Conception is the moment where the egg and sperm meet and this is the start of pregnancy. Fertilisation occurs when the sperm cell enters the uterus and moves towards the egg tube. The first trimester which is between 0-12 weeks, occurs at the embryonic stage. On week 3, women will miss their period, the placenta is formed and it will “act as the liver, lungs and kidneys for the embryo and the foetus” Squire (2007) and the amnion sac is also formed where it floats in a liquid called the amniotic fluid around the embryo. An amniotic sac contains and protects a foetus in the womb. A foetus is an unborn human who is more than 8 weeks after conception.
On week 5, a heartbeat is discovered and the embryo is “the size of a small seed” Squire (2007). …show more content…
According to Meggitt C, “research shows that it is the quality (not quantity) of a baby’s nutrition before birth that lays the foundation for good health in later life” (2015). Therefore, it is considered that during pregnancy, women should have a balanced diet and should avoid any food that have the risk of salmonella for example, soft or blue cheese and raw meat. If they do, this can cause a miscarriage, premature labour or illness to the mother and the baby. Doctors recommend for the mother to take folic acid tablets because this helps the development of the brain and spinal cord but will decrease the chance of spina bifida. The mother’s age can also have potential effect on the baby because if the mother is aged under 16 then there is a higher risk the baby will be premature and may suffer from high blood pressure. However, if the mother is aged 35 and over, there is an increased chance the baby may have a chromosomal abnormality. An example of this, would be Down’s syndrome which is common for first-time mothers with this age. “A women in her 20s has a chance of only one in several thousand of having an affected baby, but by 40 years the risk is about 1 in every 110 births, and at 45 the risk is about 1 in every 30” Meggitt
On week 5, a heartbeat is discovered and the embryo is “the size of a small seed” Squire (2007). …show more content…
According to Meggitt C, “research shows that it is the quality (not quantity) of a baby’s nutrition before birth that lays the foundation for good health in later life” (2015). Therefore, it is considered that during pregnancy, women should have a balanced diet and should avoid any food that have the risk of salmonella for example, soft or blue cheese and raw meat. If they do, this can cause a miscarriage, premature labour or illness to the mother and the baby. Doctors recommend for the mother to take folic acid tablets because this helps the development of the brain and spinal cord but will decrease the chance of spina bifida. The mother’s age can also have potential effect on the baby because if the mother is aged under 16 then there is a higher risk the baby will be premature and may suffer from high blood pressure. However, if the mother is aged 35 and over, there is an increased chance the baby may have a chromosomal abnormality. An example of this, would be Down’s syndrome which is common for first-time mothers with this age. “A women in her 20s has a chance of only one in several thousand of having an affected baby, but by 40 years the risk is about 1 in every 110 births, and at 45 the risk is about 1 in every 30” Meggitt