Pregnancy Pregnancy – is a time when women is carrying a developing baby in her uterus. Embryo – a developing human, from fertilization until the eighth week of pregnancy. Fetus – the developing human in a women’s uterus, from the start of the ninth week of pregnancy until birth Placenta – is a temporary organ attached to the inside wall of the mothers uterus during pregnancy. Nutrients and oxygen pass through the placenta from the mother’s blood to the fetus. The baby is attached to the placenta by the umbilical cord.

Pregnancy For a mother , the pregnancy is divided into three specific time periods called trimesters. Each Trimester is about 3 months or 12 weeks long. First Trimester (First 3 months or 12 weeks) Second Trimester (4th -6th month or 13th – 27th week) Third Trimester (7th – 9th month or 28th – 40th week)

Development before birth First Trimester: The fertilized egg implants in wall of the uterus.(egg is now called an embryo) By the 3rd week Most major organ system have started to form By the 5th week Facial features have started to take shape. By the 8th week Muscle movement begins. By the end of the 9th week embryo is now called a fetus. Arms, legs, hands, and the feet have formed. By the end of the 10th week the internal organs have formed.

Development before birth Second Trimester: At start of 2nd trimester fetus is almost 3 inches long, by the end of the trimester it will be three times that length. By the 14th week the mother may start to feel movement Between the 14th and 18th weeks the doctor can tell whether the fetus is a boy or a girl. By the 17th week the fetus will react to sound. By the 23rd eyelashes and eyebrows are visible. by the 25th week the eyes open During these three months the fingers and toes grow nails.

Development before birth Third Trimester: At the start of the 3rd trimester the fetus is 10 inches long and weighs about 2 pounds. By the 27th week the fetus can “practice breathe.” By the 33rd week the organs are fully functional. By the 35th week the fetus responds to light. During the 3rd trimester the fetus can hear voices and may even recognize them. By the end of this trimester the organs have formed and are fully functional. At the end of the 9th month the baby is prepared to live outside the mother’s uterus.

Birth Birth – the passage of a baby from the mother’s uterus to the outside of her body. Labor – is the process that last from the time contractions start until the delivery of the child and the placenta. Caesarean (si ZAYR ee uhn) section or C-section – a procedure in which the doctor surgically removes the baby and the placenta from the mother’s uterus.

Possible Complications of Pregnancy and Birth Description Miscarriage The loss of pregnancy before the 20th week; can happen because a mother’s body has an abnormality or because the embryo was abnormal Ectopic pregnancy A pregnancy in which the embryo implants itself outside the uterus (commonly in a fallopian tube) instead of in the uterus; after a few weeks, the fallopian tube ruptures; requires immediate medical care Toxemia A medical condition in which hormones cause high blood pressure, swelling of the body, and injury to the kidneys; if severe, doctors will induce labor Gestational Diabetes Abnormally high blood-sugar levels in the mother; if uncontrolled, may lead to abnormalities or death of the fetus or to medical problems to the mother Rh incompatability A condition in which the blood types of the mother and the fetus do not match and the mother’s body forms antibodies against the fetus’s blood; can cause death of the fetus Premature birth Birth of a baby before the 37th week of pregnancy; not harmful to the mother, but babies born too early can have medical problems or die Breech birth A birth in which the baby is born upside down with the bottom coming out first; may cause the baby’s head to get caught by the cervix; most breech births are delivered by C-section Oxygen deprivation Lack of oxygen to a baby’s brain during birth; may cause brain damage to the baby; may be caused by the umbilical cord being wrapped around the baby’s neck during delivery Stillbirth The delivery of an infant that is dead after 20 weeks or more of pregnancy; good medical care can help prevent this problem; no cause can be found