How exactly does a fetus breathe in the womb? Do they breathe in fluid?

Question

This question is for extra credit in my college class.

Answer 1

best way I would be able to say it is the fetus makes breathing like motions... but is only exercising muscles not yet needed.... oxygen is carried from mom breathing it in... thru her lungs and into blood stream then is carried to baby via the placenta into umbilical cord and delivered into baby's blood stream/body/belly...until birth, lungs are collasped, or filled with fluid...wait..... not sure how good I am at remembering......

this info below is what I found on wikipedia.com
hope what I remember or what I found for info is of assistance....


The circulatory system of a human fetus works differently from that of born humans, mainly because the lungs are not in use: the fetus obtains oxygen and nutrients from the woman through the placenta and the umbilical cord.

Blood from the placenta is carried by the umbilical vein. About half of this enters the ductus venosus and is carried to the inferior vena cava, while the other half enters the liver proper from the inferior border of the liver. The branch of the umbilical vein that supplies the right lobe of the liver first joins with the portal vein. The blood then moves to the right atrium of the heart. In the fetus, there is an opening between the right and left atrium (the foramen ovale), and most of the blood flows from the right into the left atrium, thus bypassing pulmonary circulation. The majority of blood flow is into the left ventricle from where it is pumped through the aorta into the body. Some of the blood moves from the aorta through the internal iliac arteries to the umbilical arteries, and re-enters the placenta, where carbon dioxide and other waste products from the fetus are taken up and enter the woman's circulation.

Some of the blood from the right atrium does not enter the left atrium, but enters the right ventricle and is pumped into the pulmonary artery. In the fetus, there is a special connection between the pulmonary artery and the aorta, called the ductus arteriosus, which directs most of this blood away from the lungs (which aren't being used for respiration at this point as the fetus is suspended in amniotic fluid).


When the fetal stage starts, a human fetus is typically about 30 mm (1.2 inches) in length, and the heart is contracting rhythmically.
At the beginning of the fetal stage, the fetus begins to move in distinct motor patterns: bending of the head, general movement and startles, localized movement of the arms and legs, episodes of hiccups, breathing-like movement, and stretches and yawns.
Additionally, at this point in pregnancy, the fetus is able to bend fingers around an object; in response to a touch on the foot, the fetus will bend the legs or curl the toes to move away from the object.
Brain stem activity has been detected as early as the 10th week (i.e. 54 days after conception), the first EEG measurements in the 14th week, and continuous EEG readings by the 32nd week

Answer 2

Dr. Sears answers this exact question:

"Many people ponder this, as I get this question from time to time. The answer is: he/she doesn’t. A baby’s first breath usually happens at birth when he begins to cry. While in the womb, his lungs are filled with fluid and are not involved in supplying oxygen to his body. Baby gets his oxygen from the mother, via the umbilical cord. He also gets his nutrients from mother the same way. This is why it is important that a pregnant mother eats healthy food, and breathes healthy air (i.e. don’t smoke)."

Answer 3

They get everything from the umbilical cord, but they practice breathing by breathing the fluids in the womb.

Answer 4

A baby’s first breath usually happens at birth when he begins to cry. While in the womb, his lungs are filled with fluid and are not involved in supplying oxygen to his body. Baby gets his oxygen from the mother, via the umbilical cord. He also gets his nutrients from mother the same way. This is why it is important that a pregnant mother eats healthy food, and breathes healthy air (i.e. don’t smoke).

Answer 5

They don't breath in air. They get their oxygen through the mothers blood.

- mom breaths it in
- oxygen goes through mothers blood
- oxygen travels through the umbilical cord
- and into babys blood stream

This is why they tell women not to smoke during pregnancy. It limits the amount of oxygen the baby gets.

Hope this helped.

Answer 6

yes..but they breathe the oxygen through the umbilical cord and they do swallow the water and when they urinate they just put it back out..

Answer 7

They don't breathe. They get their O2 thru mom's blood.

Answer 8

ambilical chord!