What Happens during the Different Stages of Prenatal Development?

Prenatal or fetal development is the process taking place within a mother's womb. This is basically the time when the baby is being developed, happening after conception and before birth. Doctors often use the prenatal period to do check-ups on both the development of the child and the mother's well-being to ensure the safety of both during this time until pregnancy. Medical experts even divided the the prenatal process into different stages to ensure that proper care is being given to both mother and child during its proper time.

The Germinal Stage: From The Child's Conception

When the father's sperm cell and mother's egg cell unite, the resulting cell, the zygote, travels down to the fallopian tube where germination takes place. Germination of the zygote essentially is when the cell divides itself, forming more cells and differentiating themselves from one another, resulting in the eventual formation of the placenta and the embryo, the premature baby. The embryo travels into the uterus where it attaches to one of its walls and receives nutrients from its mother until its birth. The whole germinal stage happens twenty-four hours after conception and lasts for one to three weeks.

The Embryonic Stage: From Cell to Child

The embryonic period usually is the time when the baby's features are formed. The cell division that took place in the germinal stage of the fallopian tube continues in the uterus, where the different cells form the different systems of a human baby. From its outer features like the head, hands and feet, to its inner organs like the heart and brain, the baby's development becomes distinct. The embryo is already developing into a human. This stage takes place after the third week and may last until the eighth week after conception.

The Fetal Stage: From Development to Growth

This phase takes place from the eight week until birth. The embryo develops further into a fetus with its growth becoming quite visible, as seen with the mother's womb becoming larger. The fetal stage is the longest stage of prenatal development since aside from the changes happening to the baby, the development of its organs has already reached its climax. The brain of the child is already responding and the heart, beating. Reproductive organs are also developed during this stage, determining the gender of the baby. The growth of the child continues until its ninth month, which is typically when pregnancy ends and the child is born.