Endocrine System

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11.12 Fertilisation, which takes place inside the female’s body, is a natural process. The mother should be healthy enough to be able to carry the baby for nine months in her womb. The baby also draws its nourishment from the mother. So in order to have a healthy baby, the mother has to eat well and be healthy herself. The baby will have features of both its mother and its father. Sometimes, the baby may be a replica of its mother or father or, for that matter, any other member of its family.

 Fertilisation to Baby

11.13 During the first week after fertilisation, the fertilised egg first becomes a solid ball of cells. It later becomes hollow. During the second week it develops further and attaches itself to the lining of the uterus. Then the placenta is formed, through which the foetus draws nourishment from the mother’s blood.

11.14 The umbilical cord serves as the ‘lifeline’ between the embryo and the mother. Food, water and oxygen from the mother are absorbed by the placenta and flow through blood vessels in the umbilical cord to the embryo’s blood. The embryo’s waste material is carried through the cord to the placenta, absorbed by the mother’s body, and then expelled by the mother’s body.

11.15 During the fourth week, the embryo develops and forms various tissues and organs such as the brain, the nervous tissue, the skin, the hair, the nails and parts of the eyes and ears. The muscles, the heart, the bones, the tendons, the kidneys, the glands, the circulatory system, the reproductory organs, the lining of the digestive and respiratory system, the certain other internal organs develop at this stage.

11.16 At the end of a month the tube-shaped embryo is 6 millimetres long. The region of the head is bent and marked with ridges and grooves like the gill slits of a fish. These later become part of the face and neck. Buds on the sides of the embryo later develop into arms and legs. Other blocks of tissue along the embryo’s back develop into the various bones and muscles.

11.17 During the organisation of an embryo, the cells divide repeatedly and finally organise themselves to perform specific functions. For example, some cells become muscle cells rather than nerve cells.

11.18 During the sixth month, the baby moves and kicks. The mother can feel the movement of the baby and also the constant growth of the baby.