{"id":268,"date":"2021-05-28T13:53:45","date_gmt":"2021-05-28T13:53:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/child\/?post_type=chapter&p=268"},"modified":"2024-07-11T18:38:29","modified_gmt":"2024-07-11T18:38:29","slug":"stages-of-prenatal-development","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/child\/chapter\/stages-of-prenatal-development\/","title":{"raw":"Stages of Prenatal Development","rendered":"Stages of Prenatal Development"},"content":{"raw":"\"Graphic<\/a>How did you come to be who you are? From beginning as a one-cell structure to your birth, your\u00a0prenatal development\u00a0occurred in an orderly and delicate sequence. There are three stages of prenatal development: germinal, embryonic, and fetal. Keep in mind that this is different than the three trimesters of pregnancy. Let\u2019s take a look at what happens to the developing baby in each of these stages.\r\n

<\/h2>\r\n
\"The body of the unborn baby is more complex than ours. The preborn baby has several extra parts to his body which he needs only so long as he lives inside his mother. He has his own space capsule, the amniotic sac. He has his own lifeline, the umbilical cord, and he has his own root system, the placenta. These all belong to the baby himself, not to his mother. They are all developed from his original cell.\" <\/span>\r\n

Day & Liley, The Secret World of a Baby, Random House, 1968, p. 13<\/span><\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\nLet's take a look at some of the changes that take place during each of the three periods of prenatal development: the germinal period, the embryonic period, and the fetal period.\r\n

The Germinal Period (Weeks 1-2)<\/h2>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_580\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"300\"]\"magnified Figure 1.<\/strong>\u00a0Sperm and Ovum at Conception[\/caption]\r\n\r\nConception occurs when a sperm fertilizes an egg and forms a\u00a0zygote,<\/strong>\u00a0which begins as a one-cell structure. The\u00a0mother and father\u2019s DNA is passed on to the child at the moment of conception. The genetic makeup and sex of the baby are set at this point. The germinal period (about 14 days in length) lasts from conception to implantation of the zygote (fertilized egg) in the lining of the uterus.\r\n\r\nDuring the first week after conception, the zygote divides and multiplies, going from a one-cell structure to two cells, then four cells, then eight cells, and so on. The process of cell division is called mitosis<\/strong>.\u00a0After the fourth division, differentiation of the cells begins to occur as well. Differentiated cells become more specialized, forming different organs and body parts.\u00a0\u00a0After 5 days of mitosis, there are 100 cells, and after 9 months there are billions of cells.\u00a0Mitosis\u00a0is a fragile process, and fewer than one-half of all zygotes survive beyond the first two weeks (Hall, 2004).\r\n\r\nAfter the zygote divides for about 7\u201310 days and has 150 cells, it travels down the fallopian tubes and implants itself in the lining of the uterus.<\/span>\u00a0It\u2019s estimated that about 60 percent of natural conceptions fail to implant in the uterus. The rate is higher for in vitro conceptions.\u00a0Once the zygote attaches to the uterus, the next stage begins.\r\n

The Embryonic Period (Weeks 3-8)<\/h2>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_1996\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"200\"]\"Photograph<\/a> Figure 2.<\/strong>\u00a0Human Embryo[\/caption]\r\n\r\nThe embryonic period begins once the zygote is implanted in the uterine wall. It lasts from the third through the eighth week after conception. Upon implantation, this multi-cellular organism is called an\u00a0embryo<\/strong>. Now blood vessels grow, forming the placenta. The\u00a0placenta<\/strong>\u00a0is a structure connected to the uterus that provides nourishment and oxygen from the mother to the developing embryo via the umbilical cord. <\/span>\r\n\r\nDuring this period, cells continue to differentiate. Basic structures of the embryo start to develop into areas that will become the head, chest, and abdomen. During the embryonic stage, the heart begins to beat and organs form and begin to function. At 22 days after conception, the neural tube forms along the back of the embryo, developing into the spinal cord and brain.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nGrowth during prenatal development occurs in two major directions: from head to tail (cephalocaudal\u00a0development) and from the midline outward (proximodistal\u00a0development).\u00a0This means that those structures nearest the head develop before those nearest the feet and those structures nearest the torso develop before those away from the center of the body (such as hands and fingers).\r\n\r\nThe head develops in the fourth week and the precursor to the heart begins to pulse. In the early stages of the embryonic period, gills and a tail are apparent. But by the end of this stage, they disappear and the organism takes on a more human appearance.\u00a0The embryo is approximately 1 inch in length and weighs about 4 grams at the end of this period.\u00a0The embryo can move and respond to touch at this time.\r\n\r\nAbout 20 percent of organisms fail during the embryonic period, usually due to gross chromosomal abnormalities.\u00a0As in the case of the germinal period, often the mother does not yet know that she is pregnant.\u00a0It is during this stage that the major structures of the body are taking form making the embryonic period the time when the organism is most vulnerable to the greatest amount of damage if exposed to harmful substances. Potential mothers are not often aware of the risks they introduce to the developing child during this time.\r\n

The Fetal Period (Weeks 9-40)<\/h2>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3498\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"300\"]\"44-year-old<\/a> Figure 3.<\/strong>\u00a0A fetus at 10 weeks of development.[\/caption]\r\n\r\nWhen the organism is about nine weeks old, the embryo is called a fetus<\/strong>. At this stage, the fetus is about the size of a kidney bean and begins to take on the recognizable form of a human being as the \u201ctail\u201d begins to disappear.<\/span>\r\n\r\nFrom 9\u201312 weeks, the sex organs begin to differentiate. By the 12th week, the fetus has all its body parts including external genitalia. In the following weeks, the fetus will develop hair, nails, teeth and the excretory and digestive systems will continue to develop. At the end of the 12th\u00a0week, the fetus is about 3 inches long and weighs about 28 grams.<\/span>\r\n\r\nAt about 16 weeks, the fetus is approximately 4.5 inches long. Fingers and toes are fully developed, and fingerprints are visible. During the 4-6th months, the eyes become more sensitive to light and hearing develops. The respiratory system continues to develop. Reflexes such as sucking, swallowing and hiccuping develop during the 5th month. Cycles of sleep and wakefulness are present at that time as well. Throughout the fetal stage, the brain continues to grow and develop, nearly doubling in size from weeks 16 to 28. The majority of the neurons in the brain have developed by 24 weeks although they are still rudimentary and the glial or nurse cells that support neurons continue to grow.\u00a0At 24 weeks the fetus can feel pain (Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 1997).<\/span>\r\n\r\nThe first chance of survival outside the womb, known as the\u00a0age of viability\u00a0is reached at about 22 to 26 weeks (Moore &\u00a0Persaud, 1998). By the time the fetus reaches the sixth month of development (24 weeks), it weighs up to 1.4 pounds. The hearing has developed, so the fetus can respond to sounds. The internal organs, such as the lungs, heart, stomach, and intestines, have formed enough that a fetus born prematurely at this point has a chance to survive outside of the mother\u2019s womb. <\/span>\r\n\r\nBetween the 7th and 9th\u00a0months, the fetus is primarily preparing for birth. It is exercising its muscles, its lungs begin to expand and contract. It is developing fat layers under the skin.\u00a0The fetus gains about 5 pounds and 7 inches during this last trimester of pregnancy which includes a layer of fat gained during the 8th\u00a0month.\u00a0This layer of fat serves as insulation and helps the baby regulate body temperature after birth.\r\n\r\nAround 36 weeks, the fetus is almost ready for birth. It weighs about 6 pounds and is about 18.5 inches long, and by week 37 all of the fetus\u2019s organ systems are developed enough that it could survive outside the mother\u2019s uterus without many of the risks associated with premature birth. The fetus continues to gain weight and grow in length until approximately 40 weeks. By then, the fetus has very little room to move around and birth becomes imminent.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3499\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"731\"]\"Images Figure 4.<\/strong>\u00a0During the fetal stage, the baby\u2019s brain develops and the body adds size and weight until the fetus reaches full-term development.[\/caption]\r\n\r\n
\r\n

Watch It<\/h3>\r\nVideo 1.\u00a0<\/strong>Prenatal Development\u00a0<\/em>explains many of the developmental milestones and changes that happen during each month of development for the embryo and fetus.\r\n\r\n[embed]https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/UA-Tk9qlG9A[\/embed]\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n
<\/div>\r\n
<\/div>","rendered":"

\"Graphic<\/a>How did you come to be who you are? From beginning as a one-cell structure to your birth, your\u00a0prenatal development\u00a0occurred in an orderly and delicate sequence. There are three stages of prenatal development: germinal, embryonic, and fetal. Keep in mind that this is different than the three trimesters of pregnancy. Let\u2019s take a look at what happens to the developing baby in each of these stages.<\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

“The body of the unborn baby is more complex than ours. The preborn baby has several extra parts to his body which he needs only so long as he lives inside his mother. He has his own space capsule, the amniotic sac. He has his own lifeline, the umbilical cord, and he has his own root system, the placenta. These all belong to the baby himself, not to his mother. They are all developed from his original cell.” <\/span><\/p>\n

Day & Liley, The Secret World of a Baby, Random House, 1968, p. 13<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Let’s take a look at some of the changes that take place during each of the three periods of prenatal development: the germinal period, the embryonic period, and the fetal period.<\/p>\n

The Germinal Period (Weeks 1-2)<\/h2>\n
\"magnified<\/p>\n

Figure 1.<\/strong>\u00a0Sperm and Ovum at Conception<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Conception occurs when a sperm fertilizes an egg and forms a\u00a0zygote,<\/strong>\u00a0which begins as a one-cell structure. The\u00a0mother and father\u2019s DNA is passed on to the child at the moment of conception. The genetic makeup and sex of the baby are set at this point. The germinal period (about 14 days in length) lasts from conception to implantation of the zygote (fertilized egg) in the lining of the uterus.<\/p>\n

During the first week after conception, the zygote divides and multiplies, going from a one-cell structure to two cells, then four cells, then eight cells, and so on. The process of cell division is called mitosis<\/strong>.\u00a0After the fourth division, differentiation of the cells begins to occur as well. Differentiated cells become more specialized, forming different organs and body parts.\u00a0\u00a0After 5 days of mitosis, there are 100 cells, and after 9 months there are billions of cells.\u00a0Mitosis\u00a0is a fragile process, and fewer than one-half of all zygotes survive beyond the first two weeks (Hall, 2004).<\/p>\n

After the zygote divides for about 7\u201310 days and has 150 cells, it travels down the fallopian tubes and implants itself in the lining of the uterus.<\/span>\u00a0It\u2019s estimated that about 60 percent of natural conceptions fail to implant in the uterus. The rate is higher for in vitro conceptions.\u00a0Once the zygote attaches to the uterus, the next stage begins.<\/p>\n

The Embryonic Period (Weeks 3-8)<\/h2>\n
\"Photograph<\/a><\/p>\n

Figure 2.<\/strong>\u00a0Human Embryo<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The embryonic period begins once the zygote is implanted in the uterine wall. It lasts from the third through the eighth week after conception. Upon implantation, this multi-cellular organism is called an\u00a0embryo<\/strong>. Now blood vessels grow, forming the placenta. The\u00a0placenta<\/strong>\u00a0is a structure connected to the uterus that provides nourishment and oxygen from the mother to the developing embryo via the umbilical cord. <\/span><\/p>\n

During this period, cells continue to differentiate. Basic structures of the embryo start to develop into areas that will become the head, chest, and abdomen. During the embryonic stage, the heart begins to beat and organs form and begin to function. At 22 days after conception, the neural tube forms along the back of the embryo, developing into the spinal cord and brain.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Growth during prenatal development occurs in two major directions: from head to tail (cephalocaudal\u00a0development) and from the midline outward (proximodistal\u00a0development).\u00a0This means that those structures nearest the head develop before those nearest the feet and those structures nearest the torso develop before those away from the center of the body (such as hands and fingers).<\/p>\n

The head develops in the fourth week and the precursor to the heart begins to pulse. In the early stages of the embryonic period, gills and a tail are apparent. But by the end of this stage, they disappear and the organism takes on a more human appearance.\u00a0The embryo is approximately 1 inch in length and weighs about 4 grams at the end of this period.\u00a0The embryo can move and respond to touch at this time.<\/p>\n

About 20 percent of organisms fail during the embryonic period, usually due to gross chromosomal abnormalities.\u00a0As in the case of the germinal period, often the mother does not yet know that she is pregnant.\u00a0It is during this stage that the major structures of the body are taking form making the embryonic period the time when the organism is most vulnerable to the greatest amount of damage if exposed to harmful substances. Potential mothers are not often aware of the risks they introduce to the developing child during this time.<\/p>\n

The Fetal Period (Weeks 9-40)<\/h2>\n
\"44-year-old<\/a><\/p>\n

Figure 3.<\/strong>\u00a0A fetus at 10 weeks of development.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

When the organism is about nine weeks old, the embryo is called a fetus<\/strong>. At this stage, the fetus is about the size of a kidney bean and begins to take on the recognizable form of a human being as the \u201ctail\u201d begins to disappear.<\/span><\/p>\n

From 9\u201312 weeks, the sex organs begin to differentiate. By the 12th week, the fetus has all its body parts including external genitalia. In the following weeks, the fetus will develop hair, nails, teeth and the excretory and digestive systems will continue to develop. At the end of the 12th\u00a0week, the fetus is about 3 inches long and weighs about 28 grams.<\/span><\/p>\n

At about 16 weeks, the fetus is approximately 4.5 inches long. Fingers and toes are fully developed, and fingerprints are visible. During the 4-6th months, the eyes become more sensitive to light and hearing develops. The respiratory system continues to develop. Reflexes such as sucking, swallowing and hiccuping develop during the 5th month. Cycles of sleep and wakefulness are present at that time as well. Throughout the fetal stage, the brain continues to grow and develop, nearly doubling in size from weeks 16 to 28. The majority of the neurons in the brain have developed by 24 weeks although they are still rudimentary and the glial or nurse cells that support neurons continue to grow.\u00a0At 24 weeks the fetus can feel pain (Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 1997).<\/span><\/p>\n

The first chance of survival outside the womb, known as the\u00a0age of viability\u00a0is reached at about 22 to 26 weeks (Moore &\u00a0Persaud, 1998). By the time the fetus reaches the sixth month of development (24 weeks), it weighs up to 1.4 pounds. The hearing has developed, so the fetus can respond to sounds. The internal organs, such as the lungs, heart, stomach, and intestines, have formed enough that a fetus born prematurely at this point has a chance to survive outside of the mother\u2019s womb. <\/span><\/p>\n

Between the 7th and 9th\u00a0months, the fetus is primarily preparing for birth. It is exercising its muscles, its lungs begin to expand and contract. It is developing fat layers under the skin.\u00a0The fetus gains about 5 pounds and 7 inches during this last trimester of pregnancy which includes a layer of fat gained during the 8th\u00a0month.\u00a0This layer of fat serves as insulation and helps the baby regulate body temperature after birth.<\/p>\n

Around 36 weeks, the fetus is almost ready for birth. It weighs about 6 pounds and is about 18.5 inches long, and by week 37 all of the fetus\u2019s organ systems are developed enough that it could survive outside the mother\u2019s uterus without many of the risks associated with premature birth. The fetus continues to gain weight and grow in length until approximately 40 weeks. By then, the fetus has very little room to move around and birth becomes imminent.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Images<\/p>\n

Figure 4.<\/strong>\u00a0During the fetal stage, the baby\u2019s brain develops and the body adds size and weight until the fetus reaches full-term development.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Watch It<\/h3>\n

Video 1.\u00a0<\/strong>Prenatal Development\u00a0<\/em>explains many of the developmental milestones and changes that happen during each month of development for the embryo and fetus.<\/p>\n