Life Span And Development - The Development Of Babies And Infants

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Life Span And Development

Chelsea Mason

The Development Of Babies And Infants

Fertilisation Of The Ovum:

During intercourse millions of sperm are released into the vagina. As ovulation approaches, the cervical  becomes watery allowing the sperm to swim up the vagina through the . Only about 2,000 sperm will be strong enough to reach the  and the fallopian tube. In order for fertilization to occur, one of these sperm must attach itself to the ovum and penetrate its outer surface. The fertilized ovum will then continue travelling down the fallopian tube, taking several days until it reaches the uterus. When it arrives, it attaches itself to the lining of the uterus and continues to grow.

Early Stages Cell Division:

There are two types of cell division: mitosis and meiosis. Meiosis is the type of cell division that creates egg and sperm cells. Mitosis is a fundamental process for life. During mitosis, a cell duplicates all of its contents, including its chromosomes, and splits to form two identical daughter cells. Because this process is so critical, the steps of mitosis are carefully controlled by a number of genes. When mitosis is not regulated correctly, health problems such as cancer can result. The other type of cell division, meiosis, ensures that humans have the same number of chromosomes in each generation.

Growth And Development In The Womb:

In the very early weeks, the developing baby is called an embryo then from about eight weeks onward it is called a foetus meaning “young one”, three weeks from the first day of the last menstrual period the fertilised egg slowly moves along the fallopian tube towards the womb. The egg begins as one single cell the cell continually, by the time the egg has reached the womb it has become a mass of over 100 cells, this is called an embryo, once the embryo is in the womb it implants itself in the lining of the womb.  The embryo now settles into the womb lining. The outer cells reach out like roots to link with the mothers blood supply.

Delivery Of The Baby: 


With each contraction and every push, the baby will move down through the pelvis a little, but at the end of the contraction, it will slip back up again! When the baby's head is far down in the pelvis and stretching the opening of the vagina, the midwife will tell the patient that the baby's head has "crowned". As the baby's head begins to be born, they may ask to stop pushing and gently pant. This helps make sure that your baby is born gently and slowly and should reduce the risk of the mother tearing.

Infancy:

Physical Development:

From birth a physical development changes quite rapidly, A newborn baby has to have easily digestible food such as mother milk in order to grow, “a newborn baby does not have a fully developed brain but can usually hear sounds, tell differences in the way things taste and identify the smell of their own mother or carer.”

Reflexes:

  •  Grasp  reflex
  •  Startle reflex
  •  Walking Reflex
  •  Rooting reflex

Three Months:

At around three months old the baby’s back and neck are still week and it is unable to hold its head up on its own yet, the child is able to grasp things, such as toys, they can also look around the room and establish eye contact.

Six Months:

Child can lift up its head and shoulders and can sit up with support, they can transfer objects from one hand to the other and they can pull themselves up at this stage they enjoy jumping and standing.

Nine Months:

At around nine months the child can sit unsupported, they can wiggle and crawl, the child is now visually attentive and looks for dropped objects, they can also grasp using there index finger and their thumb.

One Year:

The child can now stand holding furniture and stands alone for a few seconds and usually collapses with a bump, they can point at and pick up small objects.

Fifteen Months:

The child can usually crawl upstairs, and can kneel unaided and turn pictures of a book.

Eighteen Months:

 The child can now squat to pick up toys and pick up toys without falling over, can walk alone and drink without spilling it, they also show preference for one hand witch would indicate what hand they will right with when they are older. The child is walking well by now, can walk upstairs.

Two Years:

The child can now run, they like to climb, can rise without using their hands they can walk up and down stairs (two feet per step) they can turn pages of a book, may learn to use their first tricycle.

Three Years:

The child is now very active, likes to run, climb and jump. Can peddle a tricycle, they can go up the stairs one step at a time but uses two feet coming down, likes to draw and has good pencil control, likes to use scissors to cut paper.

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Milk Teeth:

A baby's first teeth (known as milk or deciduous teeth) usually develop while the child is growing in the womb. These teeth then start to emerge through the gums when a child is six to nine months old.

A child should develop the first tooth around 4 – 7 months of age, this is called teething and this can cause swelled gums and sensitivity.

Weaning:

Weaning a child is a stressful process, taking them from liquid to other sources of nourishment; after the first birthday is the best time to begin weaning because ...

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