Prenatal Fact Sheet

Physical
- First Trimester Zygote to an Embryo to a Fetus (2017) state, "results showed that infants prenatally exposed to cigarette smoke
- Although the general public debate over when a child is a child, recorded poor cognitive development scores. Language development was most
it is apparent that no matter the name used it is considered a consistently affected, specifically those aspects related to auditory function
continually developing entity. During this early development, (vocalizations, sound discrimination, word imitation, prelinguistic vocalizations,
the early signs of the spinal cord and brain begin their
and word and sentence comprehension) (p. 734).
transformation.
- Slowly merging into a fetus with feeling, organs, neurons,
genitalia, muscles, and behavior development throughout the Self-Regulation
first trimester - conception to twelve weeks (Berk, 2013). - According to Berk (2013), "In one study, more active fetuses during the third
- Second Trimester Fetus trimester became 1-year-olds who could better handle frustration and 2-year-olds
- Rapid muscle, brain, and cognitive development progress. who were less fearful, in that they more readily interacted with toys and with an
- The fetuses primary neurons are formed in the brain - lasting from 13 to unfamiliar adult in a laboratory (DiPietro et al., 2002). Perhaps fetal activity level
24 weeks of the pregnancy (Berk, 2013). During these months a vital is an indicator of healthy neurological development, which fosters adaptability in
childhood" (3.3).
component of the brain is formed, called the hippocampal formation
(HF).
Atypical
- Mother feels baby move, particularly when stimulated by sound.
- During the second trimester when the hippocampal formation (HF) occurs within
- The fetus/child is covered in vernix and lanugo to aid in protecting the
the brain is a critical development for the child. According to Ge et al., (2015),
skin from chapping within the amniotic fluid.
"Abnormalities in HF have been associated with congenital cerebral
- Third Trimester
malformations such as lissencephaly, holoprosencephaly and agenesis of the
- Typically developing fetuses continue the development of organs,
corpus callosum (Baker and Barkovich, 1992; Atlas et al., 1986 ), as well as
including the brain's cognition during this period in the pregnancy and
neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders including epilepsy (Bernasconi et al.,
behavioral traits begin to appear.
2005; Gamss et al., 2009 ), depression (Tae et al., 2011), Alzheimer's disease
- During this stretch, the fetus/child is reacts to sounds
(Thompson et al., 2004 ), Parkinson's disease (Ibarretxe-Bilbao et al., 2008) and
more dramatically with an increase in heart rate and a
schizophrenia (Schobel et al., 2009 )" (para. 1).
strong physical response. Research has shown that the
- Other concerns include: Malnutrition, Emotional Stress, Maternal Age, maternal
fetus/child is able to adapt their reactions to sounds, by
Disease, Environmental Pollution, Drugs, Alcohol usage
heart rate differences between sounds five to ten
minutes apart. This adaptation is a sign of their
working memory and executive functions (Berk, 2013).
Social & Cultural Factor Influences
- Birth Plans: Depending on the culture and environment there are various factors
Talking to the fetus/child to help soothe will promote
that affect, specifically the birth and nutrition of the child during pregnancy and
this adaption process and may influence their
neonatally.
self-soothing development.
- Natural/Prepared
- The third trimester spans from 25 to 38 weeks, in which they grow more
- No Medication/Medication
than seven inches in length and five pounds in weight, progressively
- Home/Hospital
adding fatty tissue to regulate temperature.
- Doula/Midwife/Doctor
- Partner (Husband/Wife)
Language & Cognitive Development
- Positions
- Although there are no actual language development during the prenatal stage,
- Stirrups/Water Birth
there are environmental forces which may cause delays in language, cognitive,
and physical development for children, once born. According to research about the
effects of nicotine exposure and development, Hernandez-Martinez et al.
 References

Berk, L. E. (2013). ​Child development​. (9th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/

Ge, X., Shi, Y., Li, J., Zhang, Z., Lin, X., Zhan, J., … Liu, S. (2015). Development of the human fetal hippocampal formation during early second trimester.

Neuroimage.​ https://doi-org.proxy-library.ashford.edu/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2015.06.055

Hernandez-Martinez, C., Voltas Moreso, N., Ribot Serra, B., Arija Val, V., Escribano Macias, J., & Canals Sans, J. (2017). Effects of Prenatal Nicotine

Exposure on Infant Language Development: A Cohort Follow Up Study. ​Maternal and Child Health Journal,​ (4), 734.

https://doi-org.proxy-library.ashford.edu/10.1007/s10995-016-2158-y