Child & Adolescent Psychology - Chapter 3: Prenatal Development

PSYC 3370

prenatal stress can cause

pregnancy and birth complications, why proper healthcare starts much before fetal development

embryonic sexual differentiation

we start with the physical organs of females but differentiate due to male sex hormones, later making these sexual organs functional

germinal stage

first 2 weeks, conception → implantation

embryonic disk

inner part of the blastocyte that differentiates into the germ layers

trophoblast

outer layer of the blastocyst that develops the amniotic sac, placenta, and umbilical cord

umbilical cord

tube that connects the fetus to the placenta

placenta

organ connected to the uterine wall and to the fetus by the umbilical cord

relays nutrients and wastes between mother and fetus

embryonic stage

implantation → first 2 months

• major organ systems differentiate

  • cephalocaudal

  • proximodistal

• germ layers develop

  • endoderm

  • mesoderm

  • ectoderm

cephalocaudal

development of head to tail (top down)

proximodistal

development of inner body to outer body

• shoulder → hand

ectoderm

develop into

main: skin and nervous system

• sensory organs

• nails

• hair

• teeth

• outer skin layer

• nervous system (brain, spinal cord, etc)

neural tube

hollowed out area in the blastocyst that turns into the nervous system

endoderm

develop into

main: lungs and digestive system

• digestive system

• respiratory system

• liver

• pancreas

mesoderm

develop into

main: bones and muscle

• excretory system

• reproductive system

• circulatory system

• muscles

• bones

androgens

male sex hormones (includes testosterone)

amniotic sac

contains the fetus

amniotic fluid

within the amniotic sac, suspends and protects the fetus

fetal stage

beginning of 3rd month → birth

second trimester

second trimester

size growth, organ system maturation, can open and shut eyes, sucks thumb, wakes and sleeps, and can perceive light and sound

• prefer mother’s voice

• fetal learning, maternal attachment

complications for pre-term births

causes: chronic stress, affective disorders

makes fetal health risky

stillbirth

birth of a dead fetus

critical period

period when the embryo is vulnerable to certain teratogens

teratogens

environmental factors that cause defects in a child

• drugs

• chemicals

• infections

syphillis

STI that can attack major organ systems

congenital

present at birth due to prenatal environment

multifactorial congenital disorders/problems

come from genes and environment interacting

mendellian factors/single gene disorders

• cystic fibrosis

• sickle cell

• huntington’s disease

• hemophilia

• chromosomal gene disorders

genetic counseling

to find chances of conditions

• ex: alpha fetoprotein assay, amniocentesis, etc

human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS)

compromises the immune system

rubella/german measles

viral infection that can cause intellectual disability and heart disease

pre-eclampsia

life threatening disease that can affect pregnant women

characterized by high blood pressure

premature/preterm

born before the full term of gestation

Rh incompatibility

pregnant woman’s antibodies are transmitted to the child → brain damage or death

thalidomide

sedative linked to birth defects

progestin

hormone that maintains pregnancy and can also masculinize the fetus

diethylstilbestrol (DES)

estrogen linked to reproductive organ cancer

fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD)

cluster of symptoms of children of women who consumed alcohol during pregnancy

• facial features, intellectual disability

fetal alcohol effect (FAE)

cluster of symptoms, less severe than FASD

women who drank moderately during pregnancy