Stages Of Prenatal Development

Many of us do not realize the importance of a baby in the womb developing safely as well as correctly. Prenatal Development is the period in development in which a baby is conceived until the moment it is welcomed into the world. Baby’s take an average of thirty-eight to forty weeks to fully develop and prepare for birth. This time period of nine months is broken down into three periods in which the baby spends growing from a tiny mass of cells into a functional, healthy, happy baby. There are three main stages that a baby must go into, while in the womb: The Germinal Stage, The Embryonic Stage, and The Fetal Stage. While these stages of development occur the baby can be affected by various teratogens. The first

This stage begins once the organism is implanted in the uterus wall. This stage lasts about two through eight weeks from time of conception. This stage is the most important time of prenatal development because the embryo is developing the foundations in order for a healthy baby to be created. The developing ball of cells is now called an embryo. In this stage, all the major organs form, and the embryo becomes very fragile. At twenty-two days after conception the neural tube forms which will become the brain and spine. Growth during prenatal development happens in two directions: from head to tail and from the midline outward. This means that the structure near the head develop before those nearest the feet and the structure nearest the torso develop before those away from the center of the body such as hands and fingers. The head develops in the fourth week and the heart begins to have a pulse. At the end of this stage, the embryo is only an inch

A teratogen is like a drug or any other substance capable of interfering with the development of an embryo. Many things can cause teratogens, such as: smoking, drinking, or doing drugs while pregnant. The process in which teratogen impacts the developing human may be, through nicotine, caffeine and medication consumption. These are examples of teratogens in which each of these contribute to low birth weight and behavioral problems in the future. Every woman has a three to five percent risk of having a baby born with a birth defect. However, some teratogens could increase that risk all depending when in the pregnancy a woman had the exposure, how much of the exposure, and the route of the exposure. Timing is a huge factor that can influence the effect of teratogens. It all depends on the timing, and what period in the pregnancy the child is exposed. One teratogen that affects the central nervous system is alcohol. According to “Teratogenic Effects of Alcohol on Brain and Behavior. ” National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/arh25-3/185-191.htm. , It states as quoted, “ ..children prenatally exposed to alcohol can suffer from serious