07/05/2025
🧠Did you know?
Babies practice breath in the womb. As we can see in these ultrasound videos, the baby’s chest gently rises and falls — this is called fetal breathing.
Fetal breathing refers to the practice movements a fetus makes using its diaphragm and chest muscles. Although the fetus is not breathing air, these movements mimic real breathing. Instead of getting oxygen through the lungs, the fetus receives all of its oxygen from the placenta through the umbilical cord.
These breathing-like movements help the lungs grow and develop properly by moving amniotic fluid in and out of the lungs. This fluid movement is important for preparing the lungs to function after birth, when the baby will take its first breath of air.
