weeks, the baby experiences periods of sleep and wakefulness and responds to sounds. A six months supply of iron is accumulating in the liver. By 36 to 38 weeks she is 19 or more inches long and weighs 6 pounds or more. At this point she is less active and gains immunities from her mother.

Birth

Birth involves three stages. In the first stage, lasting 12 to 24 hours for first-time mothers, uterine contractions spaced 15 to 20 minutes apart in the beginning and lasting up to a minute stretch the woman’s cervix and it begins to open. By the end of the first stage, contractions come every two to five minutes and dilate the cervix to an opening of about 4 inches, which allows the baby to move from the uterus to the birth canal.

The second stage of birth begins with the baby’s head moving through the cervix and birth canal. By this time contractions come nearly every minute and last about a minute. The second stage ends when the baby emerges completely from the mother’s body.

The third stage of birth is the afterbirth in which the placenta, umbilical cord and membranes detach and are expelled. This final stage lasts only minutes.Conception To Birth Assignment Paper

When does life truly begin? The stunning documentary Life before Birth doesn't approach this question primarily from a social or political perspective, but through the prism of medical and scientific observation. Utilizing the latest in spectacular 4D ultrasound imagery and innovative computerized animations, the film shows us the miraculous development of a fetus during its time in the womb.

The mysteries of life originate even before the occurrence of our birth. The film begins its narrative at the moment of conception as internal biological events lead to the fertilization of the egg. A male voice gives expression to the developing fetus at these crucial early stages. "I am in limbo, but at least I am," the narrator instructs. "A promise made by the past to the future." Life before Birth goes on to explore the formation of a fetus' genetic make-up, including the determinants of its gender and many aspects which foretell the entirety of the child's future outside of the womb.

The development of the fetus is meticulously recreated throughout the film's feature-length running time. We're shown the formation of the brain's completely exposed nerve endings after fifteen days in the womb during a phase of development in which the fetus has yet to take any discernibly human form. Blood and nourishment are allowed free flow throughout the embryo as the heart begins to develop from a mass of muscle cells after 22 days. At the 30 day marker, the embryo still appears undefined and gelatinous, although the eyes and limbs have already begun to manifest. As shown in four-dimensional scans, the fetus begins to kick after eleven weeks, and forms an additional complex series of reflexes and behaviors in the third trimester. During this entire process, the biology of the mother is naturally manipulated to harbor the safest haven possible for the continued healthy development of her fetus.

Splendidly visualized and featuring a wealth of fascinating insights, Life before Birth is an award-winning documentary that carefully dissects every milestone in the nine-month gestation of the human fetus. In so doing, it serves as a valuable reminder of the wonders of our natural evolution.Conception To Birth Assignment Paper