Developmental Issues,
Prenatal Development, and
the Newborn
Module 10
1
Prenatal Development and the
Newborn
How, over time, did we come to be who we are?
From zygote to birth, development progresses
in an orderly, though fragile, sequence.
2
Prenatal Development
A zygote is a fertilized egg with 100 cells that
become increasingly diverse. At about 14 days
the zygote turns into an embryo (a and b).
Lennart Nilsson/ Albert Bonniers Publishing Company
Biophoto Associates/ Photo Researchers, Inc.
3
Development facts:
• What does “6 weeks” mean?
– This means 4 weeks from the moment of conception
– Weeks are counted from the first day of the the
mother’s last menstrual period.
– Conception typically occurs two weeks later.
– As a result a “6 week” old unborn child has only
been alive for 4 weeks.
– Keep these figures in mind as you learn about the
development of the unborn child
At “5 Weeks”
(3 Weeks since conception)
• A child’s spinal cord
and neural pathways are
forming, as are the heart
and circulatory system.
He or she is the size of a
sesame seed! There is
an excellent chance the
mother has no idea that
she is pregnant.
At “6 Weeks”
(4 Weeks since conception)
• A child’s heart is beating at
100-160 beats per minute;
ears, nose, and mouth have
begun to form; legs and arms
are starting to protrude; and
blood is coursing through the
body. Lungs, brain, and
muscles are all starting to
form.
• This baby is less than a
quarter of an inch long!
• Most women still do not
know they are pregnant at
this time
At “8 Weeks”
(6 Weeks since conception)
• A child’s fingers and toes have
formed and are visible. Eyelids
now cover his or her eyes. The
child has breathing tubes. In
his brain nerve cells are
connected with one another.
This baby is constantly moving
within his mother. She just
can’t feel him yet. Keep in
mind that this baby is capable
of feeling pain.
• He or she is the size of a
kidney bean
• Most mothers would not know
that they were pregnant!
At “9 Weeks”
At 9 weeks, an embryo turns into a fetus (c and d).
Teratogens are chemicals or viruses that can enter
the placenta and harm the developing fetus.
Lennart Nilsson/ Albert Bonniers Publishing Company
Lennart Nilsson/ Albert Bonniers Publishing Company
8
At “10 Weeks”
(8 Weeks since conception)
• a baby has completed the most critical portion of
his or her development. He's swallowing fluid and
kicking up a storm.
• Vital organs — including his kidneys, intestines,
brain, and liver are in place and starting to function.
• If you could take a peek inside the womb, you'd
spot minute details, like tiny nails forming on
fingers and toes and peach-fuzz hair beginning to
grow on tender skin.
• Limbs can bend now. His hands are flexed at the
wrist and meet over his heart, and his feet may be
long enough to meet in front of his body. The
outline of his spine is clearly visible through
translucent skin, and spinal nerves are beginning to
stretch out from his spinal cord.
• From crown to rump, he's about 1 1/4 inches long.
• At best the mother has known she was pregnant for
four weeks. Many mothers may not even know at
this point, unless they were “looking” for this news.
At “12 Weeks”
(10 Weeks since conception)
• a child has reflexes and can respond to his mother prodding her
abdomen. She cannot yet feel these responses. The child now
has a functioning bladder along with other working organs.
• This baby looks “human” but is only two inches long, about the
size of a lime.
At “16 Weeks”
(14 Weeks since conception)
• a child is 4 ½
inches long and
3 ½ ounces.
His heart
pumps 25
quarts of blood
each day and
his features are
even more
finely formed.
Hair and
fingernails have
begun to grow.
At “20 Weeks”
(18 Weeks since conception)
• pregnancy is half way over. A baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now.
He's also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10
inches from head to heel — the length of a banana.
• This baby can now hear voices from outside the womb. His or her
brain can now make sense of the five senses.
• A baby is clearly either a boy or a girl at this point.
Why Stop there?
• This timeline only takes you up to the 5 th month of
pregnancy. The biggest difference between this
stage and a full term baby at 9 months is size.
The Competent Newborn
• Infants are born with
reflexes that aid in
survival, including
rooting reflex which helps
them locate food.
• Offspring cries are
important signals for
parents to provide
Lightscapes, Inc. Corbis
nourishment. In animals
and humans such cries
are quickly attended to
14
and relieved.
