The contents of
the following program
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are not intended to substitute
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for the advice of
your healthcare provider,
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and the producers of this series
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assume no liability
for the use or misuse
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of the material presented.
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Creation or evolution,
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design or random chance,
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they say it all
began with a big bang,
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but when we look at
the amazing human body,
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the answer is obvious.
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The complexity of the design
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exceeds anything
man has ever made.
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The body, it only
have been designed
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by the master designer
we read about in the Bible.
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Divine Design.
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Hello, I'm Patti Barnes,
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Director of the Midwifery
program at Hartland College.
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If you recall
from our last session
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the baby was at 16 weeks.
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Although the
eyes are still closed,
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there is a
sensitivity to bright lights
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in the environment.
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This reveals the importance
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of establishing
a regular schedule.
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So the baby
begins to distinguish
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between night and day.
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If you are a person
that stays up all night,
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you can expect your
baby to do the same.
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This is why it's
so very important
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to keep regular
hours for bed time,
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in order to train your
baby properly while in utero.
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It will make things a lot easier
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when he or she is born.
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At around 17 to 18 weeks,
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the mother
begins to feel movement,
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even though the baby has been
moving for quite sometime now.
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An ultrasound is
capable at this time
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of determining the gender.
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At 18 weeks the baby
has grown to nearly 6 inches
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and weighs
almost a half a pound.
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Now everyone knows
what happens to your skin
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when you stay for a long
period of time in the water,
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it wrinkles up like
a prune, doesn't it?
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God has taken care
of this problem too.
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It is around the 18th
week that He provides a baby
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with a creamy
waxy like substance
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called Vernix Caseosa.
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This is from the Latin
words Vernix meaning varnish,
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and Caseosa meaning cheese.
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This covers the
baby skin and protects it
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during the
remaining time in the womb,
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but this is no mere skin cream,
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it is also made
up of antibiotics
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that protect the
baby from skin infections.
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Enzymes, proteins, and
other valuable properties
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are also found in Vernix.
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It was reported
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in the American Journal
of Obstetrics and Gynecology
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that a number
of immunity factors
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are present in Vernix.
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This is why so many
healthcare providers
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choose not to wash it
off immediately after birth,
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but rub it into the baby skin.
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Amazingly Vernix
Caseosa is unique to humans,
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not being found
in any other mammals
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including primates.
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Jesus the creator of all life
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made special
provision for the human baby.
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Indeed we are
fearfully and wonderfully made.
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At 20 weeks we have reached
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the half way point of pregnancy,
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which is generally
considered to last 40 weeks.
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The uterus should
measure about 20 centimeters,
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and from this time on
the uterus should be growing
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1 centimeter per week.
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At 20 weeks the baby is
about 7 to 8 inches long
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and weighs anywhere
from 9 to 10 ounces.
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Toenails and
fingernails are growing,
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and the baby skin
is getting thicker.
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The baby is becoming
a little more active,
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and you might began
to feel him hiccupping,
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a sought of
rhythmic movement or spasms.
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This is normal
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and it's caused
by amniotic fluid
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entering and
exiting the baby's lungs.
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This actually helps develop
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the baby's
respiratory functions.
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At this point the
baby's brain is in high gear
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as it further
develops a senses of hearing,
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sight, touch,
smelling, and taste.
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That sounds the baby hear now
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will be ones he will identify
with more readily after birth.
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He will also begin hearing
and recognizing your voice.
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Pathways in the
brain are being formed
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that will affect
the baby's attitude
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and disposition and moods.
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In Adventist
Home, page 258 we read,
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"Every women about
to become a mother,
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whatever may be
her surroundings,
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should encourage
constantly a happy,
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cheerful, contented disposition,
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knowing that for all her
efforts in this direction
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she will be repaid
tenfold in the physical,
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as well as the moral
character of her offspring."
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Kathleen Thomas, a
cognitive development specialist
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at the University of
Minnesota has reported
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that the lab
experiments have clearly shown
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that babies can remember
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and recognize
their mother's voice
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almost immediately after birth.
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They will also prefer a book
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that they had read to
them repeatedly in the womb.
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In the book Mind Character
and Personality, volume 1,
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page 140 we read,
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"What an enormous
weight of responsibility
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rests upon parents
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when we consider that
the course pursued by them
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before the birth of their
children has very much to do
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with the development of their
character after their birth."
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At 22 to 24 weeks of pregnancy,
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the baby will have grown
to about 10 to 11 inches long
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and now weighs
from 1 to 1 1/2 pounds,
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the eyebrows and
eyelashes are now fully formed,
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and the eyelids
can be as clearly seen.
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At this point the baby
may begin sucking his thumb.
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Thumb sucking
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helps improve the baby's
hand muscle, coordination
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and prepares the baby
for nursing after birth.
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Amazingly at 24 weeks
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the baby has a 50
percent chance of survival
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outside the womb.
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Let us move forward
to about 26 to 28 weeks.
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The average size
is now 14 to 15 inches
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and the weight is about 2
to 2 and a quarter pounds.
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The eyes are open now.
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And by the way did you know
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that all Caucasian
babies are born with blue eyes.
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They won't get their final color
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until months after they're born.
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This is because
they are not born
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with enough a
pigment called melanin.
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Unlike
African-American, Hispanic,
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and Asian babies who
have more melanin at birth.
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The viability or
survival rate outside the womb
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now increases to
about 70 to 90 percent,
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although they will need
probably a lot of support
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in the neonatal
intensive care unit.
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One of the reason for
this increase survival rate
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is because of
substance called surfactant
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is beginning to develop.
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This is another
wonder of God's design.
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Its purpose is to
keep the lung tissue
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from sticking together,
helping the lungs to inflate.
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Imagine if you had
two wet sheets, a paper
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and you put them
together they would stick,
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because of the surface
tension, wouldn't they?
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But the surfactant is designed
to reduce that surface tension
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between the tissues.
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And the surfactant
level does not reach its peak
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until about 37 weeks.
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This is why babies
born before 37 weeks
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are considered premature.
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In Job 27:3 we read,
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"All the while
my breath is in me,
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and the spirit of
God is in my nostrils."
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The word spirit here comes
from the Hebrew word Ruach,
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which means wind
or breath of life,
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that comes from God.
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He not only gives the
baby the breath of life
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but provides
everything necessary
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to keep the breath sustain.
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Okay, now we
come to week 30 to 32.
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The baby may weigh
between 3 and 4 pounds
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and reach 16 to 17 inches.
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As you can see the
size is gaining rapidly.
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There is now less
space in the uterus
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and the mother might feel
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like she's running
out of room in her belly.
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Generally baby will have settled
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into a head
down position by now,
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for that is what
they naturally tend to do.
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Only about 5
percent or less that babies
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will assume a breech
position by full term.
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Head down is a
best position of course
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making the
delivery a little easier.
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Hands are fully
formed by this time
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and the baby may be
seen in an ultrasound
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clasping his hands
together or grabbing his feet
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I have seen them
taking hold of the cord,
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this is all a
part of muscle, nerve,
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and brain development.
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Now something else may
happen about this time.
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Have you ever heard of
the term Braxton Hicks,
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a man by that name discovered
00:10:22.55\00:10:24.52
that expectant mothers
sometimes had contractions
00:10:24.55\00:10:28.02
that did not lead to labor.
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These contractions can
appear about this time,
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but they've been
known to occur even earlier.
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These have also been
considered practice contractions
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as they will increase
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and intensify the
closer you get to delivery.
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These
contractions are not painful,
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but they
apparently have a purpose
00:10:49.94\00:10:52.31
toning up the
muscles in the uterus,
00:10:52.35\00:10:54.85
and helping the
blood circulation
00:10:54.88\00:10:57.19
to the placenta.
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At 34 to 35 weeks,
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the baby should
be about 18 inches
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and weigh
between 4 and 5 pounds.
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Fat deposits are
beginning to develop
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which will help
regulate the baby's temperature.
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The amount of fat
will not be quite enough
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to keep him warm if
delivered at this time,
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so an incubator
might be necessary.
00:11:16.37\00:11:19.07
The volume of amniotic fluid
00:11:19.11\00:11:21.84
will generally peak at
this point to about a quart,
00:11:21.88\00:11:25.45
and then gradually
decrease until birth.
00:11:25.48\00:11:28.32
This decrease will
allow more space for the baby.
00:11:28.35\00:11:32.25
Too much fluid or too
little fluid could be a problem,
00:11:32.29\00:11:36.19
but fortunately
00:11:36.22\00:11:37.56
these conditions
are somewhat rare.
00:11:37.59\00:11:40.00
Now could this optimal
amount of amniotic fluid
00:11:40.03\00:11:42.86
just happened by
chance, obviously not.
00:11:42.90\00:11:46.43
This is more evidence
of God's divine design.
00:11:46.47\00:11:50.07
This brings us to our
last 4 weeks of pregnancy
00:11:50.11\00:11:53.78
providing you don't go over.
00:11:53.81\00:11:55.88
The baby may grow half
a pound or more per week,
00:11:55.91\00:11:59.71
now putting on
that necessary fat
00:11:59.75\00:12:01.78
to maintain the
right body temperature.
00:12:01.82\00:12:04.32
The baby is
perfectly formed at this point,
00:12:04.35\00:12:07.06
but we would like to
reach at least 37 weeks
00:12:07.09\00:12:10.76
before delivery
00:12:10.79\00:12:12.33
which will allow for
the lungs to strengthen
00:12:12.36\00:12:14.70
and the proper amount of
surfactant to be present.
00:12:14.73\00:12:18.53
His movement will
probably decline somewhat
00:12:18.57\00:12:21.00
as he gets settled
into the fetal position.
00:12:21.04\00:12:26.01
Okay, you're finally
here, full term 40 weeks,
00:12:26.04\00:12:31.01
however there is no problem
00:12:31.05\00:12:32.68
if you should
happen to go 42 weeks,
00:12:32.71\00:12:35.35
but problems could arise,
if you go any longer than that.
00:12:35.38\00:12:39.52
Only about 5 percent of women
give birth on their due day,
00:12:39.55\00:12:44.33
so don't be surprised
if you don't give birth
00:12:44.36\00:12:47.13
right on your
estimated due date.
00:12:47.16\00:12:50.00
On average the baby
should weigh anywhere
00:12:50.03\00:12:52.10
from 7 to 8 pounds,
but could be more or less.
00:12:52.13\00:12:56.34
His length will approximately
be 20 to 22 inches.
00:12:56.37\00:13:00.24
Amazingly
00:13:00.28\00:13:01.61
the top of the baby's
head is soft and pliable,
00:13:01.64\00:13:04.91
and the bones at
the ridge of the skull
00:13:04.95\00:13:07.02
are not yet fused together,
00:13:07.05\00:13:09.48
so that they
can overlap slightly
00:13:09.52\00:13:11.92
during that tight delivery.
00:13:11.95\00:13:14.06
This is another provision
of our all wise creator
00:13:14.09\00:13:17.43
making it easier and safer
00:13:17.46\00:13:19.79
for the baby to pass
through the birth canal.
00:13:19.83\00:13:23.13
All systems are
functional and ready to go.
00:13:23.16\00:13:26.23
Lord willing, we
will explore in the future
00:13:26.27\00:13:29.04
some amazing transition
00:13:29.07\00:13:31.17
that must take
place at delivery.
00:13:31.21\00:13:35.34
In Isaiah 44: 24 we read,
00:13:35.38\00:13:38.65
"Thus saith the
Lord, thy redeemer,
00:13:38.68\00:13:41.28
and he that formed
thee from the womb,
00:13:41.32\00:13:43.75
I am the Lord
that maketh all things,
00:13:43.79\00:13:46.72
that stretcheth
forth the heavens alone,
00:13:46.76\00:13:49.22
that spreadeth
abroad the earth by myself."
00:13:49.26\00:13:52.63
Join me next time for
more of God's Divine Design.
00:13:52.66\00:13:57.20