Prenatal Development

The development that occurs during the prenatal period is

critical. During this time children grow all the vital organs,
systems, and elements they need to survive outside of the womb.
During this time, the baby goes from a small zygote to a fully
developed infant. During the third or fourth week the embryo
develops the brain and spinal cord. The heart, muscles, and
digestive tract begin to develop in this time frame also.
According to Berk, In the second month, growth continues
rapidly. The eyes, ears, nose, jaw, and neck form (p.91). Babies
develop at an amazing rate during the prenatal period. During
the second trimester babies ears are developed enough that they
can hear and be bothered by sounds. During the third trimester infants are able to distinguish
between different voices and sounds. During this time period the brain is also making drastic
improvements in its development and cognitive abilities. By the third month, the brain is able to
signal to the body to move. By the end of the second trimester babies are able to notice and
respond to light and stimuli. Extreme stress or anxiety of the mother can create atypical
development in the infant. This high stress can lead to miscarriages, low birth rate, infant
illnesses or even colic after the infant is born. During this time families can stimulate the infants
by talking softly to them, playing soft music, and reading to the infant. Even though, the infant
has not been born yet, they are still able to hear and absorb the information into their brain.
Sometimes expectant mothers can be pressured into certain things based on societies beliefs. For
instance a mother may chose to deliver using the typical hospital route because that is what the
social norm is. Sometimes cultural influences affect a mother also. A culture may not have access
or believe in quality prenatal care thus leading the mother to have poor care when needed.