Physical Development Through the Life Stages

Physical development through the life stages

Conception

Human life starts at conception. A fertile woman usually produces one egg each month, roughly a couple of weeks after the last mensural cycle. The egg travels from the ovary along the fallopian tube towards the uterus. If sexual intercourse takes place while the egg is in the fallopian tube, the chances of conception is increased if the man ejaculates during an orgasm.

Pregnancy (up to 40 weeks)

Pregnancy begins with a sperm cell penetrating an egg cell. Then after a few days the egg divides, it divided enough to make up the size of a pin head. The cells then travel to the lining of the uterus where it becomes anchored. These group of cells make up an embryo. After 8 weeks the embryo starts to grow and develops significantly. The embryos feature’s such as its ears, hands, feet, heartbeat and mouth are becoming recognisable. At this stage the embryo is now called a foetus. During the remaining seven months, the foetus organs continue to grow and mature. At 20 weeks, the doctor will be able to know the sex of the baby through an ultrasound scan and at this stage the foetus will have reached on average half its length at birth. By 32 weeks, the foetus will be about half its birth weight.

Birth and infancy (0-3 years)

After nine months from conception the baby will have been born. When the baby is first born it has to eat easily digestible foods such as mothers milk or formula milk. A new born baby brain isn’t fully developed. However, they are able to identify their mothers smell and hear sounds. A baby is born with over 70 different reflexes some of these reflexes may vanish and some may turn into voluntary behaviour. There are 5 most common reflexes that babies use for the first few months after birth. These include: rooting reflex, grasp reflex, Moro reflex, sucking reflex and step reflex. Firstly, the rooting reflex is when the corner of the baby mouth is stroked or touched. The baby will turn its head and open its mouth. This helps the baby find the teat of the bottle or the mothers breast to begin feeding. Secondly, the grasp reflex is if you place your finger in the palm of the baby’s hand the baby will close its hand. This reflex lasts up until the baby is around 5 to 6 months old. The Moro reflex commonly known as the startle reflex because this reflex occurs when the baby is startled by a loud noise or different movement. The baby reacts by throwing its head backwards and reaching their arms and legs outwards and then pulls them back in. The baby’s own cry can trigger this reflex and lasts up until the baby is 2 months old. The sucking reflex helps the baby to suck. When the roof of the baby’s mouth is touched the baby will begin to suck. Lastly, the step reflex also known as the walking reflex because a baby starts moving their legs in a walking type motion when held upright when touching a solid surface.