Mommy-Daddy Blog

 

 Day 1

Early Developement (weeks1-4)

Week 1.Ovulation occurs, conception occurs, gender is determined, cellular division begins and forms    

Week 2. Hollow blastocyst forms, blastocyst implants into the uterine wall, placenta will begin to form, embryo prepares to split apart to become separate parts of anatomy.

Week 3. Blastocyst becomes an embryo and visible to the naked eye brain, backbone and cardiovascular system including the heart begin to form.

Week 4. Three main brain sections form: the forebrain, middle brain and hindbrain, parts of the eye are visible, lung buds begin to form, circulation is well established, a thin layer of skin is formed and the arms and legs begin to form.

Changes to Mom & Dad

Mom

• Weeks 1-3- mother will not notice any change and will not even know she is pregnant yet.
• Week 4- mother will miss her first period , may notice light spiting as embryo implants itself in the uterus. may experience nausea and vomiting, excessive salivation, skin changes (breakouts), and fatigue

Dad

• Father may feel left out  during pregnancy and apprehensive about ability to parent

Lifestyle Changes

• Mother should not take drugs, or drink or smoke.
• Mother should avoid and eliminate stress from her life style, and should moderately exercise and drink lots of water and eat a well balanced diet including folic acid supplements.
• Dad should help the mother prepare and eliminate stress.

Day 2

Development from 4-8 Weeks

1.      Embryo now 3/8’’ in size

2.      Weighs less than 1 gram

3.      Brain continues to develop as well as the eyes and limbs

4.      Major organs develop

5.      Embryo now 1 inch long & 4 grams

6.      Early hands and feet

7.      Aware and reflexive to environment

8.      Male development in male hormones

Changes in Mother

Mother should plan antenatal appointment at hospital where mother will give birth or at GP surgeon.

Hormones flood mother’s system. May experience morning sickness(nausea, dizziness),cramping due to enlarged uterus.

Multiple Births

Twins- 1.2 out of 100 human births

Triplets-1 out of 6889 human births

Dr., Midwife, or Homebirth?

Many facilities will allow you to switch between doctors and midwives and until you figure out your preference. Doctors are presents for only actually delivery. Midwives are present for the duration of labor.

Homebirth is a personal choice one that has some risks and benefits.

Tips for a Healthy Pregnancy

1. Eat five or six well-balanced meals each day.

2. Take a prenatal vitamin each day as directed by your obstetrician.

3. Drink plenty of fluids, at least 8-10 glasses a day.

4. Don't drink alcohol.

5. Don't smoke or be exposed to second-hand smoke.

6. Exercise for your general health, to reduce stress. Take a exercise class or walk 15 to 20 minutes every day. Walk in a cool environment

7. Get at least 8 hours of sleep a night

8. When wearing a seat belt keep the lap portion as low a possible and sit as far from the airbag as possible

Day 3

Life Card

Today me and Kayla got the life card for a girl baby.

I was kind of disappointed that the baby was going to be a girl, because I wanted a boy baby.

If this was real life stuff I would not want a girl because I would feel left out when I couldn’t talk to her on the same level as a boy. Also wouldn’t be able to teach her anything cool like being Venom and Kayla would get all the fun.

Miscarriages or Not Pregnant

The people that chose the life card miscarrying or never was pregant, there are different options they can have. They can do an adoption, artificial insemination or having a sperm donor.

Day 4

Cellular Differentiation
Cell differentiation is a process in which a generic cell develops into a specific type of cell in response to specific triggers from the body or the cell itself. This is the process which allows a single celled zygote to develop into a multi cellular organism which can contain hundreds of different types of cells all involves in different functions. Cell differentiation also helps complex organisms perform different functions throughout their lives.Cell Differentiation:

1.      The Morula Stage

2.      The Blastula Stage

3.      The Gastrula Stage

4.      The Neurula Stage

Germ Layers/Systems

·        Mesoderm- The mesoderm forms the skeletal muscle, the skeleton, the dermis of skin, connective tissue, the urogenital system, the heart, blood, and the spleen.

·        Ectoderm- The ectoderm forms the central nervous system, the lens of the eye, cranial and sensory, the ganglia and nerves, pigment cells, head connective tissues, the epidermis, hair, and mammary gland.

·        Endoderm- The endoderm forms the epithelial lining of the whole of the digestive tube except part of the mouth and pharynx and the terminal part of the rectum.

Position Paper:Effects on the Environment

“Should there be government regulations to protect the environment from genetically engineered crops?”

The government should place regulations on genetically engineered foods. Many of these foods and the process that produce them are little studied and cause dramatic changes in the environment and ecosystems. These foods being genetically engineered to resist cold weather or other conditions that naturally cause them to die or weaken, will cause competition between naturally produced plants and genetically engineered foods. This could cause a disruption to the food chain.

            Genetic engineering due to the process used to produce the plants and foods, can introduce dangerous new allergens and toxins into foods, their ingredients, and the environment. Transferring animal genes into plants raises important ethical issues for vegetarians and religious groups. It may also involve animal experiments which are unacceptable. When new genetic information is introduced into plants, bacteria, insects or other animals, it can easily be passed into related organisms, through processes such as cross pollination and selective breeding. Also when competition between genetically engineered plants and natural plants happens genetically engineered plants will win out due to resistant characteristics occurring in the plants. This competition will cause displacement of organisms in the ecosystem that will have widespread effects.

Genetically engineered plants can affect the environment in many ways by introducing foreign toxins and allergens into foods and affecting the ecosystem in which they are introduced.

Position Paper: Labeling

Position Paper: Labeling

“Should there be government regulations requiring genetically engineered foods to be labeled?”

When out shopping for your family you might look at the ingredients or nutrition facts of the foods you plan to feed you and your family. Wouldn’t you also like to know the methods by which your food or its ingredients were produced? You may think the methods are no big deal, right. But would it surprise you if most of the foods you ate were chemically engineered? Yeah I know gross right? Here’s why the food you buy should be labeled by the government: damaging effects on health caused by unnatural foods, new toxins and allergens in foods, artificially induced characteristics and inevitable side-effects, consumers have a right to know what’s in their food, and for religious or ethical reasons, many Americans want to avoid eating animal products.

            Genetically engineered foods should be labeled by the possible health effects causes by these foods that the consumer could otherwise avoid if they do not by the food or other precautions taken by the consumer. Consumers of these foods may be affected by certain toxins and allergens used when producing genetically engineered. Certain religion may also want to know what foods contains due to their believes that are against eating certain animals (even DNA). Also nonreligious people may feel genetically engineered foods are ethically wrong due to the amount of human tampering done to a traditional all-natural product. Also many people naturally want to know the substances they put into their bodies and the possible effects it may have on them. Ingredients in food are also required by laws already in place to be labeled.

            The need for government labeling of genetically engineered foods is supported by many reasons. These reasons are religious and ethical stances of consumer. Unknown toxins and allergens in the foods. And also the side effects of these foods that have not been fully studied. Therefore for the consumers’ health

Consumer Advocate Statement

The consumer advocate statement :

• The consumer should  be allowed to know which foods they choose to buy and eat are genetically engineered. this will be shown by a label on all genetically engineered food products displaying that the food or product ingredients are genetically engineered .
• Consumers agree that there should be more conclusive studies on both the long and short term effects of genetically engineered foods on humans.

Genetic Engineered Food: Consumer Advocate

1.) What should the consumer know about genetically engineered foods?

• The consumer should know the risks and benefits of genetically engineered foods and the effects these foods will have on their health.

2.) What are the benefits of genetically engineered foods from the consumer's perspective?

• The benefits on genetically engineered foods in that they are healthier, more nutritious, and have a longer shelf life than normal food. Also this food can be grown faster increasing food supply and reducing its cost.

3.) What are the risks of genetically engineered foods from the consumer's perspective?

• Genetically engineered food's risks include unknown, and potentially harmful effects to humans

4.) Do these benefits outweigh the risks and why?

• The benefits compared to the risks of genetically engineered foods should be the consumers own opinion they should consider both the benefits of better food and its potentially harmful effects.

5.) Should genetically engineered foods be labeled?

• Genetically engineered food should be labeled in stores. This way the consumer will have a knowledgable choice on whether to buy this food or not.

Genetic Engineering: Introduction Questions

1)What is food biotechnology?

• Biotechnology is a form of genetic modification, which refines and extends methods to produce new plant and animals.

2.) What are genetically engineered foods?

• Genetically engineered food are food that have had foreign genetic information inserted into their genetic codes.

3.) What are the potential benefits of genetically engineered foods overall?

• The benefits of genetically engineered foods is that they are healthier, and are resistant to insects and disease.

4.) What are the potential risks of genetically engineered foods overall?

• Risks of genetically engineered foods is that that cause unintended harm to other animals, reduce the effectiveness of pesticides, and may have unknown effects on the human body.