Development Mother & Baby

Top DevelopMENT OF A BABY TAKES 38 WEEKS from conception (40 weeks of pregnancy is calculated from the first day of your last menstrual period) By the third week after conception, you may realize that period is late and suspect that you are pregnent.

Even by week four it may be too early to notice bodily changes,although you may have some breast tenderness and feel unusually tired. By week five you to be feeling premenstrual and you will be more aware of changes your metabolic rate,breathing rate and heart rate will have all increased and the muscle and fibre of your uterus are thickening and lengthening. Hormone production is greatly. Progesterone,example, helps to maint in the pregnancy and lower blood Pressure, while oestrogen stimulates development of milk glands and Strengthensthe uterus. Human chorionic Sonadotrophin (HCG) a hormone that is unique to Pognancy – is produced by the placenta.EARLY DAYS There will be few outward signs of the great changes occurring within your body during the first 12 weeks.Hormonal changes may cause great emotional highs and low as well as nausea and sickness. MAKING PLANS By week six your pregnancy will have been confirmed. Contact your midwife or doctor and arrange for your first visit to an antenatal clinic betwees weeks eight and 12.Also mak an appointment to see your dentist to maintain healthy teeth and gums. You will be aware of the Speeding up of your metabolism. You may feel drained – as if someone has pulled the plug”. By about week eight you may experience mild abdominal pains as your uterus Starts to Stretch. If you suffer severe abdominal pain, see your doctor immediately. By week nine you should be thinking about antenatal tests. There are several screening and diagnostic tests to detect foetal abnormalities but Consider the implications of a positive result.By week 12 the “uterus is Starting to move out of the pelvis,becoming an abdominal Organ,and the heart is Pumping extra blood. THE BABY’S DEVELOPMENT WEEK 1. After fertilization, the sperm and ovum nuclei fuse to form a zygote. This starts to divide as it travels to the uterus WEEK 2 After six or seven days, the cell mass develops a hollow cavity and is now called a blastocyst. By the tenth day it becomes embedded in the endometrium. WEEK 3 The blastocyst is the size of a pinhead but is multiplying fast. The inner cells of the cavity develop into the embryo. WEEK 4 The baby is about 2 mm in lenght and weigh less than 1 gm.Its body tissues embryonic layers the hair. nails,mammary glands, teeth enamel inner ear and lenses for the eyes from one layer, the nervous system, retina,pituitary gland, muscle. cartilage, bones,blood and lymph cells from another, and lungs, trachea, liver pancreas and bladder from a third. WEEK 5 The heart has started to develop; it now has four chambers The roof palate of the mouth is forming. WEEK 6 the cluster of cells is becoming an embryo,roughly the size of a fingertip.The hrart is beating at 180 beats a minute, more than twice as fast as yours.Eyelids. ears, and the beginnings of hands and feet are forming. The shape of the head and the curve of the spine are discernible. Week 7 The embryo has quadrupled in size and the nervous system is developing well. The baby is starting to move its body arms and legs. These movemen’s “can be detected by a monitor, but you will not be able to feel them. The lungs,liver and kidneys are starting to develop. WEEK 8 About 2.5 cm (1 in) in length, the embryo has now evolved into a foetus. its brain is developing rapidly, and the umbilical cord has formed. Ears are beginning to develop and the mouth is able to open and close. WEEK 9. The baby is now 4 cm (1. in) in length and can wriggle slightly. The digestive and nervou sens are developing fast and the brain -is four time larger than it was four weeks ago. WEEK 10 The nervous system has matured enough for the baby to move about more.All the organs plus the sack of amniotic fluid have been formed and the baby is ow recognizable as a human being. WEEK 11 The liver takes over the manufacture of red blood cells and the kidneys are functioning.the baby is about 5 cm (2 in) long and growing rapidly.It has a complete formed face.The head is growing to accommodate the brain. WEEK 12 Your baby is fully formed. although, at just 6 cm long, there is a lot of growing still to do. Its nails and hair are starting to grow, its jaw has 32 little teeth buds, and it is starting to suck.Internal sex organs have formed.