Three Stages of Prenatal Development
There are three prenatal stages, the are as followed:
*Germinal Stage (conception to 2 weeks)
*Embryonic Stage (2 weeks to 2 months)
*Fetal Stage (2 months to Birth)
The YouTube video below shows the development of the embryo from conception to right before birth.
Health & Risks in Pregnancy
Because the body of the mother goes under some major changes, there are definitely things to consider as far as health goes. The expected mother has to make sure she lives a health live style, including eating healthy and avoiding teratogons. Teratogons are any type of outside factors or substances can but the growing embryo in danger. Common examples include alcohol and tobacco, but they can also be medications, illegal drugs, or even certain diseases. When pregnant, women have to be aware that everything they consume the baby also consumes. However, even with special care, women can experience miscarriages during their pregnancy unannounced with almost no avoidable cause. A miscarriage is defiend as a natural loss of the pregnancy before the fetus reaches a gestational age of 20 weeks. These are often times genetic, and can have a large effect on a women's emotional health, as well as the emotional health of the father.
Speaking of the father, though the women is the one physically having the baby, the men in the relationship often time will experience symptoms similar to the expected mother. in a phenomenon known as couvade, men experiences a "sympathetic pregnancy" and will experience things like weight gain, nausea, back aches, mood swings, etc. In extreme cases, some men experience labor pains right along side their partners during the delivery.
The Birth Experience
For Mother
Seeing that the mother was the one to carry the baby for the past 9 month, they usually have the most memorable experience when it comes to the birth. However, there are still many factors that contribute to how well the experience goes. Some of these factors include, but are not limited to, whether the pregnancy was planned, her support system, how easy or hard the pregnancy was, things like that. Once the baby is born, often times there is a beautiful bonding experience between the baby and the mother. This is important for their relationship and also the sanity of the mother. Sometimes, there isn't such a happy ending. Postpartum depression may occur in the mother and cause symptoms of severe depression that last longer than two weeks and begin shortly after giving birth. This depression can have a big impact on the women's ability to live her day-to-day life in a healthy way. Medication and rest usually help the mother make a full recovery. Sometimes, however, rest is not a possibly which could lead to a higher level of severity in the symptoms.
For Father
The birthing experience, in many cases, can be just as emotional for the father as it can be for the mother. Fathers are able to bond with the babies shortly after their born through physical touch, and they may even be able to recognize their voice as a familiar one. The way that fathers bond with the baby is much different than the way a mother does, and sometimes that can lead to a feeling of inferiority among fathers. They wish they could bond in the same way, but naturally, the baby will have a stronger bond with the mother.
Transition into Parenthood
The transition is a often time a challenging one for new parents because they not only have to solve conflicts within their relationship, they now have another important aspect of their life that they have to consider in situation. A new baby can cause arguments and stress on a couple's relationship, but sometimes it makes a couple strong to work through new challenges.
The Newborn
After a baby is born, it immediately starts with it's growth and development. Their senses are developing, and their learning starts. You will read more about infant learning in the cognitive development section of this site. As the babies are starting to develop, there are some problems that may occur. A very devastating occurrence is Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or simply known as SIDS. This tragedy can occur in any healthy infant and can really take an emotional toll on the mother and father's emotional health. There are some ways that SIDS may be able to be avoided. Things like making sure your infant doesn't overheat, laying then on their backs when they sleep, and not smoking around the infant are just a few of the precautions to take as new parents. More information about SIDS can also be found at a local pediatricians office or online.
There are three prenatal stages, the are as followed:
*Germinal Stage (conception to 2 weeks)
*Embryonic Stage (2 weeks to 2 months)
*Fetal Stage (2 months to Birth)
The YouTube video below shows the development of the embryo from conception to right before birth.
Health & Risks in Pregnancy
Because the body of the mother goes under some major changes, there are definitely things to consider as far as health goes. The expected mother has to make sure she lives a health live style, including eating healthy and avoiding teratogons. Teratogons are any type of outside factors or substances can but the growing embryo in danger. Common examples include alcohol and tobacco, but they can also be medications, illegal drugs, or even certain diseases. When pregnant, women have to be aware that everything they consume the baby also consumes. However, even with special care, women can experience miscarriages during their pregnancy unannounced with almost no avoidable cause. A miscarriage is defiend as a natural loss of the pregnancy before the fetus reaches a gestational age of 20 weeks. These are often times genetic, and can have a large effect on a women's emotional health, as well as the emotional health of the father.
Speaking of the father, though the women is the one physically having the baby, the men in the relationship often time will experience symptoms similar to the expected mother. in a phenomenon known as couvade, men experiences a "sympathetic pregnancy" and will experience things like weight gain, nausea, back aches, mood swings, etc. In extreme cases, some men experience labor pains right along side their partners during the delivery.
The Birth Experience
For Mother
Seeing that the mother was the one to carry the baby for the past 9 month, they usually have the most memorable experience when it comes to the birth. However, there are still many factors that contribute to how well the experience goes. Some of these factors include, but are not limited to, whether the pregnancy was planned, her support system, how easy or hard the pregnancy was, things like that. Once the baby is born, often times there is a beautiful bonding experience between the baby and the mother. This is important for their relationship and also the sanity of the mother. Sometimes, there isn't such a happy ending. Postpartum depression may occur in the mother and cause symptoms of severe depression that last longer than two weeks and begin shortly after giving birth. This depression can have a big impact on the women's ability to live her day-to-day life in a healthy way. Medication and rest usually help the mother make a full recovery. Sometimes, however, rest is not a possibly which could lead to a higher level of severity in the symptoms.
For Father
The birthing experience, in many cases, can be just as emotional for the father as it can be for the mother. Fathers are able to bond with the babies shortly after their born through physical touch, and they may even be able to recognize their voice as a familiar one. The way that fathers bond with the baby is much different than the way a mother does, and sometimes that can lead to a feeling of inferiority among fathers. They wish they could bond in the same way, but naturally, the baby will have a stronger bond with the mother.
Transition into Parenthood
The transition is a often time a challenging one for new parents because they not only have to solve conflicts within their relationship, they now have another important aspect of their life that they have to consider in situation. A new baby can cause arguments and stress on a couple's relationship, but sometimes it makes a couple strong to work through new challenges.
The Newborn
After a baby is born, it immediately starts with it's growth and development. Their senses are developing, and their learning starts. You will read more about infant learning in the cognitive development section of this site. As the babies are starting to develop, there are some problems that may occur. A very devastating occurrence is Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or simply known as SIDS. This tragedy can occur in any healthy infant and can really take an emotional toll on the mother and father's emotional health. There are some ways that SIDS may be able to be avoided. Things like making sure your infant doesn't overheat, laying then on their backs when they sleep, and not smoking around the infant are just a few of the precautions to take as new parents. More information about SIDS can also be found at a local pediatricians office or online.