Prenatal Development & The Newborn

Prenatal Development:

Begins with conception and ends at birth. A full term pregnancy is typically 38 weeks

Three stages of Prenatal Development:
*Germinal Stage: Conception to 2 weeks
*Embryonic Stage: 2 - 8 weeks
*Fetal Stage: 9 weeks to birth

Germinal Period "Finding a place to live":

The stage of development that occurs from conception until 2 weeks
*The fertilized egg, known as a zygote, moves toward the uterus, a journey that can take up to a week to complete.
*Cell division begins approximately 24 to 36 hours after conception
*The zygote has the genetic instructions for new individual

Placenta:

Specialized organ that provies nourishment and oxygen from mother to the developing embryo through the umbilical cord.
*Also filters away waste products from the developing baby
*The zygotes inner cells become the embryo (the developing multicellular organism attached to the uterus) and the outer cells become the placenta

Embryonic Period "Organizing Space":

The development period from implantation to 8 weeks of pregnancy, which the major organ and structure of the organism develop. *Critical stage for "normal" cognitive and physical development *Heart begins to beat, organs function *The new individual is now considered an embryo

Fetal Period "Finishing Touches":

The development time period from nine weeks after conception until after the birth of the child *Fetus: Name for the developing organism from eight weeks after fertilization to the birth of the baby (Sexual Differentiation) *Fetus will gain weight and strength, brain is completely formed by the time of birth

Critical Periods:

Times during which certain environmental influences can have an impact on the development of the infant (Embryonic Period) *Birth Defects: Can result from a malfunctioning gene or an environmental stimulus (not hereditary)

Teratogen:

Agents, such as chemicals and viruses, that can reach the embryo or fetus during prenatal development and cause harm *The effects of exposure to any teratogen will depend on how much exposure there is, when it happens, and how susceptible one is to that teratogen

Teratogen Agent: Stress

*Any form of prenatal stress felt by the mother can have negative effects on various aspects of fetal development *A stressed mother is more likely to engage in behaviours that could negatively affect the fetus

Teratogen Agent: Alcohol

*Alcohol is not safe to drink in any amount during pregnancy *Alcohol use during pregnancy has been found to be the leading preventable cause of mental disabilities in children in the United States. *Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS): includes physical, cognitive, and psychological abnormalities that result from consuming alcohol during pregnancy. *Low intelligence, a small head with flat face, misshapen eyes, a flat nose, and a thin upper lip *Intellectual impairment ranges from minor learning disabilities to severe intellectual disability

Teratogen Agent: Smoking/Nicotine

*When the mother smokes, the developing baby experiences a reduction in blood oxygen levels & nutrients *Smoking while pregnant can result in effects on fetal growth such as premature birth, low birth weight infants, stillbirth, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)

Teratogen Agent: Smoking/Marijuana

*It is recommended that pregnant women do not use marijuana (CDC) *Smoking marijuana while pregnant can result in low birth weight, developmental problems, difficulty with attention

Teratogenic Agent: Prescription and/or Illegal Drugs

*Use of any type of drug-whether illegal, prescription, or over-the-counter can be dangerous during pregnancy *Illegal Drugs: Babies can be born addicted, born prematurely, have low birth weight, and experience other physical defects. Many end up with attention and behavioural problems as well

Reflexes:

Infants have a set of innate (existing from birth) unlearned behaviour patterns to help the infant to survive. *Grasping, Rooting, Sucking, Moro Reflex, Stepping, Babinski Reflex *Reflexes allow infants to receive food or to cling to a caregiver in early days of their lives (disappear in first 6 months of life) *The sense of touch is the most well developed in infancy and the sense of smell is highly developed (taste and hearing nearly functional) *The least functional sense at birth is vision. It takes six months to fully develop (Attracted to light-and-dark contrasts)

Neonates (Infant less than 4 weeks)

*Neonates turn their heads in the direction of human voices *Neonates are born with a preference to look toward faces, 8 to 12 inches away *Neonates know the difference in smell, babies preferred breast pads to their moms or others At birth, most brain cells are present. After birth, the neural networks multiply resulting in increased physical and mental abilities (increased complexity) *Blooming: Period of rapid neural growth

Maturation:

Biological growth processes that enable orderly changes in behaviour, relatively uninfluenced by experience *Genetic growth tendencies are inborn, determined by genetic makeup *Maturation sets the basic course of development; experience adjusts it

Development Norms:

The normal timeline of mental and physical growth and changes that occur as an entity ages *If a baby has not reached a developmental norm within a normal time frame then there is a possibility that they may have a development delay

Six Motor Milestones:

Infant's muscles and nervous system mature, skills emerge *Sit, Crawl, walk, run - the sequence of these motor developments milestones is the same the world around, though babies reach them at varying ages

Infantile Amnesia:

The difficulty or inability that adults have in remembering detailed or episodic memories (memories were time, place and events can be identified) from early childhood, generally prior to age 3 or 4 *Infants can learn skills (procedural memories)

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