LEARN THE LINGO
A pregnancy checkup can transport you back to high school biology class, filled with a lot of terms that will have you scrambling for a long-forgotten textbook. Relax – we’ve got you covered
4 ZYGOTE
A zygote is a fertilised egg that rapidly divides as it makes its way down the Fallopian tubes to the uterus during the first few days after conception. This will become your baby and the placenta.
5 FOETUS
A foetus is a developing baby, from the 10th week of pregnancy until birth. Unlike the embryonic stage, a foetus’ work is to get ready for life outside the safe, warm womb. At this stage, a doctor can determine the sex of the child and by 24 weeks it has a chance of survival outside of the womb.
6 UMBILICAL CORD
The umbilical cord transports the placenta’s nutrients and oxygen to the foetus and is a lifeline of pregnancy. Made up of two arteries that transport oxygen-rich blood from mom to foetus, and deoxygenated blood to the placenta for processing, the umbilical cord can grow up to 60cm long and attaches to baby at its belly button. When a baby is born, doctors clamp the cord (but ideally only after a few minutes, to allow all the nutrient-rich cord blood to reach baby) and cut it, severing the physical tie between mother and child. But it doesn’t hurt – the cord has no nerves.
7 BLASTOCYST
This is what the zygote is called when, five to eight days after conception, it makes its way into the uterus. It will then attach to the wall of the uterus in a process called implantation (usually around days nine to 10 after conception). What makes a blastocyst different from a zygote? It’s hollow! The inner walls of the blastocyst develop into the embryo, while the outer walls become the placenta.
8 AMNIOTIC FLUID
A foetus is able to swallow and breathe in the yellowish amniotic fluid (mostly made up of water and, later on, small amounts of baby’s urine). It’s through this liquid that they’re first introduced to their mother’s unique scent, and it helps keep them safe from bumps and knocks in the amniotic sac. When your “water breaks” it means your amniotic fluid is leaking because your amniotic sac has ruptured.
9 AMNIOTIC SAC
This dual-membrane balloon helps keep a foetus warm and promotes muscle tone development as your baby bobs and swims in the amniotic fluid. Think of it as your growing baby’s home, protector and gym all in one!
10 PLACENTA
It’s no wonder some cultures believe the placenta has magical properties – this pancake-like organ forms before any of the foetus’ own and is the only one the human body creates and later disposes of when it has no more use for it (after the baby is born). The placenta acts as a super highway of blood vessels, transporting nutrients, hormones and oxygen from your bloodstream to baby’s, and carrying away carbon dioxide and waste. In babies born at full term the placenta weighs around half a kilo.