Baby Journal 5

I am enjoying carrying the baby around school more than I did before... Partially because I have the gist of it, and partially because everyone loves the baby! The attention is nice but the best part is I have people who are more than willing to help me with my books and occasionally ( if I can count on the person being completely responsible) I can pass off the baby for a minute or two:)

Baby Journal 4

I finally figured out how to open my locker with a baby in one hand and books in the other! (kinda) I am getting more used to the carrying the baby with me to each class. It is fun for a while to carry the baby around but it is still a pain! I absolutely get the moral of the story...... Don't have kids unless you know you have the time and energy to take care of them!

Baby Journal 3

Rachel and I have finally kind of figured out a schedule for "baby duty"... We alternate days and class periods according to our agendas. I still need someone to help me open my locker because of the extra couple of pounds I have acquired. Babies are so sweet and adorable but I definitely am not ready to have ANOTHER thing I am responsible for.

Baby Journal 2

Its our second day carrying a seven and a half pound baby around school. Its a lot of work carrying it around school... My arms hurt! I can't imagine how hard a real baby would be to carry around a house... let alone a school!

Baby Journal 1

  Today our babies were "born"... I never expected carrying around an extra seven and a half pounds would be so much work. ( I only had the baby for half of the day too!) Its fun having the responsibility of taking care of a child with someone. I still have not figured out how to open my locker with my books in one hand and the baby in the other though... I guess I have a while to figure it out :) 

Mommy Blog: Day 6

We have discovered today that our blood work has come back suspicious. Some suspicious things that may have been found are Rh Factor- It identifies whether you have a certain protein on the surface of your red blood cells. The condition is treated with a series of vaccinations given late in pregnancy or right after birth. Iron Level - if you have too little hemoglobin in your red blood cells. This is a sign of anemia. If you're anemic, your doctor or midwife may recommend that you take an iron supplement and they will advise that you eat more iron rich foods. German measles - If you do not have immunity, your doctor or midwife will advise you to avoid anyone who has the infection. If you develop German measles during your pregnancy, it could cause severe birth defects in your baby such as blindness, deafness, and heart problems. Hepatitis B -  If you pass this liver disease to your baby during your pregnancy or after birth, it could cause serious liver damage. If your baby is at risk for catching the infection from you, injections of antibodies will be given to the baby right after birth.

TIME LINE

Week 16: Baby's movements are felt
Week 17: Suck lips, hiccup, sensitive to light
Week 18: Skin is thickening
Week 19: Movements can be felt.
Week 20:Muscles are getting stronger, eyelids and eyebrows are developed. Acrobatics are constant.
Week 21: The body is becoming more proportioned and hair is getting darker.
Week 22: Producing white blood cells.
Week 23: Skin is becoming more opaque.
Week 24: Hearing is becoming more developed and lungs are still maturing.
Week 25: Baby can cry. Becoming more active with hands.

Mommy Blog: Day 5

    Today we are sixteen weeks pregnant. We cant wait for the baby to come, but we found out some very disappointing news. Our insurance company faulted and now we don't have any health insurance for our baby!  This means that we will be accepted to the hospital but, we will end up having to pay a large sum of money that we probably wont be able to afford. We are very scared for what will happen in the future for our family. Mixed emotions are filling us with sadness, disgust, anger but most of all sincere worry...

TIME LINE

Week 8: Baby has all organs. Fingerprints are forming and Baby can hear.

Week 9-11: Teeth and fingernails are forming. Can turn its head and make some facial expressions. Lungs are functional and can "breathe" amniotic fluid. Can grasp. Skeletal system is formed. All organ systems are functioning. Sex can be distinguished.

Week 12-14: All parts necessary to experience pain, including nerves, spinal cord, and thalamus are present.  Vocal cords are complete and can can suck its thumb. Heart is pumping blood.

Week 15-17: Baby has taste buds and is able to sleep.

Week 18: All features are present. More time to grow in the mothers womb is necessary.

 

Mommy Blog

  The one word that can be used to describe the events leading up to fertilization is development. The five steps leading up to this are ovulation, sperm ejaculation and transport, fallopian transport and fertilization. Cell differentiation is when a less specialized cell matures to form a more distinct function.

For cell differentiation to succeed it must have a certain part of the DNA "highlighted"  and must follow the specific pattern of the DNA sequence.

Germ Layers:
   Ectoderm: Epidermis, epithelial lining, cornea and lens of eye, nervous system, sensory receptors, adrenal medulla, tooth enamel, epithelium.
  Mesoderm: Notochord, skeletal system, muscular system, excretory system, circulatory and lymphatic systems, reproductive systems, dermis, lining of body cavity, adrenal cortex.
  Endoderm: Epithelial lining of digestive tract and respiratory system, lining of urethra, urinary bladder, and reproductive system, liver, pancreas, thymus, thyroid and parathyroid glands.

Mommy Blog: Day 3

  Today we chose a card to determine the gender of our baby. My partner and I were so excited to find out that its a girl! We will start thinking of more names although we have a few in mind. We hope our baby will be safe and healthy!  
  Some parents discovered that they were to have miscarriages or thought they were pregnant but really were not. Parents in this situation were understandably disappointed. If they were really looking forward to having a child of their own, they could adopt or even use artificial insemination.
  Even if a mother had one or even two miscarriages, that does not mean that she is any less fertile. (Unless of course this has been one of many, in which case she could probably not get pregnant.)

Mommy Blog: Day 2

Changes in Baby: Weeks 4-8

• The heart is pumping blood.
• Basic features are beginning to appear including small buds that will turn into arms and legs.
• The fetus is taking on a c-like shape.
• By the end of week 4, Baby may be 4-6 millimeters long. 
•  Brain and face are developing.
• Arm buds take the shape of paddles.
• By the end of week 5, Baby may be 7-9 millimeters long.
• Arms and legs are growing longer and fingers are forming.
• Body is beginning to straighten.
• Baby's ears are forming, eyes and nipples are visible. 
• The upper lip and nose have formed. 
• May begin to move.
• By the end of week 6, Baby may be 11-14 millimeters long.
• Arms are growing, developing bones and bending at the elbows. 
• Toes begin to form, and eyelids and ears continue developing. 
• By the end of week 7, Baby may be 18-22 millimeters long.
• Head has become more round. 
• The neck begins to develop
• Eyelids begin to close to protect his or her developing eyes.
• Changes in Mommy
•  Uterus has grown to about the size of a small grapefruit or a large orange.
• Breast tenderness and enlargement
• Back, neck and shoulder pain. (This may result from poor posture, as adjustments are made to a growing belly.)
• Mild abdominal cramping.

Safety Tips: 

• Exercise often
• Stay away from sugary, fatty, greasy and unhealthy foods.
• Do not drink alcohol, smoke etc.
• Do not take any unnecessary risks.
• Stay away from people who are sick.

Questions: 

1)  What are the odds of having twins or triplets? (estimated)

    White Americans/White Europeans:  1 in 69
     Black Americans: 1 in 60 (but as low as 1 in 40)
     Japanese: 1 in 150
     Chinese: 1 in 250
     Mixed Asian: 1 in 125
     Nigerian: 1 in 22
     Norway, Denmark, Netherlands: 1 in 49
     England: 1 in 76

2)  How do you choose between a doctor and a midwife?

    The decision of choosing a doctor or a midwife will be determined by what kind of experience you want, where you plan to give birth, whether your pregnancy is normal or high risk, and what your insurance will pay for.

3) Can a baby be born at home?

    Yes. It is possible but is discouraged if the mother is not completely healthy.

 

Mommy Blog: Day 1

    From "conception" of our baby until now, (four weeks) our baby has grown in some interesting ways. At weeks one and two, our baby was not visible yet. But at week three, our baby was just a mass of cells,  about the size of the head of a pin consisting of around 100 cells. The outer layer of cells of our baby will become the placenta, and the inner layer will become the embryo. At week four, the cells are specialized according to their specific function. The outer layer will become the nervous system, skin and hair; the inner layer will be the respiratory and digestive organs; and the middle layer will become the skeleton, bones, cartilage, muscles, circulatory system, kidneys, and sex organs. Our baby is now about the size of a sesame seed.
    As for Mom, changes in attitude about the seriousness of pregnancy have begun to set in. As far as changes in physical mood and health, not much of a difference has been noticed. Now that the news has been recieved that Mom is pregnant, some changes in behavior must be made. No smoking, drinking, drugs etc. (not that anyone has ever done that before;)  always keeping in mind that another life is within.

Scientist: Task 2

 1)   I believe that genetically engineered foods need to be labeled. On the label producers should include ingredients, what other organism the DNA came from that caused the crop to have specialized characteristics, and allergy information. Naturally, consumers want to know what they are buying. Some consumers may not like the idea of their foods being "genetically manipulated". Before genetic engineering, farmers used the process of selective breeding to get the best traits out of their products.  Unfortunately, there was no way to cross important traits from animals with plants that needed to be changed. For example farmers who had crops of tomatoes that froze and split had no way to selectively breed their crop so that the product would not go to waste. Fish, on the other hand can survive extremely low temperatures and not die. This is where Genetic Engineering comes in. Through a process called splicing, scientists can take the gene from fish that enables them to survive cold temperatures and combine it with the normal DNA of tomatoes.  This causes the tomatoes to be able to undertake low temperature and not freeze. Some people may find this process disturbing and may not want to eat foods that have been genetically engineered. For this reason and many others, it is important to have labels on genetically engineered foods. For the people who are skeptical about the foods that they eat, the government should overview the industry for producing and selling genetically modified food regularly. Every GE food to enter a store should be tested to prove that they are safe for the consumption of consumers. Understandably, consumers can be afraid to try new foods in fear that they may be unsafe and unjust. The addition of clear and understandable labels on GE foods will help consumers understand that producers are not trying to hide the fact that their products have been genetically modified, only that they understand that consumers have the right to know.

2)    Since genetically engineering foods can be harmful to the environment, the government should oversee the production and distribution of these products. If scientists do not find out a way to keep GE foods somewhat isolated from other plants, GE foods can pollinate weeds and cause them to become much stronger and more resistant to pesticides.  Since the pollen from GE foods has the DNA of the strengthened product, the weeds will then share the DNA, which will make them much stronger. Other pests such as insects can also become stronger. Since the crops are stronger the insects will, in turn, adapt to become stronger as well.

Some regulations should include the testing of each harvest to be distributed. The government should strictly supervise the distribution of these GM products. Also, EVERY GM food to enter a store should have a clear and VERY understandable label stating that the product has been genetically modified and has been tested numerous times. Since DNA splicing is not a natural process the government should oversee the process each company takes to produce their GM food. This way the government can make sure no company is taking any shortcuts is the splicing process.

Since there is still a chance that GM foods can harm the environment, more testing should be done. We need to know what the impact these foods can make on our bodies, the plants and animals being affected and long-term affects this new discovery can have on the world.

Backround Information

1) Biotechnology is modification of DNA  in living things to achieve a specific desired trait. In plant foods this is called recombinant DNA, or gene splicing.

2) Genetically engineered foods are foods that have been altered/spliced to present a specific trait.

3) Advantages: The crops are more productive, they offer more nutritional value and better flavor, scientists could possibly eliminate allergens in some foods, they are resistant to pests weeds and disease, they are more capable of growing in regions with poor climate and soil and in very small areas, they require less pesticides, and they stay fresh longer.

4) Disadvantages: Stronger weeds and pests could start attacking the plants which would then lead to the production of stronger pesticides, theses foods can be harmful to the environment and to our health such as the reduction of effectiveness of antibiotics . (Pollination of weeds with genetically engineererd foods could lead to super strong weeds that are very hard to kill.)

Scientist: Task One

1) As a scientist I believe that, if used responsibly, genetic engineering in foods may help lead to a cure to world food issues. Some major problems worldwide is dependability of the quality of foods grown by farmers. With our new knowledge of genetic engineering, we can manipulate foods to be stronger against poor conditions such as lack of water, flooding, very strong winds and even bruising. Theses new products can stay fresh for longer periods of time. This means grocery stores and consumers can keep produce on shelves longer without them spoiling. Genetically engineered foods also have more nutrients and taste much better than normal produce. We can eliminate allergens in genetically engineered foods. One of the most important factors is these foods are resistant to pests and weeds. This means farmers do not have to use as many pesticides and can keep the earth clean!


2) Unfortunately there are disadvantages to this new idea. Since the produce is stronger, weeds and pests will adapt and become stronger too. So will viruses and bacteria. This in turn, will make fighting off sicknesses, even with antibiotics, harder. If genetically engineered plants are not kept isolated, weeds can be pollinated and become as strong as the genetically engineered plant.

Sources: http://scienceray.com/technology/applied-science/genetically-modified-food/ 
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