The contents of
the following program
00:00:01.36\00:00:03.23
are not intended to substitute
00:00:03.26\00:00:05.00
for the advice of
your healthcare provider,
00:00:05.03\00:00:07.37
and the producers of this series
00:00:07.40\00:00:09.10
assume no liability for the use
00:00:09.14\00:00:11.34
or misuse of the
material presented.
00:00:11.37\00:00:14.24
Creation or evolution,
00:00:20.92\00:00:23.92
design or random chance,
00:00:23.95\00:00:27.19
they say it all
began with a big bang,
00:00:27.22\00:00:31.33
but when we look at
the amazing human body,
00:00:31.36\00:00:34.03
the answer is obvious.
00:00:34.06\00:00:36.26
The complexity of the design
00:00:36.30\00:00:37.90
exceeds anything
man has ever made.
00:00:37.93\00:00:41.07
The body, it only
have been designed
00:00:41.10\00:00:43.94
by the master designer
we read about in the Bible.
00:00:43.97\00:00:49.18
Divine Design.
00:00:49.21\00:00:51.01
Hello, I'm Patti Barnes,
00:01:04.46\00:01:06.33
Director of the Midwifery
program at Hartland College.
00:01:06.36\00:01:10.10
There are several
amazing transitions
00:01:10.13\00:01:12.30
that take place at birth
in both the mother's body
00:01:12.33\00:01:16.00
and the baby's.
00:01:16.04\00:01:17.54
We'll discuss the
mother's changes later,
00:01:17.57\00:01:19.71
but for now,
00:01:19.74\00:01:21.08
let's look at
some of the transitions
00:01:21.11\00:01:22.44
that have to take place
in the baby in order for him
00:01:22.48\00:01:25.88
or her to survive.
00:01:25.91\00:01:27.35
After all, the baby is going
to undergo a drastic change
00:01:27.38\00:01:31.75
from the mother's womb,
00:01:31.79\00:01:33.32
which he has been
comfortably living
00:01:33.36\00:01:35.79
in for the past nine
months in a world of water.
00:01:35.82\00:01:39.53
An environment that
none of us could survive in.
00:01:39.56\00:01:43.23
To an outside
world, the world of air
00:01:43.26\00:01:46.50
and the baby is
also going to transition
00:01:46.53\00:01:49.04
from a constant climate
to an ever-changing one.
00:01:49.07\00:01:53.38
This is something that
man with all his intelligence
00:01:53.41\00:01:56.21
and brilliance
could never develop.
00:01:56.24\00:01:58.68
And it certainly
could not happen by chance.
00:01:58.71\00:02:02.55
First, there is a divine
hand that is guiding in this.
00:02:02.58\00:02:06.79
In Psalm 71:6, we read,
00:02:06.82\00:02:10.79
"By thee have I been
holden up from the womb:
00:02:10.83\00:02:13.60
thou art he that took me
out of my mother's bowels:
00:02:13.63\00:02:16.97
my praise shall be
continually of thee."
00:02:17.00\00:02:20.44
Is this just nice
poetic language here
00:02:20.47\00:02:23.51
or is this telling us
that God does something special
00:02:23.54\00:02:27.68
as the baby is
coming out of the womb.
00:02:27.71\00:02:31.41
Right at birth, a miraculous
change must take place
00:02:31.45\00:02:34.92
in the baby's
circulatory system.
00:02:34.95\00:02:37.29
Remember all along,
00:02:37.32\00:02:38.72
the placenta has been supplying
the functions of the liver,
00:02:38.75\00:02:42.02
the lungs, the kidneys,
00:02:42.06\00:02:44.53
and carrying away
waste and carbon dioxide,
00:02:44.56\00:02:47.56
while supplying the
oxygen and necessary nutrition.
00:02:47.60\00:02:52.37
In other words,
00:02:52.40\00:02:53.74
the placenta has been
the life support system
00:02:53.77\00:02:55.94
for the baby.
00:02:55.97\00:02:57.31
Now that is about
to come to an end,
00:02:57.34\00:02:59.87
because it will
end, there must be
00:02:59.91\00:03:02.51
a rearranging of the
baby's circulatory system.
00:03:02.54\00:03:06.38
Up until now,
00:03:06.41\00:03:07.75
the blood has been bypassing
the liver and the lungs.
00:03:07.78\00:03:11.25
You might roughly compare
this to driving down the highway
00:03:11.29\00:03:14.72
and seeing a sign that
says road closed ahead.
00:03:14.76\00:03:20.40
You were forced to
take a detour for a while,
00:03:20.43\00:03:23.73
until you emerge
back into the highway.
00:03:23.77\00:03:26.74
This is what the blood has done,
00:03:26.77\00:03:29.14
detouring around
this major organs,
00:03:29.17\00:03:31.77
while the placenta
00:03:31.81\00:03:33.14
was temporarily
performing their functions.
00:03:33.17\00:03:36.38
These detours are called shunts.
00:03:36.41\00:03:39.31
Another way of looking at this
00:03:39.35\00:03:41.28
is to sync up the
path of least resistance.
00:03:41.32\00:03:45.02
The resistance into the
liver and lungs has been high,
00:03:45.05\00:03:48.72
therefore restricting
the flow through them.
00:03:48.76\00:03:52.16
The blood was flowing
freely through the shunts
00:03:52.19\00:03:55.10
and to and from the placenta,
00:03:55.13\00:03:57.17
because the
resistance was quite low.
00:03:57.20\00:04:00.17
At birth, the road
closed signed is removed
00:04:00.20\00:04:03.37
and the traffic
is able to continue
00:04:03.41\00:04:05.11
straight through
the liver and the lungs
00:04:05.14\00:04:07.48
where the
resistance has now fallen
00:04:07.51\00:04:10.91
due to the amniotic
fluid being displaced
00:04:10.95\00:04:13.52
and the blood vessels expanding.
00:04:13.55\00:04:16.35
Another miracle of creation
00:04:16.38\00:04:17.85
is a restriction of
blood flow in umbilical cord.
00:04:17.89\00:04:22.02
A strong muscle like
tissue that surrounds the cord
00:04:22.06\00:04:25.13
begins contracting,
clamping down on it.
00:04:25.16\00:04:28.73
There is an amazing
substance called Wharton's Jelly
00:04:28.76\00:04:32.53
that has been
serving a very important role
00:04:32.57\00:04:35.20
while the baby was in the womb.
00:04:35.24\00:04:37.51
This jelly like material
has help prevent the cord
00:04:37.54\00:04:40.61
from kinking and
pinching off the blood flow,
00:04:40.64\00:04:44.91
so necessary for
the baby's survival.
00:04:44.95\00:04:48.08
Now this jelly
serves a different
00:04:48.12\00:04:50.25
and opposite purpose.
00:04:50.29\00:04:51.85
After being
exposed to the cold air,
00:04:51.89\00:04:54.19
it begins to
condense and harden.
00:04:54.22\00:04:56.59
The result is a
restriction of the blood flow
00:04:56.62\00:04:59.79
to and from the baby.
00:04:59.83\00:05:01.76
This prevents
excessive blood loss
00:05:01.80\00:05:03.90
for both the
baby and the mother.
00:05:03.93\00:05:06.87
By the way, did you know
00:05:06.90\00:05:08.57
that the baby's
cord blood contains iron,
00:05:08.60\00:05:12.04
immune building red
and white blood cells
00:05:12.07\00:05:15.14
and stem cells
that can fed the baby.
00:05:15.18\00:05:18.21
That is why
more and more studies
00:05:18.25\00:05:20.25
suggest not clamping the
cord immediately after delivery,
00:05:20.28\00:05:24.49
but waiting for a minute or two
00:05:24.52\00:05:26.52
or until the cord
stops cross-fading
00:05:26.55\00:05:28.86
This helps brain development,
increases immune function
00:05:28.89\00:05:32.33
and may prevent anemia
in a first year of life.
00:05:32.36\00:05:36.36
When the cord gets
clamped and severed,
00:05:36.40\00:05:38.57
the blood flow is
completely channeled back
00:05:38.60\00:05:40.84
into the arteries.
00:05:40.87\00:05:42.30
Gradually, the shunts
or bypasses begin to shrink
00:05:42.34\00:05:46.11
and disappear.
00:05:46.14\00:05:47.64
Now, all the
plumping is reorganized,
00:05:47.68\00:05:50.35
so that the baby's organs can do
00:05:50.38\00:05:52.11
all that the placenta was doing.
00:05:52.15\00:05:54.58
All this takes place
in a matter of minutes.
00:05:54.62\00:05:58.25
As you can see this is just
not possible with evolution.
00:05:58.29\00:06:02.06
Charles Darwin
admitted in his book
00:06:02.09\00:06:04.69
on the Origin of Species.
00:06:04.73\00:06:07.63
"If it could be demonstrated
that any complex organ existed,
00:06:07.66\00:06:11.77
which could not possibly
have been formed by numerous,
00:06:11.80\00:06:14.57
successive,
slight modifications,
00:06:14.60\00:06:17.71
my theory would
absolutely break down.
00:06:17.74\00:06:21.11
But I can find
out no such case."
00:06:21.14\00:06:24.58
Darwin living in the mid 1800s
00:06:24.61\00:06:27.08
obviously knew nothing of
the miracle of childbirth.
00:06:27.12\00:06:30.95
Here his theory does
indeed absolutely break down,
00:06:30.99\00:06:36.09
not just once or
twice but countless times,
00:06:36.12\00:06:40.20
one little
glitch in this process
00:06:40.23\00:06:42.76
and there is no baby
00:06:42.80\00:06:44.53
and no second
chance to get it right.
00:06:44.57\00:06:46.90
But hold on, just
getting the plumping right
00:06:46.94\00:06:50.04
doesn't answer the question
00:06:50.07\00:06:51.44
of why the baby
begins breathing.
00:06:51.47\00:06:54.08
Science still has
not determined exactly
00:06:54.11\00:06:56.78
why the baby
takes its first breath.
00:06:56.81\00:06:59.58
What triggers the
baby to begin breathing?
00:06:59.61\00:07:03.15
If he doesn't breathe,
00:07:03.18\00:07:05.32
the rerouted blood
flow through the lungs
00:07:05.35\00:07:08.56
won't solve the oxygen issue.
00:07:08.59\00:07:11.03
There are several
theories about how this happens
00:07:11.06\00:07:14.03
and here are just a few.
00:07:14.06\00:07:17.00
The sudden exposure to cold
air causes a gasping reflex.
00:07:17.03\00:07:21.44
Hormonal
influences may play a part.
00:07:21.47\00:07:24.81
The respiratory nerve center
is triggered by stimulation.
00:07:24.84\00:07:29.08
The change in
pressure on the chest
00:07:29.11\00:07:31.25
from the womb to the air.
00:07:31.28\00:07:34.02
An increased
level of carbon dioxide.
00:07:34.05\00:07:37.12
Perhaps all these
are contributing factors
00:07:37.15\00:07:40.26
and we will probably learn
more as research continues.
00:07:40.29\00:07:45.53
Friends, this is
evident of an incredible design,
00:07:45.56\00:07:49.26
not mindless chance.
00:07:49.30\00:07:51.10
In Colossians
1:16, it says of Jesus,
00:07:51.13\00:07:55.20
"For by him were
all things created,
00:07:55.24\00:07:58.04
that are in heaven,
and that are in earth,
00:07:58.07\00:08:00.61
visible and invisible,
whether they be thrones,
00:08:00.64\00:08:03.85
or dominions, or
principalities, or powers:
00:08:03.88\00:08:07.25
all things were
created by him, and for him:"
00:08:07.28\00:08:11.62
Only our own wise creator
00:08:11.65\00:08:13.82
could have
engineered all these things.
00:08:13.86\00:08:17.23
But wait, we're
not finished yet.
00:08:17.26\00:08:20.20
There is another major obstacle
that the baby has to overcome
00:08:20.23\00:08:24.47
or all this nine
months of incredible growth
00:08:24.50\00:08:27.17
and development is for nothing.
00:08:27.20\00:08:30.04
We've got to get the
seven or eight pound baby
00:08:30.07\00:08:33.14
to fit through a tiny hole.
00:08:33.17\00:08:36.18
But don't worry,
00:08:36.21\00:08:37.55
God didn't bring us
this far to leave us,
00:08:37.58\00:08:40.18
He anticipated and
planned for this ahead of time.
00:08:40.22\00:08:44.55
In His infinite
wisdom, He made the baby skull
00:08:44.59\00:08:48.16
in such a way to help fitted
through this tight squeeze.
00:08:48.19\00:08:52.86
Let's take a brief look
at this wonder of creation.
00:08:52.89\00:08:57.30
The baby skull has
five main bones or plates
00:08:57.33\00:09:01.27
that have a special
feature to aid in delivery.
00:09:01.30\00:09:05.44
They are the occipital
bone at the back of the head,
00:09:05.47\00:09:09.84
two parietal
bones on either side
00:09:09.88\00:09:13.11
and two frontal bones
they make up the forehead.
00:09:13.15\00:09:17.05
All these bones are
connected together by sutures.
00:09:17.09\00:09:20.76
These sutures are joints
which in a baby are flexible
00:09:20.79\00:09:24.86
even allowing the overlapping
of one bone over the other.
00:09:24.89\00:09:29.86
Where two or more of
these sutures come together,
00:09:29.90\00:09:32.57
it is called a
Fontanelle or soft spot,
00:09:32.60\00:09:36.07
allowing for
even more flexibility.
00:09:36.10\00:09:39.21
This flexing
process is called molding.
00:09:39.24\00:09:43.21
Not only does it
allow flexibility,
00:09:43.24\00:09:45.98
but even a slight reduction
in size making it easier
00:09:46.01\00:09:49.38
for the head to pass
through the birth canal.
00:09:49.42\00:09:52.45
This is the reason
why babies are born
00:09:52.49\00:09:55.02
with slightly cone shaped heads.
00:09:55.06\00:09:57.83
They eventually will reshape
00:09:57.86\00:10:00.03
and the Fontanelle's will
close as a child grows older.
00:10:00.06\00:10:04.60
Well, this helps
but it still appears
00:10:04.63\00:10:07.40
that there is an
impossible task ahead.
00:10:07.44\00:10:10.64
The birth canal
is simply too tight
00:10:10.67\00:10:12.97
to squeeze the
baby's head through.
00:10:13.01\00:10:15.31
This is where God
made a wonderful provision
00:10:15.34\00:10:19.08
with the mother's pelvis.
00:10:19.11\00:10:21.05
First something must be done
about the pelvic floor though.
00:10:21.08\00:10:24.95
Muscles from all
different directions
00:10:24.99\00:10:27.46
are anchored to the
coccyx, which by the way proves
00:10:27.49\00:10:31.49
that it's not
just a useless organ.
00:10:31.53\00:10:35.40
This pelvic floor
supplies a base like a sling
00:10:35.43\00:10:40.60
that keeps our
organs from dropping down.
00:10:40.64\00:10:44.51
So this mass of muscles
00:10:44.54\00:10:45.97
and tissues stand in a
way of the baby's passage.
00:10:46.01\00:10:49.38
How in the world is he
going to get pass all that.
00:10:49.41\00:10:53.48
The problem is solved.
00:10:53.52\00:10:56.85
At this point, the mother
is producing more hormones
00:10:56.89\00:11:01.82
that will soften
the muscle tissue.
00:11:01.86\00:11:04.29
When the baby's head descends,
00:11:04.33\00:11:06.29
a combination of contractions
and pressure from the head
00:11:06.33\00:11:10.77
will cause this
cervix to dilate.
00:11:10.80\00:11:13.94
Then further contractions
help push the baby's head
00:11:13.97\00:11:17.14
through the
softened pelvic floor.
00:11:17.17\00:11:20.14
We'll talk more about dilation
00:11:20.18\00:11:21.54
and effacement
in a later segment.
00:11:21.58\00:11:24.05
But here the baby runs
into yet another obstacle.
00:11:24.08\00:11:28.48
He gets passed all
the muscle structure
00:11:28.52\00:11:30.59
only to run into
the bones of the pelvis.
00:11:30.62\00:11:33.29
Now what?
00:11:33.32\00:11:34.76
The female pelvis is formed
differently than the males.
00:11:34.79\00:11:38.53
Where the males is more
narrow and funnel shaped,
00:11:38.56\00:11:41.83
the women's is like a bowl.
00:11:41.86\00:11:44.07
In fact, the Latin
word for pelvis is basin.
00:11:44.10\00:11:48.80
It is made up of
three major bones,
00:11:48.84\00:11:51.54
two illium bones and a sacrum.
00:11:51.57\00:11:54.88
A fourth smaller bone
00:11:54.91\00:11:56.51
is located at the
base of the sacrum
00:11:56.54\00:11:58.75
which we all know is a coccyx.
00:11:58.78\00:12:01.98
Notice the three
joints are ligaments
00:12:02.02\00:12:03.99
that connect the major bones,
00:12:04.02\00:12:06.86
two where the
illiums and sacrum meet
00:12:06.89\00:12:10.73
and one at the
bottom where the ischiums
00:12:10.76\00:12:14.86
which are the lower parts
of the illiums come together.
00:12:14.90\00:12:19.53
We can all be
glad for these joints
00:12:19.57\00:12:21.84
to say allow a
degree of flexibility
00:12:21.87\00:12:23.94
and shock absorbents
when we run, jump, or fall.
00:12:23.97\00:12:28.01
But this
flexibility is pretty limited.
00:12:28.04\00:12:31.21
At birth however,
00:12:31.25\00:12:32.58
another miracle of
design is set in motion.
00:12:32.61\00:12:35.62
The mother secretes a
hormone called relaxin
00:12:35.65\00:12:39.75
that actually
softens these joints,
00:12:39.79\00:12:42.36
making them much
more pliable and elastic.
00:12:42.39\00:12:46.19
The pelvis can then
stretch open for the baby
00:12:46.23\00:12:49.96
to pass through.
00:12:50.00\00:12:52.47
There is also a
fourth joint at the coccyx
00:12:52.50\00:12:56.00
that will allow that little bone
00:12:56.04\00:12:58.47
to flex back in a way
for the baby's passage.
00:12:58.51\00:13:03.95
Surely we can all
say with the Psalmist.
00:13:03.98\00:13:06.72
"Marvelous are thy works;
00:13:06.75\00:13:08.55
and that my soul
knoweth right well."
00:13:08.58\00:13:11.62
As we consider how the
Lord has provided for every step
00:13:11.65\00:13:15.32
and stage of development
00:13:15.36\00:13:17.29
all the way
through the delivery,
00:13:17.33\00:13:19.26
we can take a spiritual lesson.
00:13:19.29\00:13:21.30
The Apostle Paul
wrote in Philippians 1:6,
00:13:21.33\00:13:25.07
"Being confident
of this very thing,
00:13:25.10\00:13:27.54
that he which hath
begun a good work in you
00:13:27.57\00:13:29.94
will perform it until
the day of Jesus Christ."
00:13:29.97\00:13:33.81
In another words,
00:13:33.84\00:13:35.18
Jesus is not going to leave
you with an unfinished work,
00:13:35.21\00:13:39.75
so long as you
cooperate with Him,
00:13:39.78\00:13:42.62
He will bring you to completion.
00:13:42.65\00:13:45.59
Join me next time for
more on the Divine Design.
00:13:45.62\00:13:49.89