Life Span Growth & Development Ch. 4 Prenatal Development & Birth

Front 1

Germinal Period

Back 1

The first two weeks of prenatal development after conception, characterized by rapid cell division and the beginning of cell differentiation.

Front 2

Embryonic Period

Back 2

The stage of prenatal development from approximately the third through the eighth week after conception, during which the basic forms of all body structures, including internal organs, develop.

Front 3

Fetal Period

Back 3

The stage of prenatal development from the ninth week after conception until birth, during which the organs grow in size and mature in functioning.

Front 4

Blastocyst

Back 4

A cell mass that develops from the zygote in the first few days after conception, during the germinal period, and forms a hollow sphere in preparation for implantation.

Front 5

Placenta

Back 5

The organ that surrounds the developing embryo and fetus, sustaining life via the umbilical cord. The placenta is attached to the wall of the uterus.

Front 6

Implantation

Back 6

The process, beginning about 10 days after conception, in which the developing organism burrows into the placenta that lines the uterus, where it can be nourished and protected as it continues to develop.

Front 7

Embryo

Back 7

The name for the developing organism from about the third through the eighth week after conception.

Front 8

Fetus

Back 8

The name for a developing organism from the ninth week after conception until birth.

Front 9

Age of Viability

Back 9

The age (about 22 weeks after conception) at which a fetus can survive outside the mother's uterus if specialized medical care is available.

Front 10

Teratogens

Back 10

Agents and conditions, including viruses, drugs, and chemicals, that can impair prenatal development and result in birth defects or even death.

Front 11

Behavioral Teratogens

Back 11

Agents and conditions that can harm the prenatal brain, impairing the future child's intellecutal and emotional functioning.

Front 12

Risk Analysis

Back 12

The science of weighing the potential effects of a particular event, substance, or experience to determing the likelihood of harm. In teratology, risk analysis attempts to evaluate everything that affects the chances that a particular agent or condition will cause damage to the embryo or fetus.

Front 13

Critical Period

Back 13

In prenatal development, the time when a particular organ or other body part of the embryo or fetus is most susceptible to damage by teratogens. Also, a time when a certain development must happen if it is ever to happen. For example, the embryonic period is critical for the development of arms and legs.

Front 14

Threshold Effect

Back 14

A situation in which a certain teratogen is relatively harmless in small doses but becomes harmful once exposure reaches a certain level (the threshold).

Front 15

Interaction Effect

Back 15

The result of a combination of teratogens. Somtimes risk is greatly magnified when an embryo or fetus is exposed to more than one teratogen at the same time.

Front 16

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)

Back 16

A cluster of birth defects, including abnormal facial characteristics, slow physical growth, and retarded mental develoment, caused by the mother's drinking alcohol while pregnant.

Front 17

Apgar Scale

Back 17

A quick assessment of a newborn's body functioning. The baby's color, heart rate, reflexes, muscle tone, and respiratotry effort are given a score of 0, 1, 2 twice - at one minute and five minutes after birth - and the total of all the scores is compared with the ideal score of 10.

Front 18

Cesarean Section

Back 18

A surgical birth, in which incisions through the mother's abdomen and uterus allow the fetus to be removed quickly, instead of being delivered through the vagina. Also called c-section or simply section.

Front 19

Doula

Back 19

A woman who helps with the birth process. Traditionally in Latin America, a doula was like a midwife, the only professional who attended childbirths. Now doulas are likely to work alongside a hospital's medical staff to help mothers through labor and delivery.

Front 20

Anoxia

Back 20

A lack of oxygen that, if prolonged during birth, can cause brain damage or death to the baby.

Front 21

Cerebral Palsy

Back 21

A disorder that results from damage to the brain's motor centers. People with cerebral palsy have difficulty with muscle control, so their speech and body movements are impaired.

Front 22

Low Birthweight (LBW)

Back 22

A body weight at birth of less than 5 1/2 pounds (2,500 grams)

Front 23

Very Low Birthweight (VLBW)

Back 23

A body weight at birth of less than 3 pounds 5 ounces (1,500 grams)

Front 24

Extremely Low Birthweight (ELBW)

Back 24

A body weight at birth of less than 3 pounds (1,360 grams)

Front 25

Preterm Birth

Back 25

A birth that occurs three or more weeks before the full 38 weeks of the typcial pregnancy has elapsed - that is, at 35 or fewer weeks after conception.

Front 26

Small for Gestational Age (SGA)

Back 26

A term for a baby whose birthweight is significantly lower than expected, given the time since conception. For example, a 5 pound (2,200 gram) newborn is considered SGA if born on time but not SGA if born two months early. Also called small for dates.

Front 27

Kangaroo Care

Back 27

A form of child care in which the mother of a low-birthweight infant spends at least an hour a day holding the baby between her breasts, like a kangaroo that carries her immature newborn in a pouch on her abdomen. If the infant is capable, he or she can easily breast-feed in this position.

Front 28

Parental Alliance

Back 28

Cooperation between a mother and a father based on their mutual commitment to their children. In a parental alliance, the parents agree to support each other in their shared parental roles.

Front 29

Postpartum Depression

Back 29

A new mother's feelings of inadequacy and sadness in the days and weeks after giving birth.

Front 30

Parent-Infant Bond

Back 30

The strong, loving connection that forms as parents hold their newborn.

Front 31

List at least five teratogens and their effects on the fetus.

Back 31

Aids - baby may catch the virus and if so illness and death are likely during childhood.
Alcohol - may cause fetal alcohol syndrome or fetal alcohol effects such as small eyes, thin upper lip, mental retardation, impulsivity, and hyperactivity
Malnutrition - when severe, may interfere with conception, implantation, normal fetal development and full term-birth
Pollutants - may cause spontaneous abortion, preterm labor, and brain damage
Tobacco - increases risk of malformation of limbs and urinary tract, and may affect the baby's lungs
Very High Stress - early in pregnancy, may cause cleft lip or cleft palate, spontaneous abortion, or preterm labor

Front 32

Identify the causes of low birth weight.

Back 32

Multiple births
Placental problems
Maternal Illness
Malnutrition
Smoking
Drinking
Drug Use
Age

Front 33

Describe the birth process.

Back 33

1) First stage of labor - the cervix dialates to allow passage of the baby's head
2) Transition - the baby's head moves into the "birth canal", the vagina
3) The Second Stage of Labor - the baby's head moves through the opening of the vagina ("crowns")
4) Baby emerges completely

Front 34

What test is used to assess the neonate's condition at birth?

Back 34

Apgar Scale

Front 35

Why is a strong parental alliance and parent-infant bonding important to a healthy start for a baby?

Back 35

A strong parental alliance and parent-infant bonding helps with parental and infant stress. It may help with postpartum depression in the parents and survival in premature infants.

Front 36

What factors determine if a teratogen will harm the embryo or fetus?

Back 36

1) Timing
2) Amount of exposure
3) Genetic Vulnerability