EMBRONIC AND FETAL DEVELOPMENT

This lab project is about the fetus development. What’s an important week during a fetus development and why.

Week Two


This image is about implantation. It is an important stage of pregnancy because this is where it starts. When fertilization takes place the sperm and egg form a zygote. This stage is the beginning of pregnancy often around day 14 of a 28-day cycle, when a woman ovulates. The gender is also determined in the beginning. I find this to be a very important stage because it’s a beginning of life for a new person; it is when a man and women become parents. The second week is when the embryo implant itself to the uterus, when implantation is successful the women is clinically pregnant.



Week three

The third week is important because important organ systems are making their appearances. The nervous system is the first organ system to be visible. Also week three is the development of the heart. HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) is significant because it tells the ovaries to stop releasing eggs and to increase production of estrogen and progesterone. HCG is also useful to home pregnancy test it detects pregnancy. I find this very important because this is when a woman finds out she is pregnant.

Week Four

At week four, all of the baby’s organs are developing will some will begin to function. A baby is most vulnerable at this stage (week four to week ten) with his or her development, it can have some interferes. The amniotic sac is also present, it surrounds the baby while he or she grows. I find this stage very important because the baby is vulnerable and drugs or alcohol can affect the baby’s development. Drugs or alcohol can lead to miscarriage also.

Week Five

Week five is when the heart starts beating. The umbilical cord also develops which is the baby’s lifeline. The umbilical cord’s responsibility is to pump oxygen, remove waste and supply nutrients to the baby throughout the pregnancy. The lungs also develop along with the brain. The arm and legs start appear like buds. I find week five important because the he or she heart starts to beat!!

Week Ten

Week ten the baby is now called a fetus because most of the baby’s development is complete it is also the end of embryonic development and time for fetal development. Fingernails also appear. The eyelids are still closed but the eye color has already developed. Week ten is an important stage because the baby is now identified as a fetus.

Week Fourteen



Week fourteen is also the second trimester for the mother and her baby. The brain impulses and the facial muscles are getting a workout because the fetus is making expressions. The kidney are also producing urine with is release into the amniotic fluid. The fetus is also making some movements and may even be felt! This week is important because the fetus is out of harm way and the fetus and mother are in the second trimester. The gender can also be detected with ultrasound and his or her bones are getting stronger.

Week twenty-three



Week 23 (around 6 months) the fetus moves around even more! The fetus eye’s can open and close and react to light, some baby can see through their mother’s belly with really bright lights. Also the vocal cords are developing. Blood vessels are also developing in the lungs to help him/her to breathe. The fetus also can hear from inside the womb. I found that this was an important week/month because the unborn baby has developed their senses of hearing which means that the baby’s brain has developed even more.

Week twenty-Eight



Week 28 (7 months) the fetus is starting to grow hair, eyelashes and eyebrows. The little baby’s skin is pink and smooth. The fetus’s brain is growing dramatically each week and will continue after the baby is born and years to come. The lungs are still developing but aren’t fully developed just yet but if born prematurely the baby has a good chance of survival. The baby is also developing billions of neurons in their brain and also gaining more weight and getting longer. I found this to be an interesting week because the baby is growing hair already and also the brain is still developing rapidly and if he or she was born now it has a chance of survival.


Week Third-Four




Week 34 or around week 8. The fetus is gaining ½ ounce a day, looking less wrinkled, their fat is filling in and is very crammed up in their mother’s stomach now. The fetus fat layers will help regulate their body temperature once he or she is born. The fetus’s central nervous system (CNS) is maturing and the lungs are still completing to mature. Babies that are born between 34-37 weeks well have no real health problems and will be born healthy. I found this to be a important week because even if the baby has a chance of survival if born the lungs can still not be matured yet, so it is very important to keep the baby inside of the womb until the actually due date.

Week 40



Week 40 or month 9. The fetus is ready to be born. The fetus is officially considered “full term”. The fetus will position its head downward to their mother’s bony pelvis. The umbilical cord is over 2 feet in length and the placenta weighs about a pound and ½. The fetus’s skull bone is not yet complex which allows the head to fit through the birth canal during labor. The fetus now a baby is ready to be born.

Conclusion:
This was a great lab!! I learned a lot. I am a mother of a four year old. I had him at 32 weeks and had to spend 2 weeks in the hospital because his lungs were not yet developed yet. But he wouldn’t wait and I had him but his lungs were developed and he was a healthy boy. I learned a lot about what a fetus goes through the first 9 months being in the womb and now important it is to keep the baby healthy and his or her mother.

Reference:
www.babycenter.com

What to expect when you’re expecting, H. Murkoff, A. Eisnberg, S. Hathaway, 2002

Human Biology, S. Mader, 2008.