What is Prenatal Development?
-The process in which a baby develops from a single cell after conception into an embryo and then later a into fetus.
When sperm is deposited in the vagina, it travels through the cervix and into the Fallopian tubes. When a single sperm enters the mother's egg cell, the resulting cell is called a zygote. The zygote contains all of the genetic information needed to become a baby. The zygote divides, creating an inner group of cells with an outer shell. This stage is called a blastocyst. The inner group of cells will become the embryo, while the outer group of cells will become the membranes that nourish and protect it. The blastocyst reaches the uterus around day 5 and implants into the uterine wall on about day 6. At this point in the mother's lining of the uterus has grown and is ready to support a baby. The blastocyst sticks tightly to the lining, where it receives nourishment via the mother's bloodstream. The cells of the embryo now multiply and begin to take on specific functions. This process is called differentiation. It leads to the various cell types that make up a human being. There is rapid growth, and the baby's main external features begin to take form. It is during this critical period that the baby is most susceptible to damage. The period of time between conception and birth during which the fetus grows and develops inside the mother's womb is called gestation. In humans, the length of pregnancy, or gestational stage, is the time measured from the first day of the woman's last menstrual cycle to the current date.