Lesson video

Hello, everyone.

How are you?

Hope you're doing well today.

My name is Ms. Afzal, and I'll be your teacher for this lesson.

I'm feeling really pleased about that because we've got an interesting topic ahead.

We're looking at healthy pregnancy.

That's the title of our lesson.

Our lesson comes from the unit of work, Reproduction in humans.

So I hope you're interested in getting into this topic of healthy pregnancy.

And if you have energy, focus, and enthusiasm, we'll begin our lesson now.

The outcome for today's lesson is: I can name some substances that can pass through the placenta and explain the effects they have on a developing fetus.

I hope this sounds interesting to you.

We have some keywords in our lesson.

I'd like us to go through them one at a time, saying them out loud.

My turn, your turn.

Drugs.

Fetus.

Alcohol.

Placenta.

Good to hear those keywords out loud.

And now I'd like you to turn to someone and share with them, have you heard of any of these words before?

Do you have any idea what these keywords mean?

Pause here and share with someone.

Thanks for sharing.

Let's find out what these keywords mean.

Drugs are substances that, when taken in, have an effect on the body.

The fetus is the stage of human development between an embryo at around eight weeks, up to when the baby is born.

Alcohol is a depressant drug present in alcoholic drinks.

It slows down the messages traveling between the brain and the body.

And the placenta is an organ that is attached to the uterus wall.

It provides the fetus with oxygen and nutrients from the mother's blood.

So these are our keywords: drugs, fetus, alcohol, and placenta.

Let's look out for them.

Let's listen out for them.

Let's think carefully about these keywords.

They'll be coming up in our lesson today.

Today's lesson is called "Healthy pregnancy," and it has two learning cycles: harmful substances and effects on fetus.

Let's begin by exploring harmful substances.

Drugs are substances that, when taken in, have an effect on the body.

They travel around the body in the blood to reach organs.

The brain is affected by most drugs.

Drugs may be taken as medicines to relieve pain or other symptoms or may be taken recreationally.

And in this diagram, we can see the brain and we can see the blood vessels.

Some people take drugs because they enjoy the feeling of the effects they have on the body.

This is recreational use of drugs.

Recreational use of drugs might be illegal or legal.

Examples of legal drugs used recreationally include alcohol and nicotine in cigarettes.

Let's have a check for understanding.

Choose which of the substances below are drugs.

A, alcohol.

B, prescription medicine.

C, carbon dioxide.

D, nicotine.

Pause here while you decide which of these substances are drugs.

Well done if you selected A, alcohol; B, prescription medicine; and D, nicotine.

All three of these substances are drugs.

Drugs can have harmful side effects, and some can be more harmful than others.

If a pregnant mother takes drugs, the drugs can pass from her blood to the growing fetus.

Illegal drugs may be injected directly into the blood vessels.

Cigarette smoke is breathed in through the lungs, and alcohol passes through the digestive system.

From here, the drugs are transported in the blood to the placenta in a pregnant woman.

Recreational use of drugs is a lifestyle choice, and a pregnant mother's choices can affect the health of the developing fetus.

Substances that are harmful to adults are even more harmful to a fetus.

Chemical substances in the mother's blood can pass to the fetus via the placenta.

And here we can see in this image a pregnant woman and the fetus and the placenta attached to it via the umbilical cord.

And we know that harmful substances in the mother's blood can pass to the fetus via the placenta.

The fetus's and the mother's blood flow next to each other in the placenta where substances are exchanged.

Chemical substances can be passed alongside oxygen and nutrients to the fetus.

Chemical substances such as alcohol and nicotine pass from the mother's blood to the fetus.

The fetus's blood travels along the umbilical cord to the fetus where the chemical substances can have a harmful effect on the fetal organs.

Let's have a check for understanding.

True or false?

Alcohol is harmful to a fetus but not to adults.

Pause here while you decide, is this statement true or false?

Well done if you selected false.

And now I'd like you to justify your answer.

Choose from one of these two statements.

A, alcohol is equally harmful to both adults and fetuses.

B, alcohol is more harmful to a fetus as it is smaller and still developing.

Pause here while you decide which of these statements justifies your earlier answer.

Well done if you selected statement B.

Indeed, alcohol is more harmful to a fetus as it is smaller and still developing.

This statement justifies your earlier answer.

Let's have another check for understanding.

Which of the following substances can pass from a mother to the fetus through the placenta?

A, alcohol.

B, red blood cells.

C, oxygen.

D, nicotine.

Pause here while you decide which of these substances can pass from a mother to the fetus through the placenta.

Well done if you selected A, alcohol; C, oxygen; and D, nicotine.

All of these substances can pass from a mother to the fetus through the placenta.

And now it's time for your first task.

Izzy has started a basic drawing of a placenta.

I would like you to, one, copy and complete the drawing, labeling the mother and the fetus's blood vessels.

And two, label the substances that can pass from the mother's blood to the fetus's blood with arrows.

So pause here while you have a go at this task.

Copy and complete the drawing.

Label the blood vessels for the mother and the fetus.

And then label the substances that can pass from the mother's blood to the fetus's blood with arrows.

I'll see you when you're finished.

Pause the video here while you have a go at your task.

It's good to be back with you.

So how did you get on with that task?

Firstly, copying and completing the drawing of the placenta, labeling the mother and the fetus's blood vessels.

Let's take a look.

Here we have the fetal blood vessels and we have the mother's blood vessels.

And next, were you able to label the substances that can pass from the mother's blood to the fetus's blood with arrows?

So here we have alcohol, which can pass from the mother's blood to the fetus's blood.

Nicotine can do the same.

And also drugs.

Well done if you copied and completed your drawing of the placenta in this way.

And well done for labeling the blood vessels, the mother and the fetus, and the substances that can pass from the mother's blood to the fetus's blood.

Well done for having a go at this task.

And now we're on to our next learning cycle, effects on fetus.

Taking drugs, smoking, and drinking alcohol during pregnancy are lifestyle choices.

These choices increase the risk of miscarriage.

This is the sudden loss of pregnancy before the 20th week.

The fetus dies.

Really serious, really tragic.

Drugs and smoking can slow the growth of the fetus, reducing the oxygen supply.

This can lead to premature birth and babies born with a low birth weight.

This increases complications in childbirth and for the babies later on in life.

So we really can see that relationship between taking drugs and smoking and the effect that this can have on the fetus and then on the baby.

Here we can see an image of a baby being weighed.

Alcohol and drugs can have effects on the baby that continue after they're born.

Alcohol can cause a condition called fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, FASD for short.

Smoking during pregnancy can lead to sudden infant death syndrome, SIDS.

This is where a baby dies under 1 year old for no known reason.

Taking drugs during pregnancy can lead to a baby being born with an addiction.

They have to be immediately treated for withdrawal symptoms.

So again, we can see the staggering effect of alcohol and drugs on a baby that continue after they're born.

A child with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, FASD, will have problems with learning, organ and muscle function, and managing emotions.

And we can see in this diagram that actually they have fewer brain folds and a smaller cerebellum, which is part of the brain.

They can have ear abnormalities, a smaller head, and a shorter, flatter nose.

The higher the alcohol intake by the mother, the greater the risk.

Let's have a check for understanding.

Which of the listed effects are short-term consequences of a pregnant mother's lifestyle choices?

A, fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.

B, premature birth.

C, miscarriage.

D, low birth weight.

So pause here while you decide which of these effects are short-term consequences of a pregnant mother's lifestyle choices.

Well done if you selected B, premature birth; C, miscarriage; and D, low birth weight.

All these effects are short-term consequences of a pregnant mother's lifestyle choices.

And now it's time for your next task.

I would like you to match the pregnant mother's lifestyle choice to the possible long-term effect on her baby.

So here are some of those lifestyle choices.

Alcohol, smoking, drugs.

And here are the possible long-term effects for the baby: sudden infant death syndrome, SIDS, addiction, or FASD.

So pause here while you have a go at this task of matching the pregnant mother's lifestyle choice to the possible long-term effect on her baby.

I'll see you when you're finished.

It's good to be back with you.

So how did you get on with that task of matching the pregnant mother's lifestyle choice to the possible long-term effect on her baby?

Did you match them in this way?

Alcohol could lead to FASD, fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.

Smoking could lead to sudden infant death syndrome, SIDS.

Drugs could lead to a baby born with addiction.

Well done if you matched the lifestyle choices and the possible long-term effects in this way.

And now on to the next part of your task.

Aisha, Sam, and Andeep are designing a poster to educate pregnant women on healthy lifestyle choices.

They're deciding what features it must have.

Here's Aisha.

"I think it should have a picture to show the placenta.

" Andeep: "I think it should include information on which substances are harmful.

" And Sam: "I think it should include the effects of substances on the fetus.

" The pupils all have good ideas.

I'm sure you'll agree.

What I would like you to do is this, one, discuss which other features could be included on a poster.

And two, design a poster that educates pregnant women on healthy lifestyle choices.

So pause here while you consider again the ideas we've heard from Aisha, Andeep, and Sam about designing a poster to educate pregnant women on healthy lifestyle choices.

And do the following.

Discuss which other features could be included on the poster.

And then design your poster to educate pregnant women on healthy lifestyle choices.

Pause here while you have a go at this task.

I'll see you when you're finished.

It's good to be back with you.

So how did you get on with that task?

We know the pupils all had good ideas.

What about you?

What other features did you discuss could be helpful to include on the poster?

And how did you get on with designing your poster that educates pregnant women on healthy lifestyle choices?

Features you may have included: a diagram of the placenta, labeled to show how substances cross from the mother's blood to the fetus's blood.

Information on the short-term effects of smoking, alcohol, and drugs, i.

e.

miscarriage, premature birth, or low birth weight.

Information on the long-term effects.

For example, drug addiction, SIDS, sudden infant death syndrome, and FASD, fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.

Well done for having a go at this task.

Well done for having a discussion, coming up with your ideas and then including them on your poster.

In our lesson, "Healthy pregnancy," we've covered the following.

Some substances can pass through the placenta, including some drugs, alcohol, and chemicals in cigarette smoke, e.

g.

nicotine.

These are all forms of drug which have a greater effect on the fetus than the mother and are lifestyle choices.

The substances pass from the mother's blood to the fetus's in the same way as oxygen and nutrients, as the blood vessels are close to each other.

These substances can affect the growth of the fetus and lead to miscarriage, premature birth, and low birth weight in the short term.

In the long term, the consequences for the baby may be drug addiction, sudden infant death, or fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.

Well done, everyone, for joining in with this lesson.

It is quite a serious subject as the consequences of some of these lifestyle choices, for example, drugs, alcohol, and cigarette smoking are really rather serious for a fetus and indeed for a baby.

Thanks for giving your focus and consideration to this important topic.

It is good for us all to know what can support healthy pregnancy and what are some of the things to avoid as they're not such healthy lifestyle choices and would not support the health of a fetus or a baby.

It was good to teach you this lesson, and I hope you learned some new things and found this lesson interesting.

I'm looking forward to seeing you at another lesson soon.

Until then, stay curious.