16 Fetal Development Flashcards
What is the crown-rump length and when is it useful to measure?
Length of fetus- ‘head to tail’
Useful: Pre-embryonic, embryonic and early fetal period as growth= relatively linear
Outline how protein and adipose tissue contribute to weight gain during the fetal period.
How do the proportions of the size of the head to the size of the body change during the fetal period?
Initially head= 50%
Later head= 25%
How is ante-natal assesment of fetal wellbeing carried out?
How can fetal age be estimated (methods)?
- Last Menstrual Period
-
Ultrasound
- Crown Rump length - 7-13 weeks
- Biparietal diameter- distance between parietal bones in fetal skull- second and third trimester
- Abdominal circumference and femur length- used with biparietal diameter
What is the range of values for a normal birth weight?
What are the fundal height landmarks for gestational age?
When are the embryonic and fetal periods?
Outline how the respiratory system develops in the embryo and fetus:
How is fetal viability determined? (lungs)
- Pneumocytes present- need surfactant
- Otherwise not compatible with life
If a preterm deleivery is unavoidable but predictable, what can be given to the mother to help stimulate production of surfactant in the fetus?
Glucocorticoids
(glucocorticoid receptor is expressed in the fetal lung, and glucocorticoids stimulate the production of surfactant-associated proteins)
What is the average fetal heart rate?
110-160 bpm
During which period does baby start prducing urine? (embryonic or fetal period) What structure manages the removal of waste?
Fetal period
Placenta manages removal of waste
Amniotic fluid volume is used to measure kidney function in the fetus. What do the following mean and what could they indicate?:
- Oligohydraminos
- Polyhydraminos
Name the tract that forms to allow co-ordinated movements and which begins to form in the 4th month.
Corticospinal tract
Why might a baby have a low birth weight?
Useful table for timeframes of development of lung and brain:
