Prenatal development and birth

Question 1

What is gestation?

Answer 1

38 week period between conception and birth

Question 2

What is gestational age?

Answer 2

Age of unborn baby, usually dated from first day of last menstrual cycle

Question 3

What are the four stages of prenatal development?

Answer 3

Conception, germinal, embryonic, foetal

Question 4

Where does conception occur?

Answer 4

Fallopian tube - creates zygote

Question 5

What happens in germinal stage?

Answer 5

blastocyst implants in uterus wall [0-2 weeks]

Question 6

What happens in embryonic stage?

Answer 6

umbilical cord connects embryo to placenta, amniotic sac [3-8 weeks]

Question 7

What happens in foetal stage

Answer 7

[8 weeks to birth]
organs and body become complex
toenails and eyelids
appearance of bone

Question 8

What is monozygotic birth

Answer 8

one egg - one sperm
identical twins
share 100% of genes

Question 9

What is dizygotic birth

Answer 9

Two eggs - two sperm
more common
share 50% of genes, like non-twin siblings

Question 10

What are risk factors in prenatal development

Answer 10

Mother’s biological characteristics

Exposure to teratogens

Question 11

When are critical periods in prenatal development

Answer 11

especially early for major impact

Timing intensity and duration all have impact

Question 12

What are prenatal hazards [teratogens]

Answer 12

medicinal drugs
nonmedicinal drugs [foetal alcohol syndrome, foetal alcohol effect]
maternal disease
environmental hazards

Question 13

What are risks of being over 35?

Answer 13

higher risk of infertility, downs syndrome

Question 14

What are risks of being teenage mother?

Answer 14

higher risk for low birth rate [mother and child still growing, competing for nutrients’, stillbirth, birht complications

Question 15

What are paternal factors that impact on sperm / prenatal development?

Answer 15

alcohol
marijuana, tobacco
pesticides
age

Question 16

What is impact of pre-birth stress

Answer 16

higher rate of spontaneous abortion, low birth weight etc

Question 17

What is labour?

Answer 17

uterine contractions that affect dilation of cervix and force fetus through birth canal

Question 18

What are the three foetal presentations?

Answer 18

cephalic [head down - normal]
breech
transverse

Question 19

What are stages of labour

Answer 19

first stage - cervix dilation to 10cm
transition - full dilation
second stage - head moves into birth canal, culminates in birth
third stage - expulsion of placenta and umbilical cord

Question 20

What is Lamaze method?

Answer 20

breathing, birth is shared emotional process

Question 21

What is Read method?

Answer 21

feeling of pain indicates fear, train in stress reduction

Question 22

What is Leboyer method?

Answer 22

babies born into low light, less stressful environments

Question 23

What are the three problems in labour?

Answer 23

Faulty power - uterus doesn’t contract
Faulty passageway - placenta previa, blocking cervix
Faulty passenger - baby presenting strarngely