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23 years
When does the baby start breathing in the birthing process Is ther amniotic tissue in the babys deflated lungs? Do they start breathing as soon as theyre out?
Aug 13, 2014
2nd opinion

Dr. Rania Mousa General Medicine
Your unborn baby does not breath through his mouth and nose while he is in the womb.

Birth is the occasion when babies breath for the first time.
Until delivery your baby develops in an environment filled with amniotic fluid,unlike your lungs, which expand and contract during breathing, an unborn baby’s lungs are undeveloped,not inflated and filled with amniotic fluid. Instead, the developing fetus receives all of the benefits of breathing, including oxygen, with help from the mother.

Your baby’s circulatory system is still developing while he is in the womb, so the umbilical cord and placenta, which connects baby and mother, do the work normally performed by the lungs.

The unborn baby exchanges oxygen and carbon dioxide with the mother through the placenta and umbilical cord. The mother’s blood circulates through the placenta and also carries nutrients to the baby. The placenta is attached to the uterine wall and to the umbilical cord, which is attached to the baby. The mother, in effect, breathes for the baby. The mother inhales and breathes in oxygenated air, which passes through her circulatory system to the baby through the placenta and umbilical cord. Carbon dioxide returns from the baby through the umbilical cord and placenta to the mother, who exhales and removes the waste from her body.

Although your unborn baby does not breath air,he gets breathing practice while in the womb.
At about nine weeks into the pregnancy, the fetus begins to engage in movements that resemble breathing. The fetus gets more breathing practice when he occasionally inhales and exhales amniotic fluid near the end of the pregnancy. Breathing practice prepares the baby to breath quickly and effectively after birth. The mother’s body produces surfactant in the amniotic fluid in increasing amounts as the pregnancy continues. The unborn baby needs the surfactant coating on the inside of his lungs to keep the lung’s air sacs open and prevent collapse of the lungs.

Your baby takes his first breath when he cries for the first time after birth. Some babies cry on their own, while others need a little help from the doctor or nurses. The newborn baby gasps as he experiences the abrupt change in environment that follows birth. The umbilical cord is cut and the newborn begins to use his lungs,the baby starts is breathing on his own, inhaling and exhaling as his lungs inflate and the amniotic fluid drains away, more blood flows to his lungs and blood vessels as oxygen moves through the body and carbon dioxide is expelled.
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