Pregnancy
The first week or two, a woman is not actually pregnant. By the third week, the sperm and egg unite in one of a woman’s fallopian tubes to form a one-celled entity called a zygote. The zygote has 46 chromosomes — 23 from the mom and 23 from the dad. These chromosomes will help determine the baby's sex, traits such as eye and hair color, and, to some extent, personality and intelligence. By the fourth week, after fertilization, the zygote travels down the fallopian tube toward the uterus. At the same time, it will begin dividing rapidly to form a cluster of cells resembling a tiny raspberry. The inner group of cells will become the embryo. The outer group of cells will become the ...
Want to read the rest of this paper?
Join Essayworld today to view this entire essay
and over 50,000 other term papers
|
outermost layer of skin, central and peripheral nervous systems, eyes, inner ear, and many connective tissues. The baby's heart and a primitive circulatory system will form in the middle layer of cells, the mesoderm. This layer of cells will also serve as the foundation for the baby's bones, muscles, kidneys and much of the reproductive system. The inner layer of cells, the endoderm, will become a simple tube lined with mucous membranes. The baby's lungs, intestines and bladder will develop here. By the sixth week, the neural tube along the baby’s back is closing and the baby’s heart is pumping blood. Basic facial features will begin to appear, including passageways that make up the inner ear and arches that will contribute to the jaw. Small buds will soon become arms and legs. Seven weeks into the pregnancy, the baby’s brain and face are rapidly developing. Tiny nostrils become visible, and the eye lenses begin to form. By the end of the week, the baby will be a little bit ...
Get instant access to over 50,000 essays.
Write better papers. Get better grades.
Already a member? Login
|
Tissue that will become bone is also developing around the baby’s head and within the arms and legs. Fourteen weeks into the pregnancy, the baby’s arms have almost reached the final length they’ll be at birth. Red blood cells are now forming in the baby’s spleen. The fifth teen week of pregnancy, the baby is growing rapidly. The baby’s skeleton is now developing bones, which become visible during the ultrasound images. Sixteen weeks into the pregnancy, the eyes are beginning to face forward and slowly move. The ears are close to reaching their final position.
Fifth Month
Seventeen weeks into the pregnancy fat stores begin to develop under the skin. Eighteen weeks into the ...
Succeed in your coursework without stepping into a library.
Get access to a growing library of notes, book reports,
and research papers in 2 minutes or less.
|
CITE THIS PAGE:
Pregnancy. (2012, April 9). Retrieved April 20, 2024, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Pregnancy/100628
"Pregnancy." Essayworld.com. Essayworld.com, 9 Apr. 2012. Web. 20 Apr. 2024. <http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Pregnancy/100628>
"Pregnancy." Essayworld.com. April 9, 2012. Accessed April 20, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Pregnancy/100628.
"Pregnancy." Essayworld.com. April 9, 2012. Accessed April 20, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Pregnancy/100628.
|
Save
Report