Changes in the mother and baby

Question 1

Gestation

Answer 1

period of time during which the embryo/foetus is carried in the uterus (measured form the first day of last period, around 280 days from the beginning of the last menstrual cycle)

Question 2

Parturition

Answer 2

birth, process where the foetus is expelled from the mother’s body

Question 3

What happens before birth (5)

Answer 3

ligaments of the pelvis soften, cervix softens and effaces (flattens out), late in the thrid trimester progesterone levels fall, estrogen levels rise, cervix dialates

Question 4

What happens in the first stage of labour (4)

Answer 4

Starts when contractions/labour pains occur around every 30 mins, Cervix dilates, Contractions start from the upper part of the uterus (fundus) and move downwards encouraging the cervix to dilate, Ends when the cervix is fully dilated

Question 5

What happens in the second stage of labour (6)

Answer 5

Stage of expulsion, Amniotic membrane bursts (can happen in the first stage), Baby’s head moves into the vagina, Baby rotates as it moves through the birth canal, Contractions push baby out, Ends when the baby is born

Question 6

What happens in the third stage of labour (6)

Answer 6

Amnion, chorion and placenta is still inside the mothers body, Baby is covered in vernix which is a waxy substance that protects the baby’s skin whilst it is still in the body, the earlier the delivery is the more vernix there is, Umbilical cord is tied so the baby and mum don’t lose much blood and then cut, Following contractions expel the afterbirth, Ends when the amniotic sack and placenta is entirely removed

Question 7

When does puerperium occur

Answer 7

Occurs to the mother after labor, lasts around 8 weeks

Question 8

What happens during puerperium (7)

Answer 8

Contractions decrease but still happen sometimes to help expel any discharge and any leftover blood and aid in recovery of size of uterus, Flattened abdomen as muscles tighten and the uterus decreases in size, Discharge, Blood volume and heart size decreases=slower pulse, Slightly increases body temp which means a higher metabolism allowing for better healing, Emotional changes- post natal depression, Eventually menstruation resumes (time varies for each person)

Question 9

What is lactation

Answer 9

Breast milk production

Question 10

Milk let-down reflex

Answer 10

series of events that occur in woman’s body to enable the release of milk when the baby suckles, nervous impulse to release oxytocin which acts on the lobules to squeeze milk out of the nipple

Question 11

Colostrum

Answer 11

watery, yellowish white fluid with high antibody content, secreted from the breast for 3-4 days following birth, the first substance produced before milk is then produced

Question 12

Blood supply in the foetus (4)

Answer 12

Baby’s blood is carried to the placenta via the two umbilical arteries, Diffusion occurs at the placenta where carbon dioxide diffuses out and oxygen diffuses in, Metabolic wastes diffuse out of the baby’s blood and into the mothers blood following the concentration gradient, Oxygenated, clean blood then returns to the baby via the umbilical vein

Question 13

Ductus venosus

Answer 13

foetal blood vessel that enables blood to bypass the liver as the liver doesn’t need much blood

Question 14

What is a liver bypass

Answer 14

Some blood flows into the foetus’s liver but most bypasses straight from the umbilical vein into the inferior vena cava

Question 15

What happens regarding liver bypass after birth

Answer 15

Liver needs more blood, When the umbilical cord is cut the blood flow to the ductus venosus ceases forcing the normal blood supply to the liver to occur (via the hepatic portal vein), The filtered blood leaves the liver through the hepatic veins and then joins the inferior vena cava

Question 16

Ductus arteriosus

Answer 16

lung bypass that allows blood in the pulmonary artery to flow directly into the aorta

Question 17

How does blood get to the lungs in the foetus

Answer 17

Some blood can flow from the right atrium through the pulmonary arteries to the lungs but as they are collapsed/dense as they don’t contain any oxygen meaning only enough blood to supply the lung cells is supplied

Question 18

How does the blood bypass the lungs

Answer 18

Most of the blood from the right atrium flows through the ductus arteriosus which connects the pulmonary arteries directly to the aorta, The blood in the right atrium can also flow directly into the left atrium through the foramen ovale which is a hole in the septum of the heart

Question 19

What happens regarding lung bypass after birth

Answer 19

Once the baby takes its first breath the lungs expand meaning there is less resistance to blood flow allowing the blood to flow to the lungs via the pulmonary arteries meaning there is no longer a need for the ductus arteriosus which eventually develops into a fibrous remnant, After birth there is increased blood flow into the left atria from the lungs which pushes a flap of tissue/muscle over the foramen oval which overtime then completely shuts (a ‘hole in the heart’ is created if it fails to close)