QuestionHow are babies created? How is the sex of a baby determined? What causes premature birth?
AnswerTy Shawn ,
these are REALLY long and complex questions, so I will do my best to summarize for you.
Babies are created when a man's sperm enter's a woman's egg. When conditions are right, and the woman is ovulating, her body releases an egg and her uterus is in the right position. If the sperm gets in, the tail breaks off and the body buries into the egg. Conception occurs. The egg then divides many many times and each division makes more cells which eventually turn into the spinal cord then develop into an embryo, which grows into a fetus, and in about 40 weeks, the baby is full term and can live outside the womb.
The sex can be seen in a sonogram. A male's penis will be visable by about 20 weeks. Ultrasound gender detection is not perfect, but it gives you a pretty good idea, especially if you can see a penis.
There are many reasons for preterm birth. Both the mother's body and the baby's body can cause a baby to be born early. For example, drugs a mother takes can induce early labor causing a preterm birth. Infection, an irregular placement or tearing of the placenta, and bleeding can also cause preterm labor and birth.
Discovery Health produces a video as well and you can look at the book A Child is Born which shows some great pictures and details of a baby's development.
-Jill Chasse
