Before a Baby is Born Worksheet

After the egg is fertilised, the baby develops inside the mother until it is time for it to be born.

How does it grow? Does it feed or breathe? What happens if the pregnant Mum trips over?

These are the sorts of questions that we'll be exploring in this worksheet.

Do you remember that a woman's menstrual cycle is a regular monthly cycle and that the point at which the gametes (like sperm and egg) meet is called fertilisation and in mammals that happens in the OVIDUCTS or FALLOPIAN TUBES? However, it is the UTERUS (or womb) that sustains the EMBRYO as it grows inside and a special organ develops there to supply all the baby's needs and to take away its wastes - that organ is called the PLACENTA.

As the embryo grows, and begins to resemble the young mammal it's going to become, it is called a FETUS (or foetus). What sort of things do you think it needs that the placenta supplies? Things like oxygen and food, for example. What sort of wastes does the placenta remove? Wastes like CO₂ and urea (which forms urine). The young mammal is joined to the placenta by an UMBILICAL CORD along which the chemicals flow (in and out) through blood vessels. Wonderfully the fetus floats in a fluid-filled sac which protects it from the knocks and bangs which are a normal part of the pregnant mum's life. This is called the AMNIOTIC SAC and the fluid inside? AMNIOTIC FLUID. It's brilliant at absorbing shocks.

Hopefully this information together with what you've already been learning about mean that you're ready to check out how sorted you are with the vital knowledge of what happens inside a mum's body before the youngster is born. Let's see......

How often does a woman normally release an egg?

every 28 hours

every week

every 28 days

Whereabouts in the woman's reproductive system is the egg fertilised if it is going to have a chance of successfully growing into a baby?

ovary

oviduct

uterus

The fertilised egg divides and grows - whereabouts in the woman's reproductive system will it develop into a baby?

ovary

urethra

uterus

What is the name given to the baby when it is just a few days old but has begun to develop from a ball of cells into the beginnings of an animal shape?

baby

pregnancy bump

embryo

As the pregnancy continues the baby begins to resemble a human being, with head and limbs. What is it called at this stage?

embryo

fetus

baby

When the fertilised egg arrived in the womb, a special lining had been prepared for it there. The egg settled into this lining and a brand new organ is developed there to nurture the baby. This organ is only used when the baby is in the womb - what is the organ called?

placenta

liver

muscle

As the baby continues to grow a special membranous sac grows around it which is filled with fluid. What is the name of this fluid?

hydraulic fluid

amniotic fluid

growth fluid

What is the main purpose of the fluid that surrounds the baby?

to feed the baby

to help the baby to swim

to protect the baby from bumps and knocks

The special organ that develops in the womb to nurture the baby has a special connecting tube which connects it to the baby. What is this tube called?

string

rip cord

umbilical cord

Tick TWO things that this special organ supplies the baby with, along the connecting tube, while it is inside its mother's womb.

oxygen

carbon dioxide

milk

food

viruses

ANSWERS

Question 1

How often does a woman normally release an egg?

CORRECT ANSWER

every 28 days

EDDIE SAYS

Once they start producing eggs, women normally release one egg each month - at about 28 day intervals - as part of their menstrual cycle. Generally the eggs are released from alternate ovaries.

ANSWERS

Question 2

Whereabouts in the woman's reproductive system is the egg fertilised if it is going to have a chance of successfully growing into a baby?

CORRECT ANSWER

oviduct

EDDIE SAYS

The ovary releases the egg into the oviduct where it is fertilised. The egg starts to divide so that when it reaches the uterus it is at the correct stage of development to settle in the special lining of the uterine wall (this is called IMPLANTATION).

ANSWERS

Question 3

The fertilised egg divides and grows - whereabouts in the woman's reproductive system will it develop into a baby?

CORRECT ANSWER

uterus

EDDIE SAYS

The uterus is the correct name for the womb, which is where the baby will develop over 9 months until it is ready to be born. The ovary released the egg from which it is developing while the urethra is the tube that carries urine away from the bladder.

ANSWERS

Question 4

What is the name given to the baby when it is just a few days old but has begun to develop from a ball of cells into the beginnings of an animal shape?

CORRECT ANSWER

embryo

EDDIE SAYS

After it is fertilised the egg divides into 2 cells, then 4/8/16 and so on, forming a ball of cells (actually called a blastocyst). Then it begins to change shape and develop different areas, like the bit that will become the head. At this stage it is called an EMBRYO.

ANSWERS

Question 5

As the pregnancy continues the baby begins to resemble a human being, with head and limbs. What is it called at this stage?

CORRECT ANSWER

fetus

EDDIE SAYS

Once the embryo develops further, it begins to take on more than an animal shape and becomes a tiny human being, just a few centimetres long. Now it is a fetus, which it will remain until it is born.

ANSWERS

Question 6

When the fertilised egg arrived in the womb, a special lining had been prepared for it there. The egg settled into this lining and a brand new organ is developed there to nurture the baby. This organ is only used when the baby is in the womb - what is the organ called?

CORRECT ANSWER

placenta

EDDIE SAYS

The placenta is a unique organ: it only develops in women and only when they are pregnant. Its sole function is to help the baby to develop normally, helping to supply it with food and oxygen.

ANSWERS

Question 7

As the baby continues to grow a special membranous sac grows around it which is filled with fluid. What is the name of this fluid?

CORRECT ANSWER

amniotic fluid

EDDIE SAYS

The special membranous sac is called the amniotic sac and it contains amniotic fluid which the baby floats in. It is amazingly good at absorbing the bumps and bangs that are a normal part of human life, ensuring that the baby is protected from physical harm.

ANSWERS

Question 8

What is the main purpose of the fluid that surrounds the baby?

CORRECT ANSWER

to protect the baby from bumps and knocks

EDDIE SAYS

The amniotic fluid cushions the baby in the uterus so that when the Mum bumps into something, or even if she falls over, the baby is protected from a shock that might damage it as the fluid diverts the bang away from the baby.

ANSWERS

Question 9

The special organ that develops in the womb to nurture the baby has a special connecting tube which connects it to the baby. What is this tube called?

CORRECT ANSWER

umbilical cord

EDDIE SAYS

The umbilical cord has three blood vessels running through it, delivering food and oxygen to the baby and taking its carbon dioxide away. Interestingly, the cable that connects an astronaut to the spaceship or space station when they are taking a 'space walk' is also called an umbilical cord. After all, it connects them to the 'mother ship' and supplies their needs (including electrical power)and takes away their waste carbon dioxide.

ANSWERS

Question 10

Tick TWO things that this special organ supplies the baby with, along the connecting tube, while it is inside its mother's womb.

CORRECT ANSWER

oxygen
food

EDDIE SAYS

The placenta supplies the baby's food and oxygen down the umbilical cord and it takes away the carbon dioxide that the baby has made. This is why the baby doesn't need to breathe or eat - those things are put straight into its bloodstream by the placenta.