The PBS Nova Video, Life’s Greatest Miracle depicted the incredible journey of through the human body as new life begins. The video took a close look into the womb, into a cell, and shed light life itself. The video was divided into eight sections. Section one, started with the discussion of the natural drive to reproduce. The video indicated that “almost every cell of your body you have thirty thousand or more different genes, spread out over long strands of DNA called chromosomes. Most cells have two versions of every gene on a total of 46 chromosomes. Exactly half of those, 23, came from your mom, and 23 came from your dad. They come in pairs where the partners are very similar but not quite the same. The only time they get …show more content…
This section started by the introduction of a couple who are expecting their first child, Melinda and Sergio Iruegas. The video then explains the differences between male and female reproductive systems. Healthy men, have been producing sperm continuously since puberty. Eggs are formed while a woman in still a fetus. The video indicated that Melinda was approximately 30 years of age and may only have a few thousand of her eggs left of her millions. Only one egg a month is capable of fertilization. “The egg has everything it needs to start a new life, except one thing: DNA from a sperm” (Cort, 2001). However, if the egg is not fertilized within a few hours it dies. The video discussed mating rights and when a male is successful in wooing a female, then proceeds to mate with her. During this point the sperm is ejaculated and the egg is fertilized. Section three of the video depicts the journey of the sperm. The sperm encounters obstacles on the journey for the egg. The sperm will need to survive the acidic environment and travel through the cervix into the fallopian tube. If the female has ovulated an egg will be present. The sperm must get past the helper cells and penetrate the thick protein coating of the egg. The video captured the moment of …show more content…
All the fetus’ nutrients and oxygen come from the mother’s blood. During the fourth month of development, bone replaces the fetus’s cartilage and may begin to hear sound. The remaining part of this section showed the developmental process in each stage of development. The final section, eight, depicts the events leading up to birth and the birth itself. The fetus has formed all its organs and is growing to size during the third trimester. In preparing for birth, fat is being stored in the fetus body and myelination begins. During the end of the third trimester the fetus hunger for fat that the placenta can no longer supply or meet the fetus needs. The video shows and explains the birth of the Iruegas baby. This video showed the very essence of conception to birth of a newborn. I believe that this video can provide a new look to those who may not have actual knowledge of human development and the stages to what develops
By day 22, the child’s heart begins to pump with their own blood. By week 5 the child’s eyes, legs, and hands begin to develop. By weeks 9 and 10 the baby is able to turn its head and frown. This article also shares with us that by the 20th week gestation, the baby can recognize its mother’s voice. And lastly it gives us the last steps before the baby is born; 7 to 9 months gestation is when the baby is using four of the five senses. He knows the difference between waking and sleeping and can relate to the moods of the
In doing this project the literature drawn from is largely non-scholarly for the reason that I am prevailing upon the reader to think outside the box about birth. Most of the “scholarly” research that is available was written by doctors or nurses/nurse midwives who were trained in the medical model of birth. Since part of my premise is that the high rate of Cesarean sections is caused in part by viewing birth as a medical and therefore pathological event, and in part for its emergence as a capitalistic industry, it was then necessary to find literature written by people who have expertise in birthing though not from the traditional obstetrical/medical school approach.
1.1 Describe, in-depth, stages of development from conception to birth in groups of 4 weeks i.e. 0-4, 4-8, 8-12...36-40 weeks.
As explained by the above excerpt from The Mother Machine, artificial insemination is not a recent technological breakthrough. The procedure among huma...
Serving as the first stage of life, the prenatal and natal phase is the most critical period in relation to ensuring a healthy, lifelong development in a child. During pregnancy, the placenta works to transfer oxygen and nutrients from
Unless you despise babies or children, there is a huge audience for this movie. The intended audience is not just those who have fostered a child, but those who are interested in what it means to be a human, discover new things, and witness miracle after miracle. Thomas made the documentary without a narrator, without subtitles, and without interference, letting the images he filmed sp...
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2.1 million married couples experience troubles with infertility. Infertility is defined as trying for over a year and not becoming pregnant for women under 35 and trying for six months for women over 35. The cause of the infertility is a male factor one third of the instances, female another third, ten percent of the cause is a combination of both male and female factors and the remaining twenty percent is not apparent. In vitro fertilization is a process that tries to eliminate the problems inherent in the mother and father. It involves an egg is fer...
The version of childbirth that we’re used to is propagated by television and movies. A woman, huge with child, is rushed to the hospital when her water breaks. She is ushered into a delivery room and her husband hovers helplessly as nurses hook her up to IVs and monitors. The woman writhes in pain and demands relief from the painful contractions. Narcotic drugs are administered through her IV to dull the pain, or an epidural is inserted into the woman’s spine so that she cannot feel anything below her waist. When the baby is ready to be born, the doctor arrives dressed in surgical garb. The husband, nurses and doctor become a cheerleading squad, urging the woman to, “Push!” Moments later, a pink, screaming newborn is lifted up for the world to see. Variations on this theme include the cesarean section, where the woman is wheeled to the operating room where her doctors remove the baby through an incision in her abdomen.
Aldous Huxley’s dystopian Brave New World is more than a warning against the dangers of technology; it is a prediction for the future that rings eerily true. Today we understand that many of the fantastical devices and practices imagined by Huxley are coming to life. Most notable is the practice of in vitro fertilization, something that was a mad scientist’s dream during Huxley’s time, and is today a commonplace practice. According to the National Institutes of Health, in vitro fertilization is “the joining of a woman’s egg and a man’s sperm in a laboratory dish” (Storck). The procedure was first performed successfully in 1978 and has since become widely used today by couples that desire a child and are unable to conceive by “natural” means.
The merger of two germinal cells, one being a sperm cell and the other being an egg cell, is complete within twelve hours, at which time the egg is fertilized and becomes a zygote containing forty six chromosomes required to create a new human life. It is during this remarkable process when conception occurs. Conception confirms life and makes that undeveloped human one of a kind (Rorvik & Shettles, 1983, p. 16). Many researchers, as well as scientists, identify the first moments of life as the instant when a sperm cell unites with an ovum, o...
The process of human development is very complex. It is a continual process, providing gradual development for the fetus. Some of the most important factors to fetal development such as blood flow, heart beats, muscle development, and brain activity can all be determined within the first seven weeks of pregnancy (Baby Developme...
After viewing life’s greatest miracle I was shocked on how much work there is involved on creating a healthy child. Yes, I know any two people can be involved in this process, but it is all amazing on how a child is born. Anyone who has given birth knows it also consist of a lot of hard work in the delivery room as well as the years to follow. A child is a miracle given to us from God and the video shows all the stages in great detail and explains the process in steps anyone can understand.
I found the video “Inside the Womb” to be a really great documentary on the journey of conception to birth. Being a mother, and currently expecting another, I am very familiar with fetal development, but I found this video to be extremely informative and especially great for those who haven’t experienced it first hand or know much about it. What I find truly amazing is just how much crucial development the fetus will undergo during the embryonic period, which is within the first eight weeks of pregnancy. Some women may not even realize that they are pregnant until around that time. Especially if they find themselves in a situation where the pregnancy was unplanned. This shows why it is a good idea to prepare for a pregnancy ahead of time. It
This process is called conception, the female is now officially two weeks pregnant and the fertilized egg is called a zygote. Let’s move on to pregnancy. Pregnancy is a state in which a woman carries a fertilized egg inside her body, it usually lasts up to 40 weeks, and it is divided into three trimesters, each lasting three months. The first month. The embryo is about a third of an inch long. The head, trunk, and the beginnings of the arms and legs have started to develop. By this month, the embryo starts to receive nutrients and releases waste through the umbilical cord and placenta. The heart also starts to beat. The second month. The heart is now pumping and the nervous system, including the brain and the spinal cord begins to develop. The fetus is 1 in 2.5cm now and has developed cartilage skeleton. The arms, legs, facial features and other major organs begin to appear. The third month. The fetus has grown up to 4 in 10cm and weighs a little more than an ounce. The major blood vessels are almost completed and the face starts to show up more. The kidneys and the 4 chambers of the heart are now complete. The fourth month. The fetus is now 4 oz of 112g and can kick and swallow. The
The miracle of life is something most of us will experience in our lifetime. The process before actually giving birth, I think is the hardest part of the entire scenario of child bearing. This amazing experience is something that can make the individuals who are involved in the process change in so many ways. The process of giving birth, for those of you who have not experienced or will never experience it, can be very hard, long and rewarding all at the same time. To give a better description, think of eating a fireball. At first the fireball is tame and calm, but just when you least expect it the fireball becomes hot. Then, when the hot sensation becomes too much, the sweet flavor of the fireball breaks through.