Chapter 3: The Biology of Lifespan Development - PSY 110 - Lifespan Development - Textbook - LibGuides at Hostos Community College Library

Why It Matters: Prenatal Development

Why It Matters - Prenatal Development
People endure quite an incredible journey before they are born. Think about it—when the timing and conditions are just right, a tiny egg releases from ovulation and a single sperm out of hundreds of millions unite to begin the process of fertilization. Genetic material from the mother and father join together to form a completely new organism. This new organism has to continue to travel and implant in the uterine wall in order to continue to grow and thrive. It is not an easy feat. It still must grow and develop for approximately 268 days before it begins life outside of the womb.

Today we have more knowledge and technology than ever before that has an impact on this process. We are privy to tests that can give us a wealth of information even before we conceive. We have the ability to know the genetic make-up of an embryo before it is implanted in the womb. If you could choose all of the features of your future baby, would you? What would be the pros and cons of this? New parents also have the choice of the prenatal care that they receive and how they want to prepare for labor and delivery. As you can see, the choices that are made along the way and the unforeseen surprises make for a unique pregnancy and birth story.

This module explores this journey and the development process from the moment of conception to delivery.

Here are the videos included in the Word document readings:

Biological Foundations of Human Development

Biological Foundations of Human Development
What you’ll learn to do: explain the role of genetics in prenatal development.

In this section, we will look at some of the ways in which heredity helps to shape the way we are. Heredity involves more than genetic information from our parents. According to evolutionary psychology, our genetic inheritance comes from the most adaptive genes of our ancestors. We will look at what happens genetically during conception and take a brief look at some genetic abnormalities. Before going into these topics, however, it is important to emphasize the interplay between heredity and the environment. Why are you the way you are? As you consider some of your features (height, weight, personality, health, etc.), ask yourself whether these features are a result of heredity, or environmental factors, or both. Chances are, you can see the ways in which both heredity and environmental factors (such as lifestyle, diet, and so on) have contributed to these features.

Here are the videos included in the Word document readings:

Click the image to watch Fertilization. A new window will open.

Click the image to watch Meiosis Made Super Easy. A new window will open.

Click the image to watch What is Inheritance? A new window will open.

Click the image to watch Down Syndrome - Ability Awareness PSA Video. A new window will open.

Click the image to watch Screening in Pregnancy. A new window will open.

Click the image to watch Epigenetics: Nature vs nurture. A new window will open.

Prenatal Development

Prenatal Development
What you’ll learn to do: explain the main stages of prenatal development.

How did you come to be who you are? From beginning as a one-cell structure to your birth, your prenatal development occurred in an orderly and delicate sequence. There are three stages of prenatal development: germinal, embryonic, and fetal. Keep in mind that this is different than the three trimesters of pregnancy. Let’s take a look at what happens to the developing baby in each of these stages.

Here are the videos included in the Word document readings:

Click the image to watch NOFAS Topics: Light Drinking. A new window will open.

Click the image to watch U.S. Maternal Mortality Rate is Much Higher for African-Americans. A new window will open.

Birth and Delivery

Birth and Delivery
What you’ll learn to do: describe approaches to childbirth and the labor and delivery process.

What comes to your mind when you think about a woman giving birth? Some may describe it as beautiful, a miracle, and a rite of passage. Others may think of pain, fear, and discomfort. Labor and delivery is not an easy feat. It is called labor after all because it is a lot of work! In this section, you’ll learn more about the various approaches to childbirth as well as the actual process.

Here are the videos included in the Word document readings:

Click the image to watch Home Birth Water Birth with Doula and Midwife. A new window will open.

Click the image to watch My High-Risk Birth Story. A new window will open.

Click the image to watch Epidural Anaesthesia. A new window will open.

Click the image to watch Patient Education Animation: Labor and Vaginal Birth. A new window will open.

Click the image to watch C-section (Cesarean Delivery). A new window will open.

Click the image to watch APGAR Score - MEDZCOOL. A new window will open.

Putting It Together: Prenatal Development

Putting It Together: Prenatal Development
As you can see, what may seem like a simple process is in fact a beautiful and delicate journey. Each pregnancy and birth story is unique and comes with surprises and sometimes challenges. As medical technology has rapidly improved, women are empowered with more information and more choices when it comes to their pregnancy and birth. However, just because interventions are available does not mean that this is the path for all mothers. As we learned in the case with Serena Williams, even in the U.S. sometimes medical care can go awry. Each mother needs to be an active advocate for herself and her baby during her pregnancy and delivery.

Licenses & Attributions

CC Licensed Content, Shared Previously

Lifespan Development. Provided by: Lumen Learning. Located at: courses.lumenlearning.com/wmopen-lifespandevelopment/. License: CC BY 4.0, except where otherwise noted.
Conception to birth -- visualized | Alexander Tsiaras. Provided by: TED. Located at: https://youtu.be/fKyljukBE70. License: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Sexual Conflict in Human Mating. Provided by: TEDx. Located at: https://youtu.be/mu4Uki8VyLc. License: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
An Introduction to Mendelian Genetics | Biomolecules. Provided by: Khan Academy. Located at: https://youtu.be/NR3779ef9yQ. License: CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike
Prenatal Development: What We Learn Inside the Womb. Provided by: Sprouts. Located at: https://youtu.be/UA-Tk9qlG9A. License: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Fertilization. Provided by: Nucleus Medical Media. Located at: https://youtu.be/_5OvgQW6FG4. License: Other. License Terms: Standard YouTube License.
MEIOSIS - MADE SUPER EASY - ANIMATION. Authored by: Medical Institution. Located at: https://youtu.be/nMEyeKQClqI. License: Other. License Terms: Standard YouTube License.
Down Syndrome - Ability Awareness PSA Video. Authored by: rosaryfilms. Located at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIcbFrt4F_c. License: Other. License Terms: Standard YouTube License
Screening in Pregnancy. Authored by: Michigan Medicine. Located at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odYHHgzsc_4. License: Other. License Terms: Standard YouTube License
Epigenetics: Nature vs nurture. Authored by: Det medisinske fakultet UiO. Located at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k50yMwEOWGU. License: Other. License Terms: Standard YouTube License
NOFAS Topics: Light Drinking. Provided by: AlcoholFreePregnancy. Located at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=231&v=pvFqjU43Odo. License: Other. License Terms: Standard YouTube License
U.S. Maternal Mortality is Much Higher for African-Americans. Provided by: Healthcare Triage. Located at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYc-Eq-vDuA%20. License: Other. License Terms: Standard YouTube License
Home Birth Water Birth with Doula and Midwife. Provided by: Yema Mamas. Located at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wczscWXk8e4. License: Other. License Terms: Standard YouTube License
My High-Risk Birth Story. Provided by: CBC Parents. Located at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=88&v=jzBQQXy5XRE. License: Other. License Terms: Standard YouTube License
Epidural Anaesthesia. Authored by: LHSCCanada. Located at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tw-SXI3wKU. License: Other. License Terms: Standard YouTube License
Patient Education Animation: Labor and Vaginal Birth. Authored by: Nucleus Medical Media. Located at: https://youtu.be/ZDP_ewMDxCo. License: Other. License Terms: Standard YouTube License
C-section (Cesarean Delivery). Authored by: Nucleus Medical Media. Located at: https://youtu.be/xyN48VnRYUY. License: Other. License Terms: Standard YouTube License
APGAR Score - MEDZCOOL. Authored by: Medzcool. Located at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98ikG8a9JKs. License: Other. License Terms: Standard YouTube License

PSY 110 - Lifespan Development - Textbook

License & Attribution

PSY 110 Lifespan Development

Why It Matters: Prenatal Development

Biological Foundations of Human Development

Prenatal Development

Birth and Delivery

Putting It Together: Prenatal Development

Licenses & Attributions

CC Licensed Content, Shared Previously

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