Pregnancy Information

1. Pregnancy Information By: Montana French Block G/ Mr. Green's Health Class

2. Process of Pregnancy Conception is the fertilization of an ovum by a sperm in the Fallopian tube followed by implantation in the womb. After the conception, a zygote, the cell resulting from the union of an ovum and a sperm cell, is made. After three weeks of the implantation, the zygote becomes an embryo, the developing human individual from the time of implantation to the end of the eighth week after conception. The embryo then becomes a fetus, the unborn young from the end of the eighth week after conception to the moment of birth.

3. Milestones in the Development The first trimester is the time period extending from the first day of the last menstrual period through 12 weeks of gestation. The second trimester is the time period extending from the 13th to the 27th week of gestation. The third trimester is the time period extending from the 28th week of gestation until delivery.

4. Stages of Labor An epidural is an injection of an anesthetic into the epidural space of the spine. Relating to or being a method of childbirth that involves psychological and physical preparation by the mother in order to suppress pain and facilitate delivery without drugs is a Lamaze. Braxton hicks contractions are painless intermittent contractions of the womb that occur during pregnancy, becoming stronger towards full term. An episiotomy an incision into the perineum and vagina to allow sufficient clearance for birth. The first stage of labor begins from the onset of true labor and lasts until the cervix is completely dilated to 10 centimeters. The second stage of labor continues after the cervix is dilated to 10 cm until the delivery of your baby. The third stage of labor is the delivery of the placenta. The Apgar Scale is a method used to measure the newborn's health and to determine if it needs any immediate treatment.

5. Types of Births A cesarean birth is also called Cesarean section, or a C-Section, an operation by which a fetus is taken from the uterus by cutting through the walls of the abdomen and uterus. A water birth is a type of childbirth where the mother delivers the baby while in a tub or pool, designed to emulate the watery placenta from which it is delivered. A breech birth is a delivery of an infant whose feet or buttocks appear first. A still birth is the birth of a dead child or fetus. A vaginal birth is a natural birth when the baby comes from the vagina. A premature birth is the birth of an infant after the period of viability but before full term.

6. Prenatal Care If the mother drinks, smokes or does drugs, it could cause birth defects, miscarriages and cause the fetus to have a drug addiction when it is born. A gynecologist is the branch of medicine concerned with diseases in women. An obstetrician is part of the branch of medical science concerned with childbirth and caring for and treating women in or in connection with childbirth.

7. Prenatal Care (cont.) Prenatal care is important because babies born to mothers who received no prenatal care are three times more likely to be born with a low birth weight, and five times more likely to die, than those whose mothers received prenatal care.

8. Informative The placenta is formed in the lining of the uterus by the union of the uterine mucous membrane with the membranes of the fetus, that provides for the nourishment of the fetus and the elimination of its waste products. The amniotic sac is a two-layered membrane that surrounds the embryo or fetus in the uterus. The amniotic sac is filled with fluid in which the embryo or fetus is suspended. The umbilical cord is a cord connecting the embryo or fetus with the placenta of the mother and transporting nourishment from the mother and wastes from the fetus. The use of an ultrasound is to monitor a developing fetus inside of the uterus.

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