PRENATAL
DEVELOPMENT
PSYC 250
CHAPTER 5
STAGES OF PRENATAL DEVELOPMENT
• Ovulation
• Ovum (egg) is released from a woman's
ovary
• Germinal Stage (Conception to 2 Weeks)
• Begins when the sperm penetrates the
egg
GERMINAL STAGE
• Week 1
• Sperm penetrates egg
• Zygote travels through fallopian tube
• Cell division begins
• 32 cells within 4-5 days after conception
• Blastocyst (200-300 cells)
• Implantation Begins (~day 6)
• Estimated that 30 – 50% of fertilized eggs fail to implant
• Week 2
• Implantation process complete
STAGES OF PRENATAL DEVELOPMENT
Embryonic Stage (Week 2 – Week 8)
• Fetal membranes
• Chorionplacenta
• Amnionamniotic fluid
• Placenta
• Brings oxygen & nutrients to fetus through
umbilical cord
• Carry away fetal waste products
• Closed loop—fetal and maternal blood do not
come into contact with one-another
CELL DIFFERENTIATION
• Inner cell mass differentiates
into three layers that give rise to
organs
• Organogenesis
• Week 3 – Week 8
• Organ development occurs
rapidly—
• critical period when the embryo is
vulnerable to physical abnormalities
• Cephalocaudal Development
• Development beginning with the head
and extending out to the body
STAGES OF PRENATAL DEVELOPMENT
Fetal Stage (Week 9 – Birth)
•
Fetus continues to grow—remarkable increases in size and weight
•
Week 9: Genitalia differentiates into male or female
•
Hormones also affect the development of the brain
•
•
By the 26th week observable sex differences in fetal brain structure
Week 10: Fetal breathing movements begin
•
No air in the amniotic sac—amniotic fluid instead
STAGES OF PRENATAL DEVELOPMENT
Fetal Stage (Week 9 – Birth)
•
Week 12 - 16: Mother begins to feel movement; declines during pregnancy
•
Sensory Experiences
• Touch & Pain (8 weeks)
• Detect motion & position of the body
• Smell & Taste (12-15 weeks)
• Auditory & Visual (22-28 weeks)
MOTHER’S EXPERIENCE OF PREGNANCY
• Trimesters (3-month periods)
• First Trimester
• Hormones cause fatigue, breast tenderness, morning sickness
• Second Trimester
• Visibly pregnant; mother feels better
• Fetal movements
• Third Trimester
• Tired and uncomfortable
• Feels fetus dropping
MISCARRIAGE
• Natural loss of a pregnancy
• 50% to 80% of miscarriages that occur in the first trimester of a pregnancy likely caused
by chromosomal abnormalities
• Sense of loss and coping strategies
INFERTILITY ISSUES
• Female fertility drugs
• Intrauterine insemination
• Gamete intrafallopian transfer
• In vitro fertilization(expensive)
• Intracytoplasmic sperm injection
• Preimplantation genetic diagnosis
• *Talk to your doctor* and also be aware of your mental health
MATERNAL HEALTH
• Prenatal Care
• In the US, women typically see the doctor once every 4 weeks for the first 28 weeks
• Every 2 weeks until 1 month prior to due date
• Weekly until due date
MATERNAL HEALTH INEQUITY
• https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/68/wr/mm6835a3.htm?s_cid=mm6835a3_w
MATERNAL HEALTH INEQUITY
• Systemic problems - SES
• Access to medical care – what does that mean?
• Chronic stress – discrimination
• Job/income insecurity – work hours, maternal leave, insurance
• Also overt racism – health care providers not listening
MATERNAL DIET
• Restricted diet associated with:
• Infant health
• Cognitive skills
• Behavior problems
• Recommended weight gain for average BMI is 25-35 pounds
• Precision Nutrition
ANGELOGENS
• Folic Acid
• Prevents brain and spinal cord defects
• Beans, leafy greens, orange juice
• Choline
• Prevents brain & spinal cord defects
• Egg yolks, lean red meat, fish, poultry, legumes, nuts, & cruciferous veggies
• Calcium
• Strong bones and teeth, healthy heart
• Milk, dark leafy greens, DHA
• Prenatal Vitamins
CLASS ACTIVITY
There are a host of things that should be avoided during pregnancy—team up and research why pregnant
women might want to avoid the following:
• Organ Meat—too much garment A
• Cleaning their cat’s litterbox—for pregnant women
• Deli Meat & Hot Dogs
• Hot tubs or saunas—high temperature affect the development of neural tube
• Standing for long periods of time
• Soft cheeses—steroid infection, dangerous to the baby
• Certain fish (shark, swordfish, raw fish)—expose to mercury and bacteria
EXERCISE
• Appropriate amounts of
exercise can be beneficial during
pregnancy
• Need to adapt to changes in the
body
NEWBORN HEALTH RISKS
• Premature (or preterm) Birth
•
Born before gestational age of 37 weeks
•
For twins earlier, before 35 weeks
• Low Birth Weight
•
Weight relative to gestational age
•
< 5lbs. 8oz. at full term
• Complex Causes
•
Teratogens
•
Abnormality of reproductive system
•
Maternal medical conditions
PREMATURE & LBW OUTCOMES
• Increased risk for:
• Cognitive impairment
• Academic failure
• Sensory & motor impairments
• Especially if post-natal environment is developmentally at-risk
• Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)
CARING FOR
PREMATURE
NEWBORNS
• Monitors functioning of the newborn, providing things with babies
couldn’t do yet
• Compensates for things newborn cannot yet do
NEWBORN
HEALTH RISKS
• Infant Mortality
• Highest among non-Hispanic
African American mothers
TERATOGENS, THREE ESSENTIAL POINTS
(TIMING OF THE STAGE, DOSAGE, LENGTH OF TIME OF
EXPOSURE)
• Agents that can cause malformations in an embryo or a fetus, can be physical/cognitive..
• Diseases
• Zika, syphilis, or HIV
• Drugs & Alcohol
• Illegal, prescription, & over-the-counter
• Environmental Toxins
• Chemicals, such as mercury, lead铅
• Stress
DANGERS OF MATERNAL DRUG & ALCOHOL USE
• Difficult to determine effects of drug & alcohol use, usually correlate with each
other
• Inaccurate reporting, multiple substance use, & poor nutrition, bias and people not willing to
admit
• Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
• Abnormal facial features, memory & attention problems, trouble with behavior regulation
Smoking
•
•
Low Birth-Weight, premature birth, miscarriage, second & third hand smoke issues, for
third hand, children playing on the ground/floor, get over on their hands
•
ADHD, conduct disorders, & learning disabilities
•
Thirdhand Smoke
DANGERS OF MATERNAL DRUG & ALCOHOL USE
• Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS)
• Fetus becomes dependent on drugs that pass through the placenta, withdraw effects
• Central nervous system becomes overstimulated at birth when drugs no longer available
• Symptoms:
• Uncoordinated sucking reflexes
• Crying
• Poor Sleep
• Tremors
• Seizures
• Death
DANGERS OF MATERNAL DRUG & ALCOHOL USE
•
Cocaine
•
Low birth weight, premature birth
•
Newborns will show withdrawal symptoms last for several weeks
•
Marijuana, growing concerns for states legalize
• Linked to learning disabilities, impulsivity & hyperactivity, poor problem-solving, AHDH,
prehensility later in life during adolescence
• Maternal use linked to adolescent use
DANGERS OF MATERNAL DRUG & ALCOHOL USE
• Opioids, over the counter drugs
• Prescription (Codeine, Oxycodone, Morphine) & Heroin
• Minimal use of prescription opioids may be ok with permission from doctor if, SPECIAL CASES
• Undergoing surgery
• Experiencing chronic pain
• Last resort
• Dependency is highly dangerous to the newborn who will experience NAS, higher addictive
• Other Pregnancy Risks:
• Premature birth, LBW
• Heavy bleeding
• Placental problems, intra-amniotic infection
ENVIRONMENTAL TOXINS, TETRAGONS
• Household Chemicals
• Lead Paint, built into infrastructure
• Mercury, fish…
• Endocrine Disruptors
• Affect brain development in hormonal systems
• Increased risk for cancer, abnormal growth, and neurodevelopmental delays
ENVIRONMENTAL RISKS
• Maternal Stress on the baby
• Cortisol, the primary stress hormone, can pass through the placenta
• Turns stress reactivity genes "on" or "off"
• Fetal Programming, environment surround the fetus infect it
• Pregnancy-specific stress
• Usually associated with Low birth weight & lower behavioral regulation, stress correlated
with smoke/alcohol…
MATERNAL STRESS
PREGNANCY RISK FACTORS
• Poverty and cumulative risk
• Many of the risk factors discussed are associated with poverty
• Lower access to health care, poor nutrition for harder to access, lower education
• Home visiting & educational programs, social support, increases in economic resources might
mitigate effects
LABOR & DELIVERY
• First Stage: Early and Active Labor, contractions
• Begin and becomes more frequent
• Second Stage: Pushing, baby’s head coming out
• Third Stage: Delivering the Placenta
• Different Birthing Options
• Western(hospitals) vs. Eastern cultures(at home)
• Cultural differences
• Baby’s experience? Stress? Changes of hormones with adrenaline‘
APGAR SCORE
• 1 & 5 minutes after birth
• 7 to 10 points is normal
• 4 to 6 some intervention needed
• < 3 immediate lifesaving intervention needed
NEWBORN BABY
• Infant States
• Different levels of activity and alertness that help regulate stimulation; babies being able
to regulate all the stimulation in their environment
• Two Sleep States (Quiet & Active)
• Sleep 16 – 18 hours a day
• Four Awake States (drowsy, quiet, active, and crying)
• Crying is used as a signal to eat or attention to resources
• 2.6 hours a day at 6 weeks
NEWBORN HEALTH RISKS
• Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
• Unexpected death of a seemingly healthy infant
• Cause is complex—brain abnormality in breathing functions, secondhand smoke, overheating
and bedding(placing infants on the back of their sleep)
• Back to Sleep Program
NEWBORN HEALTH RISKS
• Shaken Baby Syndrome, shake too vigorously
• Brain bounces against skull
• Permanent brain damage or death, 2-3 months
• Babies crying most frequent and parents most stressed
CAUTION ABOUT SHAME (PARENTS)
• US society (and science) values control
• YOU CANNOT CONTROL EVERYTHING, not shaming parents
• Get yourself healthy in as many ways as you can
• Individual
• Relationships
• Physical health as exercise and diet
• Know what you can control
• Dangerous substances
• Preparation for the unexpected
BECOMING A PARENT
• YOUR LIFE WILL CHANGE
• Body, mind, schedule, instincts…
• Be aware that it’s not just a baby we have to think about!
• Mental health – post-partum, but also all along the way
• Mixed bag of emotions – totally normal
• As a co-parent
• Be supportive!
• Your life will change, too.
PAID PARENTAL LEAVE, OUT OF THE CONTROL
SAME-SEX PARTNERS
• Until recently, most children were conceived in prior heterosexual relationships
• Multiple-minority identity
• More egalitarian—some evidence that biological parent will assume more caregiving roles
if applicable