Question

Please identify and briefly describe the significant physical and physiological changes that occur in the prenatal developmental period, including those that relate to birth and the very early weeks of post-natal life.

Answer 1

Pregnancy is a very complicated biological process; it starts from conception to birth. The pregnancy happens when the sperm from men meets up with an egg and fertilizes. The sperm from the testicle gets mixed with the liquid and form semen this liquid is ejaculated during the sexual intercourse and enters the women's vagina.

The fertilization can take place immediately after the meeting of sperm and egg or it takes six days. The fertilized egg divides into a number of tiny cells and takes the shape of a ball called the blastocyst. If it happens to attach to the uterine wall it develops into a fetus and continues to grow till birth.

The pregnancy can be tested by various pathological tests. The lady who is pregnant goes through a number of changes these are physical and psychological. She loses her period and starts feeling nausea, swollen breasts, fatigue and vomiting during the first few weeks of the pregnancy some women feel it throughout the period of pregnancy and even get extended postnatal. Otherwise, the ill-feeling gets reduced. The swelling feet high blood pressure is a few of the biological changes in pregnant lady experiences.

During the first 10 weeks of pregnancy, the level of hormones like progesterone and estrogen and gonadotropin double every two days. Its primary function is to stop the menstruation cycle during the pregnancy and develop the placenta that allows the fetus to be supplied with nutrients and oxygen and remove the toxic material.

The hormones secretion brings emotional and psychological changes. As the fetus develops it starts occupying more space.

The fetus is saved from getting rejected by turning off the key pathway that rejects the foreign body, thus making the immune system dormant and the fetus is saved from getting attacked and getting rejected. Due to shutting off of the immune system the women who were suffering from diseases caused by immune disorder get relief from their pain. Together with this, the natural anti-inflammatory steroids are released during the pregnancy thus it helps in reducing the pain.

During the pregnancy, the blood output increases to supply blood to the growing fetus by increasing the stroke volume, as the blood is shared by the growing fetus the women face anemic condition and calcium deficiency. These are supplemented by medication thus the fetus should get enough blood and good bone density. The pregnant lady should avoid alcohol, smoking, and drugs because the fetus is getting the food from the mother's blood because of it the baby may suffer deformity before birth.

The expecting mother is required to follow the breathing exercise that increases the oxygen level in the bloodstream that helps the mother and the child.

The breast of the pregnant lady starts growing to prepare for breastfeeding. As the pelvic region increases the pregnant lady suffers back pain, discomfort. The body naturally releases a relaxing hormone called relaxin it softens ligaments and cartilage tissue that helps in accommodating the growing fetus.

As the food intake of the pregnant lady changes the accumulating of fats, changes the physical shapes of the lady.

The third trimester is from 29 to 40 is the time the baby can be born, if born before nine months the child is called premature baby, and extra care had to be taken. The health of the baby and the mother's health are very important. Postnatal care is given to the mother and the newborn baby. The first six weeks of the child is very important, the menstrual cycle does not start immediately after birth.

After the birth of the child, there is vaginal postpartum bleeding and it continues for ten days and it stops after a few weeks or can continue for up to four to six weeks after delivery. The discomfort and pain nausea starts disappearing, and the mother starts coming back to normal life. But the body weight does not go immediately it requires some exercise and effort to come back to the normal weight. After postnatal the breast starts producing milk that is very important for the child future health and immune system, It is necessary to breastfeed the child.