The Miracle of Life - update.realityworks.com

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The Miracle of Life

The Human Birth Process

Experiential Learning Technology1

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One Sperm + One egg = YOU!





Two Weeks


• 2 weeks - Fertilization: the sperm and egg join in the fallopian tube to form a unique human being.

• Forty-six chromosomes combine, which pre-determine all of a person's physical characteristics.

• The MIRACLE BEGINS




Fetal Development Stages

Illustration:Wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/35/Male_anatomy.png


• Zygote Stage – Lasts 2 weeks– Sperm unites with ovum (egg)

• Embryo Stage – Lasts 6 weeks – All major body systems begin to develop:

• Central nervous system, brain, blood vessels, stomach, heart

• Eyes, lungs arms legs, hands, feet

• Fetus Stage – Lasts 7 months– Fetus grows and matures– Rapid growth of body, head, arms, legs– Organs develop for breathing, digestions,

blood circulation– Nerves and muscles develop– Heart pumps blood through veins and arteries



http://www.wpclinic.org/image/photos/02weeks200x219.jpg

http://www.wpclinic.org/image/photos/teardrop170x238.jpg



2nd Month – Embryo (1st Trimester)


• Photo taken after surgery for an ectopic pregnancy –shows development of baby at only 6 weeks after conception

• Major organs have begun to form

• Hair follicles and nipples form, knees and elbows visible

• Eyes have retina and lens• Major muscle system is

developed• End of 2nd month (8 weeks)

begins the fetal stage of development

Photograph by University of Minnesota Medical Photographer, Robert Wolfe. 1972



http://www.wpclinic.org/image/photos/teardrop170x238.jpg



Question:

What does the embryo attach to so it can start to grow?




Uterus


• Pear-shaped, muscular-walled organ where the fetus develops for NINE months

• Sit back and relax cause we are going to be here for a while!




3rd Month – Fetus (1st Trimester)


• Our nostrils, mouth, lips, teeth buds, and eyelids form

• Our fingers and toes are almost complete• Our heartbeat can be heard with a

stethoscope• All organs are present though immature• Red blood cells are produced in the liver





4th Month – Fetus (2nd Trimester)


• Our skin is slightly less transparent

• Fine hair covers our entire body• We can suck our thumb,

swallow, hiccup, grasp with our hands, kick, or even somersault!

• Our facial features become clearer

• Our brain is fully developed• Our bones are becoming harder• We can feel pain






• Doctors can tell if we’re a boy or a girl

• Hair, eyelashes, eyebrows appear

• Teeth continue to develop• We have fingernails and

fingerprints• Our organs are maturing• “Quickening” begins (mom

feels us moving)






• Our eyes open and close• The muscles in our arms

and legs strengthen• Breath movement begins• We have hand and startle

reflex• Footprints and

fingerprints are forming





7th Month – Fetus (3rd Trimester)


• We are covered with downy hair called lanugo

• Fat deposits begin to appear beneath wrinkly skin

• Our nervous, circulatory, and other systems mature

• A protective waxy substance (Vernix) covers our skin

• Periods of activities are followed by periods of rest and quiet







• We can hear sounds and may be startled by sudden noise

• We can hear and recognize our mom’s voice

• We usually moves into a head-down position






• Increased fat our under skin makes us look less wrinkled

• Our movement decreases with less room to move

• We gain disease-fighting antibodies from our mom’s blood

• We descends lower into pelvis—getting ready for birth





Question:

What is connecting us to our mothers?





Umbilical Cord

• Lifeline from mother to baby that carries food, oxygen, and water

• This is what must be cut during delivery-when people say ‘cut the cord’ this is what they mean!





Question:

What does the umbilical cord attach to so it can feed the growing

embryo?





Placenta• Thick-walled circular

organ, rich in blood supply connected to the umbilical cord

• The placenta must also be delivered. This is called the AFTERBIRTH:– Tissues, fluids, and the

placenta that passes our after the birth of the baby



http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/66/Placenta.jpg



What is the ‘bag of water’?

• Amniotic Sac– Covering around the

fetus– Also called the bag of

waters– When this breaks the

mother knows it’s almost time to deliver





You have to make a journey!

• First the cervix must dilate to 10 cm• Cervix:

– The neck of the uterus which has to stretch open during labor

• Out through the vagina– Birth canal or female sex organ





Stages of Labor





You’re Here!



http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/38/HumanNewborn.JPG



If things don’t go as planned:• Miscarriage:

– Baby dies inside the mother’s uterus and is passed out early• Premature

– Baby is born early• Breech Birth

– Baby is born feet first• Caesarian Birth:

– Baby is taken through the mother’s abdomen through surgery• Still Born:

– Baby dies during labor and is born dead





Teen Pregnancy– Are teen mothers at

higher or lower risks than adult women?

– Why or why not?




Final Thought:


If you are in contact with your birth mother, give her a HUGE hug and say THANK-YOU

for bringing you into to world!!



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The Miracle of Life - update.realityworks.com