Pregnancy, Labor, and Delivery

So after watching a "wonderful" video about the magic of conception, pregnancy, and birth, I have come to discuss some of the anatomical changes in the body throughout pregnancy. First a bit of review. The male and female contain the sperm and the egg which each hold half of the chromosomes to make a human.  Once intercourse occurs the sperm mightily swim toward the egg breaking through tons of obstacles to get there. Once the sperm fertilizes the egg the DNA combines and creates cells that divide exponentially into a fetus which then is born as a baby.  The mother during this process goes under dramatic hormone and anatomical changes.  Creating a new human isn't always easy and many complications can come throughout the process.

Some obvious changes we see in the mother is no doubt, the growing belly... Others include weight gain, mood swings, cravings, and morning sickness.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/insurance/travel/10667685/
Travel-cover-shock-for-pregnant-women.html

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/3-tips-pulverize-cravings.htm

Now if we dive a little deeper than the anatomical changes, we run into the physiological changes. The first one we see is a hormone change. Progesterone and estrogen increase dramatically for the purpose of stopping menstruation. We also see a change in the cardiovascular symptoms. Plasma volumes must increase and blood flow rates must also increase to accommodate to the growing fetus. The forming of the placenta and umbilical cord occurs within the uterus to nourish and protect the fetus. During and after birth, breast size increases due to hormonal changes and also to prepare for lactation so the child may be fed.

From Visible Health Solutions

 http://www.visibleproductions.com/index.php?page=asset_detail&asset_id=vpl_0499_001

From the video above we even see changes in the skeletal system during pregnancy. 

When nine months wraps around, pregnant women begin to experience contractions. These contractions may happen very far apart from each other when they first begin but they soon become more rhythmic as birth approaches. These contractions are the tightening of the abdominal muscles to eventually push the baby out of the womb and into the world. 

Complications from pregnancy include breech birth, premature birth, and various birth defects. Breech birth occurs when the baby doesn't get the memo that it needs to turn around before it is born. Premature birth has a number of causes. The main cause is when the body secretes hormones causing the process of labor to begin earlier than it should. The baby may not be fully developed if it is premature and can experience other complications. Other birth defects can also occur. An example is down syndrome. Many factors such as alcohol consumption and smoking during pregnancy can increase the risk of birth defects. Here is a list containing specific birth defects and their risk factors. From CDC website.  http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/birthdefects/data.html

Birth Defects*	Cases per Births	Estimated Annual Number of Cases
Adjusted for maternal race/ethnicity**
Central nervous system defects
Anencephaly	1 in 4,859	859
Spina bifida without anencephaly	1 in 2,858	1,460
Encephalocele	1 in 12,235	341
Eye defects
Anophthalmia/microphthalmia	1 in 5,349	780
Cardiovascular defects
Common truncus	1 in 13,876	301
Transposition of great arteries	1 in 3,333	1,252
Tetralogy of Fallot	1 in 2,518	1,657
Atrioventricular septal defect	1 in 2,122	1,966
Hypoplastic left heart syndrome	1 in 4,344	960
Orofacial defects
Cleft palate without cleft lip	1 in 1,574	2,651
Cleft lip with or without cleft palate	1 in 940	4,437
Gastrointestinal defects
Esophageal atresia/tracheoesophageal fistula	1 in 4,608	905
Rectal and large intestinal atresia/stenosis	1 in 2,138	1,952
Musculoskeletal defects
Reduction deformity, upper limbs	1 in 2,869	1,454
Reduction deformity, lower limbs	1 in 5,949	701
Gastroschisis	1 in 2,229	1,871
Omphalocele	1 in 5,386	775
Diaphragmatic hernia	1 in 3,836	1,088
Adjusted for maternal age**
Chromosomal anomalies
Trisomy 13	1 in 7,906	528
Trisomy 21 (Down syndrome)	1 in 691	6,037
Trisomy 18	1 in 3,762	1,109