1. Prenatal Development Activity
Based on your reading for today’s class, go through the section on Prenatal development (Turn to page 61 to 66)
Based on your readings on prenatal development, students will describe development during each of the stages of prenatal development.
Students will identify and describe the stages of prenatal development: zygote/ovum, embryo, and fetus.
Discuss various types of development that occur during the three trimesters of pregnancy.
Discuss Prenatal development with members on your table
Be ready to share information with the rest of your class
On your table is chart paper
Write down important information that you would like to share with the rest of the class

2. Prenatal Environmental Influences
The term teratogen refers to any environmental agent that causes damage during the prenatal period.
Larger doses over longer time periods usually have negative effects
Some individuals are better able than others to withstand harmful environments
The presence of several negative factors at once, such as additional teratogens, poor nutrition, and lack of medical care, can worsen the impact of a harmful agent.
The effects of teratogens vary with the age of the organism at the time of exposure

3. Prescription and Nonprescription Drugs
Thalidomide when taken by mothers 4 to 6 weeks after conception, produced gross deformities of the embryo’s arms and legs
It also damaged the ears, heart, kidneys and genitals
As these children grew older they did not perform as well as their peers
This drug also affected the central nervous system
Another drug called diethylstilbestrol was widely prescribed to prevent miscarriages
Effects of this drug resulted in malformations of the uterus, cancer and infertility

4. Prescription and Nonprescription Drugs
Another drug called Acutane was was used to treat severe acne
Exposure to this drug resulted in eye, ear, skull, brain, heart and immune system abnormalities
May women continue to take over the counter medications without consulting their doctors
Taking aspirin results in low birth weight, infant death, poorer motor development, and lower intelligence scores in early childhood
Coffee, tea, cola and cocoa contain caffeine
High doses increases the risk of low birth weight
Taking antidepressant medication is linked to premature delivery and birth complications, including respiratory distress and high blood pressure in infancy

5. Illegal Drugs Taking Illegal drugs during pregnancy is a risk
Taking illegal drugs can result in prematurity, low birth weight, physical defects, breathing difficulties, and death around the time of birth
These infants are feverish and irritable and have trouble sleeping
Marijuana has been linked to smaller head size, attention, memory, and academic achievement difficulties, impulsivity and overactivity and depression as well as aggression in childhood

6. Tobacco 14% od U.S. women smoke during pregnancy
Smoking results in low birth weight
Smoking can lead to miscarriages, prematurity, cleft lip and palate, blood vessel abnormalities, impaired heart rate and breathing during sleep, infant death, asthma, and cancer later in childhood
Newborns of smoking mothers also display slight behavioral abnormalities
They are less attentive to sounds, display more muscle tension and more often have colic (persistent crying)

7. Small Group Activity on Prenatal Environmental Influences
Alcohol (page 68)
Radiation (page 69)
Environmental Pollution (page 70)
Infectious Disease (page 70)
Nutrition (page 71)
Emotional Stress (page 71)
Maternal Age (page 73)
Each student will receive a card
Look in your textbook
Try and find information related to the word (s) written on your card
Share with the rest of the class

8. The Importance of Prenatal Health Care
What did you think about when you read this section in your textbook?
Why is it important for expecting mothers to receive pre-natal care?