Lately, I have been so curious about certain things and one of those things is how a baby feeds while in the womb, oh he or she isn't called a baby just yet, it is still a fetus. The reason behind my curiosity is that I have a pregnant woman close to me and the rate at which she eats is very alarming understandably, we know that she will eat very well at this point, but my thought lately has been, that the process with which the baby is feeding.
If she eats so much, it is believed the mother is eating for herself and her child, but what channel does the food pass through? That question has been bothering me lately, so let's get to it.
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Let's start with the placenta.
The placenta is an organ with a pancake shape that develops within the wall of the uterus, it is connected to the baby through the umbilical cord. At the end of pregnancy, the placenta grows to about 9 inches in diameter and an inch thicker at the center.
The placenta is responsible for carrying out the following functions;
The production of hormones that help the baby develop and grow.
The delivery of nutrients and oxygen from the body of the mother to that of the baby.
The processing of waste product from the baby.
It permits antibodies to pass from the baby into the bloodstream of the mother. These antibodies are responsible for protection against some form of bacterial infections and viral illnesses until the baby is born and old enough to get vaccinations.
The placenta begins to form as early as six days after fertilization, producing several hormones that will help with maintenance during pregnancy, a good example of such hormone is the human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG) whose function is to prevent the ovaries from releasing eggs, and it will also stimulate the ovaries to continuously produce estrogen and progesterone.
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Before the placenta is fully formed.
Before it gets to the point where the placenta is mature enough to fulfill all its designed functions, the growing baby already needs nutrients to survive. For that the happen, the nutrient is passed to the child through the lining of the uterus, known as endometrium. It is this same endometrium that will multiply fast enough to form the placenta.
In the early weeks of pregnancy, glycogen is the only source of nourishment available for the growing baby, it is the glands in the uterine lining that secrete glucose. When it gets to 8-12 weeks of pregnancy, the placenta will then take over its role as the source of nutrients for the baby.
So, this is basically what happens;
When food is consumed by a pregnant woman, the food travels to the stomach where it gets broken down and digested into glucose, vitamins, fats, minerals, and protein. These nutrients then get absorbed into the bloodstream and find their way into the placenta.
The blood vessels in the umbilical cord now pass the nutrients from the placenta to the vessels that flow from the umbilical cord to the baby. At the point when this happens, the baby begins to gain weight very fast. The umbilical cord is also responsible for returning waste products from the baby to the placenta and into the mother's circulation for elimination.
How fast food gets to the baby is dependent on how fast the food gets digested and enters into the bloodstream of the mother, remember that some food may take several hours while others will not take so long.
For expectant mothers who continue to take in harmful substances like alcohol, illegal drugs, and nicotine, they could also find their way through the placenta. Caution is also advised for over-the-counter medications as some of them are known to cause defects in the baby.
The placenta finishes its job a few minutes after your baby is born, it detaches from the wall of the uterus and gets delivered through the vagina or manual removal if there is a c-section. With natural birth, there will be a few contractions but it will only last for a few minutes with a feeling of menstrual cramps.
At month seven of pregnancy, the baby can now open and close his eyes with a sense of the presence of light, the soft hair that covers the fetus also begins to disappear, and it is at this point that the fetus kicks and stretches. The fets at this point can also make grasping motions and respond to sound.
In the eighth month, all major developments are finished, and the baby gains weight very quickly. The bones get hardened, but the skull still remains soft and flexible for delivery, this is when different regions of the brain begin to form. Taste buds develop and it is now time for the baby to taste the difference between sweet and sour, and then the baby can now hiccup.
At the ninth month, the baby can now turn into a head-down position in expectation for birth, with less wrinkled skin, his lungs are now more mature and ready to function on their own, sleeping patterns also develop as well as rapid weight gain, it is believed that the baby in this final month will gain about 1/2 pound every week.
Conclusion.
My curiosity has been satisfied to a great extent, now I understand better and I think you should too, if you had any questions before reading my post. Knowing fully well that a lot happens to a woman when she is pregnant, I wish every expectant mother safety in their delivery. Thank you for your time, I would love to learn about your opinion through the comment section.
For further studies.
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/22337-placenta
https://www.whattoexpect.com/pregnancy/fetal-development/fetal-digestive-system/
https://www.babycenter.com/pregnancy/your-baby/the-placenta-what-it-is-and-how-it-works_40005564
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