RC 212 Developmental Psychology Page 1 of 10

Prenatal Development

Topic: Prenatal Development

Sub Topic: ________________________

Welcome Notes:

WELCOME PSYCHOLOGY STUDENTS.

I. INTRODUCTION:

Think about the miraculous development that occurs during childhood in order for a tiny zygote to
grow into a walking, talking, thinking child. Newborn infants only weigh about 7.5 pounds but their physical,
cognitive, and psychosocial skills grow and change as they move through developmental stages. In this
section, you’ll learn about many of these changes.
As discussed at the beginning of this module, developmental psychologists often divide our
development into three areas: physical development, cognitive development, and psychosocial development.
Mirroring Erikson’s stages, lifespan development is divided into different stages that are based on age. We
will discuss prenatal, infant, child, adolescent, and adult 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. Let’s take a look at
what happens to the developing baby in each of these stages.

II. OBJECTIVES:

At the end of this module, you should be able to:

 Discuss how fertilization takes place

 Identify the different stages of prenatal development
 Discuss the impacts of teratogens and maternal stress on prenatal development
 RC 212 Developmental Psychology Page 2 of 10
Prenatal Development

III. PRELIMINARY ACTIVITIES:

Before you proceed to the main lesson, test yourself in this activity.

Title: Ms. Wellbeing vs New Mom

Time: 10‐15 minutes

Purpose: To brainstorm how to deal with advice from others.
Materials: Flipchart paper and markers, if available, otherwise, paper and pens.

Instructions:

1. Divide the group into two.

2. One group brainstorms typical advice from “Mrs. Wellbeing”. The other half brainstorms strategies
for how to deal with wrong, unsolicited, overwhelming advice. If a flipchart is available, make notes
on it or write on paper.
3. Role play the situations.

Notes:

The prenatal educator should be ready to counter the wrong information with accurate information. Examples
of wrong advice from the participants:
“You should stop exercising or you’ll lose the baby”
“You should not go out in cold weather”
“You shouldn’t eat peanuts during pregnancy or it could make your baby allergic to peanuts”
“Don’t take baths or you could risk a miscarriage”

GREAT!!!
You may now proceed to the main lesson.
 RC 212 Developmental Psychology Page 3 of 10
Prenatal Development

IV. LESSON PROPER

4.1 Based on the preliminary activities, what did you notice about it?
________________________________________________________
CONGRATULATIONS!
You may now proceed to the lesson.

Objective 1
 Discuss how fertilization takes place

Human Fertilization: Definition

Fertilization occurs when a sperm and an oocyte (egg) combine and their nuclei fuse. Because each of
these reproductive cells is a haploid cell containing half of the genetic material needed to form a human
being, their combination forms a diploid cell. This new single cell, called a zygote, contains all of the genetic
material needed to form a human—half from the mother and half from the father.

Human fertilization is a complicated process that results in a fertilized egg. The fertilized egg will mature in
the womb of its mother until birth. This lesson will go over the process, basic definition, and some symptoms
of human fertilization.
Simply put, the definition of human fertilization is the union or joining of the egg and the sperm, resulting in
a fertilized egg, otherwise known as a zygote. But the process of human fertilization is very complicated and
comprised of many steps and components necessary to achieve the ultimate result of human life. Read on
to learn how such small things work together to make a fertilized egg.

Process
Human fertilization begins with a woman's menstrual cycle. This cycle prepares a woman's body for
fertilization. About half way through this cycle, the woman's body is ready to begin the process of human
fertilization. It is at this point that an egg cell is released, or ovulated, into the Fallopian tube. Inside this
Fallopian tube, fertilization will take place.
During intercourse, a man can ejaculate, or release semen into a women's vagina. There are up to 150
million sperm in the semen in a single ejaculation. The sperm travel to the Fallopian tube to meet the egg;
however, the sperm have some big challenges ahead to complete this journey. For instance, the sperm have
to complete this journey within 12-48 hours of the egg being ovulated, or else they will die.
About 85% of the sperm are not properly structured for travel. This leaves only about 15% of the sperm to
complete the journey to the egg. The remaining sperm will follow chemical signals given by the vagina
and cervix, the opening of the uterus. The chemical signals will guide the sperm through the cervical mucus
 RC 212 Developmental Psychology Page 4 of 10
Prenatal Development
and up the lining of the uterus. The uterus is also known as the womb and is where the baby will develop
after fertilization.
4.2 Objective 2
 Identify the different stages of prenatal development

Stages of Prenatal Development

Prenatal development is the process that occurs during the 40 weeks prior to the birth of a child. There are
three stages of prenatal development: germinal, embryonic, and fetal. Prenatal development is also
organized into three equal trimesters, which do not correspond with the three stages. The first trimester ends
with the end of the embryonic stage, the second trimester ends at week 20, and the third trimester ends at
birth.

Germinal Stage

The germinal stage is the stage of development that occurs from conception
until 2 weeks (implantation). Conception occurs when a sperm fertilizes an egg
and forms a zygote. A zygote begins as a one-cell structure that is created when
a sperm and egg merge. At the moment of conception, the mother’s and father’s
DNA are passed on to; the genetic makeup and sex of the future fetus are set
at this point. During the first week after conception, the zygote rapidly divides
and multiplies, going from a one-cell structure to two cells, then four cells, then
eight cells, and so on. This process of cell division is called mitosis. Mitosis is a fragile process, and fewer
than one-half of all zygotes survive beyond the first two weeks (Hall, 2004). After 5 days of mitosis there are
100 cells, and after 9 months there are billions of cells. As the cells divide, they become more specialized,
forming different organs and body parts. During the germinal stage, the cells necessary for the placenta,
umbilical cord, and amniotic fluid will differentiate to form the embryo. The mass of cells has yet to attach
itself to the lining of the uterus; once this attachment occurs, the next stage begins.

Embryonic Stage

The embryonic stage lasts from implantation (2 weeks) until week 8 of

pregnancy. After the zygote divides for about 7–10 days and has 150
cells, it travels down the fallopian tubes and implants itself in the lining of
the uterus. Upon implantation, this multi-cellular organism is called an
embryo. Now blood vessels grow, forming the placenta. The placenta is
a structure connected to the uterus that provides nourishment and oxygen
from the woman’s body to the developing embryo through the umbilical
cord.
 RC 212 Developmental Psychology Page 5 of 10
Prenatal Development
During the first week of the embryonic period, the embryonic disk separates into three layers: the ectoderm,
mesoderm, and endoderm. The ectoderm is the layer that will become the nervous system and outer skin
layers; the mesoderm will become the circulatory system, skeleton, muscles, reproductive system, and inner
layer of skin; and the endoderm will become the respiratory system and part of the digestive system, as well
as the urinary tract.

The first part of the embryo to develop is the neural tube, which will become the spinal cord and brain. As the
nervous system starts to develop, the tiny heart starts to pump blood, and other parts of the body—such as
the digestive tract and backbone—begin to emerge. In the second half of this period, growth is very rapid.
The eyes, ears, nose, and jaw develop; the heart develops chambers; and the intestines grow.

Fetal Stage

The remainder of prenatal development occurs during the fetal stage, which lasts
from week 9 until birth (usually between 38 and 40 weeks). When the organism
is about nine weeks old, the embryo is called a fetus. At this stage, the fetus is
about the size of a kidney bean and begins to take on the recognizable form of a
human being. Between 9 and 12 weeks, reflexes begin to appear and the arm
and legs start to move (those first movements won’t be felt for a few weeks,
however). During this same time, the sex organs begin to differentiate. At about
16 weeks, the fetus is approximately 4.5 inches long. Fingers and toes are fully
developed, and fingerprints are visible. By the time the fetus reaches the sixth month of development (24
weeks), it weighs up to 1.4 pounds. Hearing has developed, so the fetus can respond to sounds. The internal
organs, including the lungs, heart, stomach, and intestines, have formed enough that a fetus born prematurely
at this point has a chance to survive outside of the womb.

Throughout the fetal stage the brain continues to grow and develop, nearly doubling in size from weeks 16
to 28. Brain growth during this period allows the fetus to develop new behaviors. The cerebral cortex grows
larger, and the fetus spends more hours awake. The fetus moves with more coordination, indicating more
neural connections within the brain. The nervous system is controlling more bodily functions, and even
personality begins to emerge in utero. By 28 weeks, thalamic brain connections form, which mediate sensory
input. The fetus can distinguish between voices, and can remember songs and certain sounds after birth.
The fetus becomes sensitive to light as well; in fact, if a doctor shines a light on the womb, the baby will
attempt to shield his or her eyes. Growth begins to slow around 30 to 32 weeks, but small changes continue
until birth.

Around 36 weeks, the fetus is almost ready for birth. It weighs about 6 pounds and is about 18.5 inches long,
and by week 37 all of the fetus’s organ systems are developed enough that it could survive outside the uterus
without many of the risks associated with premature birth. The fetus continues to gain weight and grow in
length until approximately 40 weeks. By then, the fetus has very little room to move around and birth becomes
imminent.
 RC 212 Developmental Psychology Page 6 of 10
Prenatal Development
4.3 Objective 3
 Discuss the impacts of teratogens and maternal stress on prenatal development

Impacts on Prenatal Development

Environmental factors, such as exposure to teratogens, can have a range of impacts on the developing fetus.

Teratogens

A teratogen is any environmental substance or agent—biological, chemical, or physical—that can have a

detrimental effect on a developing fetus. Exposure to teratogens during the prenatal stage can significantly
raise the risk of birth defects. Several factors influence the amount of damage a teratogen can have,
including dose or level of exposure, heredity, age of the teratogen, and any other negative influences (for
example, several teratogens or a teratogen combined with poor health). There are several known teratogens
that expectant mothers are advised to avoid during pregnancy, including alcohol, prescription and/or illegal
drugs, and tobacco.

Alcohol

Alcohol and most drugs cross the placenta and affect the
fetus. Excessive maternal drinking while pregnant can
cause fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) with life-
long consequences for the child, ranging in severity from
minor to major. Cognitively, these children may have poor
judgment, poor impulse control, higher rates of ADHD and
learning issues, and lower IQ scores.

Prescription and/or Illegal Drugs

Use of any type of drug—whether illegal, prescription, or over-the-counter—

can be dangerous during pregnancy. Illegal drugs such as heroine, cocaine,
and methamphetamine can cause a myriad of problems for the developing
fetus: babies can be born addicted to certain drugs and are also more likely
to be born prematurely, have low birth weight, and experience other physical
defects. Many end up with attention and behavioral problems as well.
 RC 212 Developmental Psychology Page 7 of 10
Prenatal Development
Smoking

Smoking tobacco is also considered a teratogen because nicotine travels

through the placenta to the fetus. When the mother smokes, the developing
baby experiences a reduction in blood oxygen levels. According to the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2013), smoking while
pregnant can result in premature birth, low-birth-weight infants, stillbirth,
and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)—the sudden and unexplained
death of a child less than one year of age.

Other Teratogens

Other teratogens that affect prenatal development include radiation,

pollution, and infectious disease. Radiation increases the risk of childhood
cancer, as well as emotional and behavioral disorders; because of this, it
is recommended that pregnant women avoid x-rays unless absolutely
necessary. Pollution, such as exposure to mercury or PCBs, can cause
physical deformities, abnormal speech, and difficulty with coordination.
Maternal infections such as viruses or parasites can also cause brain
damage to the fetus, or even death.

Maternal Stress and Depression

Any form of prenatal stress felt by the mother can have negative effects on
various aspects of fetal development, and can cause harm to both mother and
child. When a mother is under stress, physiological changes occur in the body
that could harm the developing fetus. Additionally, a stressed mother is more
likely to engage in behaviors that could negatively affect the fetus, such as
smoking, drug use, and alcohol abuse. Prenatal depression is often caused by
the stress and worry that pregnancy can bring, only at a more severe level. Other
factors that can put a person at risk for prenatal depression include unplanned pregnancy, difficulty becoming pregnant,
history of abuse, and economic or family problems.