Prenatal Development
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Synonyms
Definition
Prenatal development is defined as the process of growth and development within the womb from fertilization until birth. During this process, the zygote grows into an embryo and then a fetus.
Description
In the process of fertilization, a sperm cell from the male and the ovum (egg) of the female join in the female’s fallopian tube in conception. The prenatal development that occurs during the 38 weeks of pregnancy is typically separated into three periods: (1) the germinal period (the period of the zygote), (2) the embryonic period (the period of the embryo), and (3) the fetal period (the period of the fetus). A different way to describe the passage of time in pregnancy is to use 3-month time periods, immediately following conception, called trimesters [1, 2, 3, 4].
The Germinal Period
The germinal period is the period of prenatal development that takes place in the first 2 weeks after conception. During this cell division, the...
References
- 1.Berk, L. E. (2006). Child development (7th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education.Google Scholar
- 2.Papalia, D. E., Gross, D., & Feldman, R. D. (2003). Child development: A topical approach. New York: McGraw-Hill.Google Scholar
- 3.Patterson, C. J. (2008). Child development. New York: McGraw-Hill.Google Scholar
- 4.Santrock, J. W. (2007). Child development (11th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.Google Scholar