Book contents
- Seminars in Perinatal Psychiatry
- College Seminars Series
- Seminars in Perinatal Psychiatry
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Contributors
- Editor Biographies
- Foreword
- Acknowledgements
- Gender-Sensitive Language
- Section 1The Perinatal Context
- Chapter 1The Perinatal Frame of Mind
- Chapter 2Experiencing Severe Perinatal Mental Illness
- Chapter 3Physiological Changes in Pregnancy and Common Obstetric Medical Disorders
- Chapter 4Fetal Development and Routine Maternity Care
- Chapter 5Infant Development
- Chapter 6Paternal Mental Health in the Perinatal Period
- Chapter 7The Perinatal Mental Health of Racial and Ethnic Minority Groups
- Chapter 8Psychological Aspects of Infertility, Assisted Conception and Perinatal Loss
- Chapter 9The Evolving Leader in Perinatal Mental Health Services
- Section 2Maternal Mental Disorders
- Section 3Principles of Perinatal Assessment and Management
- Section 4Infant Mental Health in the Context of Maternal Mental Health
- Section 5Medico-Legal Issues in the Perinatal Period
- Index
- References
Chapter 4 - Fetal Development and Routine Maternity Care
from Section 1 - The Perinatal Context
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 27 March 2026
Book contents
- Seminars in Perinatal Psychiatry
- College Seminars Series
- Seminars in Perinatal Psychiatry
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Contributors
- Editor Biographies
- Foreword
- Acknowledgements
- Gender-Sensitive Language
- Section 1The Perinatal Context
- Chapter 1The Perinatal Frame of Mind
- Chapter 2Experiencing Severe Perinatal Mental Illness
- Chapter 3Physiological Changes in Pregnancy and Common Obstetric Medical Disorders
- Chapter 4Fetal Development and Routine Maternity Care
- Chapter 5Infant Development
- Chapter 6Paternal Mental Health in the Perinatal Period
- Chapter 7The Perinatal Mental Health of Racial and Ethnic Minority Groups
- Chapter 8Psychological Aspects of Infertility, Assisted Conception and Perinatal Loss
- Chapter 9The Evolving Leader in Perinatal Mental Health Services
- Section 2Maternal Mental Disorders
- Section 3Principles of Perinatal Assessment and Management
- Section 4Infant Mental Health in the Context of Maternal Mental Health
- Section 5Medico-Legal Issues in the Perinatal Period
- Index
- References
Summary
This chapter contains an outline of fetal development, describing general organogenesis in the first trimester, and then brain development in the second and third trimesters. The effects of maternal well-being, therapeutic medication, tobacco and alcohol on the developing fetus are explored. Finally, the current format of antenatal care, screening and fetal medicine in the UK National Health Service is described. There is a glossary of common conditions that are diagnosed antenatally, which are not specific to women who take prescribed or recreational drugs. The majority of such women have normal pregnancies and give birth to healthy babies at term.
Information
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Seminars in Perinatal Psychiatry , pp. 56 - 69Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2026
References
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