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Having a baby is one of the most anticipated events in the lives of most couples. Once the baby is born there is a lovely atmosphere which is created at home and there is a lot of excitement and fun with the baby being the center of attraction.
As babies develop in the uterus, they start to adopt some of the body functions which they do after birth, such as peeing. Most babies do not poop till they are born, but they definitely pee in the womb. Hence there is no need for you to worry about being exposed to the babies pee and poop till they are born.
This article will give you an answer to do babies pee in the womb, how do babies pee in the womb, and also other facts about babies when they are inside the womb.
Do Babies Pee In The Womb?
Babies start to pee inside the amniotic sac around week eight, though urine production picks up between weeks 13 and 16 when the kidney is developed. The fetus will start drinking this mix of pee and amniotic fluid around week 12 and by week 20, most of the amniotic fluid is baby pee.
There is no need for a pregnant woman to worry about this because the placenta will remove some of the waste naturally. Some pee will be remaining in the amniotic fluid, but it’s not considered dangerous for your baby like how meconium (the earliest stool of a mammalian infant) can be.
How Do Babies Pee In The Womb?
Urination is a natural process of the human body and the baby being able to urinate successfully is a good sign of its development. Babies are known for swallowing a lot of amniotic fluid in the mother’s womb through their development, and they urinate the amniotic fluid out. It is quite natural for the fetus to pee inside the womb and most fetuses are known to be swallowing the pee and amniotic fluid.
What Is Amniotic Fluid?
Amniotic fluid is the fluid that surrounds your baby while they grow inside your uterus. It consists of water from the mother’s body, but gradually, the larger proportion is made up of the baby’s urine. It also contains important nutrients, hormones, and antibodies and it helps protect the baby from bumps and injury.
Do Babies Poop In the Womb?
Not all babies poop in the womb and only a few fetuses poop in the womb. Their bowel movements are nearly absent, and the first poop that babies have is called meconium. The meconium that fetuses excrete after birth is green in color. In the womb, all the nutrition that the baby needs from food is provided directly through the umbilical cord. Hence, there is no chance the fetus will develop any waste material inside the womb.
What Happens If Baby Poops in the Womb?
If a baby poops in the womb, the meconium (the earliest stool of a mammalian infant) circulates in the amniotic sac and mixes up with the amniotic fluid. This is a cause for concern since the baby might inhale it and develop a condition called meconium aspiration syndrome.
This condition can lead to developmental disorders and limited breathing capacity after the baby is born. Doctors may have to intervene to drain the meconium out with the help of advanced medical procedures or provide supplemental oxygen support to keep the baby safe after birth.
Fun Facts About Babies When They Are In The Womb
1. Most Women Are Not Pregnant For 9 Months
A healthy pregnancy can vary as much as five weeks around a 40-week due date. In fact, only 4 percent of women deliver on their 40-week due date. A typical pregnancy which is measured from ovulation, and not from the last menstrual period lasts for about eight months and 24 days, not nine months.
2. Babies Open Their Eyes Inside The Womb And Can See Light From The Outside
Babies can see light starting around week 16, but their peepers aren’t fully formed until about week 20. Babies open their eyes first between weeks 26 and 28 and when they first open their eyes, their vision is blurred. When babies open their eyes they respond well to bright sources of light like the sunlight when pointed at a woman’s belly.
Going outside in the sun often might help to develop the health of the baby and reduce the risk of a few eye disorders.
3. Babies Can Taste And Smell The Food Which Mom Eats Inside The Womb
Taste from food that a mom eats passes from her blood, through the placenta, and into the baby’s amniotic fluid. The baby’s first taste bud starts to develop in week 11 and the baby will be able to taste and smell whatever food the mom eats.
4. Babies Cry In The Womb
Babies cry in the womb much before they are ready to be born. Research shows that babies cry in the womb to express their displeasure by crying silently early as in the 28th week of pregnancy. When loud noise was placed against the mother’s stomach, the fetuses showed typical crying behavior. Research also shows that most babies cry in the womb of mothers who smoke cigarettes and sniff cocaine before pregnancy and during pregnancy.
5. Babies Are 15 Days Younger Than The Date Of Pregnancy
Ovulation in the body happens about two weeks after a period, on average, and fertilization happens within 24 hours of that. This means if you’re eight weeks pregnant, your baby is about 15 days younger than that.
6. Loud Noise Can Damage The Hearing Of The Fetus
The noises to which a mom exposes herself to are what a baby is exposed to as well. A mom should avoid very loud noises exceeding 115 dBA which include chainsaws, gunfire, jet engines, and loud concerts. Consistent loud noises like heavy machinery can also damage a baby’s hearing in the womb.
7. Babies Are Known For Swallowing Their Pee
Babies start to pee in the amniotic sac and start swallowing the mix of amniotic fluids and pee when a layer of cells blocking their mouths called the buccopharyngeal membrane ruptures, allowing the baby to swallow their pee.
8. Most Babies Do Not Poop In The Womb
Only 13% of babies are known to poop in the womb and a vast majority of babies do not poop till birth and meconium in the amniotic fluid can block a baby’s airways before birth, leading to an oxygen-deprived state called fetal distress.
9. One Cell Layer Separates The Mom From The Baby
According to“Origins: How the Nine Months Before Birth Shape the Rest of Our Lives”, the layer between a baby’s placenta and the mom’s uterus wall is very thin which allows nutrients to easily pass from the mom’s blood into a baby’s blood without ever touching.
10. A Mom Can Become Allergic To Future Pregnancies
The future pregnancy risk has to do with blood, and it starts with a genetically inherited factor called Rhesus, or Rh factor. When this protein shows up on the surface of blood cells, that person is Rh-positive. Meanwhile, Rh-negative people don’t have it.
11. Traumatic Stress For Mom Can Affect The Developing Baby
Traumatic stress experienced by a pregnant mom can show effects on her baby. Babies born to parents with post-traumatic stress disorder are more likely to develop PTSD in their life despite not being exposed to more traumatic events than others.
12. If A Mom Has More Support, Her Baby Will Be Healthier
Moms with a reliable social support squad will be less stressed and more likely to sleep better, eat better, and make better pregnancy preferences which will lead to a healthier baby and also, improve the baby’s birth weight.
Final Conclusion
Babies pee in the womb and they are known for swallowing their urine. Most babies do not poop in the womb and they poop after birth. The poop of a newborn is known as meconium. However, some babies can poop in the womb itself, where they then inhale meconium mixed in with amniotic fluids. Meconium aspiration syndrome is a common and treatable health condition, but your doctor must attend to it as soon as possible to avoid any further complications.
