Germinal Stage Of Pregnancy

By Ashley | January 21, 2010
Germinal Stage Of Pregnancy

Pregnancy is indeed an excellent time for the mother as well as her friends and family. It is an experience which has everything: joy, fear, curiosity, anxiety, and expectation. Pregnancy lasts for 40 weeks or nine months. These forty weeks are divided into distinct stages of development for both the mother-to-be and the unborn baby. These stages occur concurrently for both the mother and the baby, and it is exciting to know how these stages are designed.

Within a few months time, a single cell develops into an entire living person. Miraculous, isn’t it? It is very important that you understand the changes that your body goes through with each passing stage of pregnancy, and know what to expect so that it becomes easier to sail through any turbulent times that you may come across during these 40 weeks of pregnancy.

Pregnancy starts with prenatal development or the development that occurs before birth. This first stage of pregnancy is a very rapid process. Understanding how your baby develops helps you value and nurture your pregnancy even more. Prenatal development occurs in three stages: germinal, embryonic, and fetal.

The germinal stage of pregnancy begins at the time of conception when the sperm fertilizes the egg. Both unite and form one zygote in your fallopian tubes. After fertilization, this zygote starts moving towards your uterus. It takes around one week for it to reach its destination. After reaching the uterus, cell division starts happening. It takes place rapidly and the cells develop into blastocysts. A blastocyst is made up of three layers - ectoderm which becomes the skin and nervous system, endoderm which becomes the digestive and respiratory system, and mesoderm which becomes the muscles and skeletal system.

Once the blastocyst arrives in your uterus, it attaches itself to the uterus and starts developing and growing for the next nine months. This is the most crucial stage of your pregnancy and you need to be very careful during this phase. This is mainly because the chances of having a miscarriage are high in this period until the time the blastocyst attaches itself to your uterus.

Each stage of pregnancy brings about a lot of changes in your body. Understanding these changes and knowing what to expect can make these 40 weeks of pregnancy easier and more joyful for you.

It is truly fascinating that what started out as a simple zygote can go on to become a beautiful baby nine months later.

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