Pregnancy Childbirth 08

I did erase all the copied part that had absolutely no sense here. I want you to follow the rules... Okay?--Pierre.brawand 24 janvier 2009 à 14:24 (MET)

What is pregnancy?

For human beings, pregnancy occurs amongst the female, taking place precisely in the uterus. It is the state of carrying one or more embryos that will eventually develop into a foetus, during a period of nine months. This period starts at conception and ends at the point of delivery.

There is not a HUMAN RACE. You should use either "For humans", or "For human beings", ok?--Pierre.brawand 24 janvier 2009 à 14:24 (MET)

How does pregnancy occur?

Pregnancy takes place after fertilization, which usually occurs in the the fallopian tube, near the uterus. The sperm cells travel up the cervix and into the uterus in search of the egg. Once in the uterus, the uterus contracts and helps the sperm enter into the fallopian tubes, which are situated above. Conception takes place when the egg and a sperm cell come into contact and then forming a zygot. Pregnancy occurs by the implantation of the embryo (which is at this stage a ball of rapidly multiplying cells called the blastocyst) into the uterus about three or four days after fertilization.The embryo attaches itself to the uterine wall ( which is also called the uterine lining) and will then develop and grow inside the uterus for a period of nine months (about 266 days) and during this time, various changes occur in the mother's body in order to accomodate the growing foetus.

you could briefly mention how the embryo is generated: fertilization of two gametes to create a zygote, and then the cleavage state that generates the embryo.--Pierre.brawand 24 janvier 2009 à 14:24 (MET) Pregnancy is divided into three trimesters, each of which lasting about three months each. These trimesters help us to monitor not only the growth of the baby and the mother but also the changes occuring inside the mother's body. Although complications such as miscarriages can occur, the foetus usually grows healthily during pregnancy, recieving its nutrients from it's mother and growing in a safe and comfortable environnement which is the uterus.

the monitoring is performed not only on the embryo/fetus, but also on the mother...--Pierre.brawand 24 janvier 2009 à 14:24 (MET)

What are the different stages of pregnancy?

First trimester

The first trimester includes fertilization and implantation. During this period, the most important changes concerning both the foetus and the mother occur. The mother may experience things such as excessive vomiting, weight gain, heartburn, dizziness and tiredness due to these changes. Nausea and vomitting are usually very common and are probably the first symptoms of pregnancy the mother will experience. These changes experienced by the mother is due to the growth of the embryo, which by about the eighth week of pregnancy, would have a developping brain, tiny arms and legs and even a heartbeat. This means that from the eighth week, an altrasound of the embryo can be taken. By week twelve, almost all the fetus' limbs are developed. It is possible to find out at this stage if the fetus will be a boy or a girl because it's sexual organs would have started developing. At the end of the trimester, which usually lasts for about thirteen weeks, the mother will stop experiencing vomitting and nausea and her energy levels will go back to normal but she will start experiencing headachs due to the greater pumping of blood by her enlarged heart.

The first trimester of pregnancy lasts for about 14 weeks. At the beggining, it's an embryo 'till about 5 weeks of life and it looks like any other vertebrate embryo. (see annexe 1)

After 9 weeks de organs begin to devellop and the embryo has now a human form and is called a fetus. The fetus measures about 5.5 cm long. At the end of the trimester it looks like a mini human and we can now know it's sex by doing an ultrasound exam ( see annexe 2 & 3)

What is childbirth?

Childbirth is the step that follows the period of nine months or 42 weeks of pregnency, when the developed feotus or baby is pushed out the uterus of the mother to the outside world, along the birth canal. It happens normally spontaneously after the period of gestation, otherwise if pregnancy goes past 42 weeks, then it could be stimulatd artificially. Childbirth is actually a whole process that includes two phases: labor and delivery. The latter are themselves divided into different stages.

What are labor and delivery?

Labor is the whole process of birth occuring before the birth itself which is called the delivery. Labor generally lasts for about 14 hours during a first pregnancy, and for about eight hours during subsequent ones; it is in this phase that the mother feels intense pain because she is undergoing contractions. These are due to the continuous tightening and relaxing of the uterus

References

still a lot a work to be done...--Pierre.brawand 24 janvier 2009 à 14:24 (MET)

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