The Amazing Process of Childbirth Worksheet

I. Translate these words into Spanish.

1. cervix

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2. womb

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3. thin (v)

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4. soften (v)

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5. dilate(v)

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6. pregnancy

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7. newborn

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8. childbirth

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II. Complete the text with the words or phrases from the table.
PLACENTA

NEWBORN

FETUS

BRAIN

CERVIX

LUNGS

AMNIOTIC

NINE-MONTH
PITUITARY

HORMONE
WOMB

PROGESTERONE

PREGNANT

OXYGEN

HEART
The Amazing Process of Childbirth

THE 1) ______________ wait is finally over, and the baby so longed for is about to be
born. The expectant mothers 2) _____________ has remained firmly shut, keeping the 3)
______________ safely in the 4) _______________. But now her cervix thins, softens, and
relaxes. The miracle of birth begins.
What is behind the marvelous process of childbirth? Of the several factors involved, two
are especially amazing. First, oxytocin, a 5) _______________ produced in the brain, is
released. Both men and women produce this substance, but a great quantity of it is released
in the 6) ________________ mother when labor begins, causing the cervix to dilate and the
uterus to contract.
Just how the 7) _______________ gland of the expectant mother knows when to begin
releasing this hormone is a mystery. The book Exploring the Human BodyIncredible
Voyage states: Somehow her 8) _______________ senses that gestation is complete and
that it is time for the powerful uterine muscles . . . to take on their brief but heroic job.

A second factor involved in this process is the role of the 9) ________________, which
stops producing 10) _________________. During pregnancy, progesterone has prevented
strong contractions. But now, without the restriction of progesterone, the uterus begins to
contract. Generally after between 8 and 13 hours of labor, the baby is pushed out through
the relaxed, dilated cervix. Afterward, the placenta is also expelled.
Now the 11) ________________ must quickly adapt to new conditions of life, very
different from those of its maternal environment. For example, while in the uterus, the 12)
________________ of the fetus were full of 13) ___________________ fluid, which was
squeezed out when the infant passed through the birth canal. Now the lungs must be filled
with air to initiate breathing, the onset of which is usually indicated by the first cry. Drastic
changes also occur in the 14) ___________________ and the rest of the circulatory system.
A hole connecting the two atria of the heart and a blood vessel bypassing the pulmonary
circulation close, in order to reroute the blood through the lungs, thus enabling the blood to
absorb 15) ___________________. It is astonishing that this adaptation to the outside
world happens so rapidly.
III. Translate two paragraphs from the text into Spanish.
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