How and what does a baby eat in the womb?

As soon as the egg cell meets the sperm cell, an intensive process of its modification begins. First a zygote is formed, then a blastocyst, at the end of the embryonic stage, fetal (fetal) period begins. The baby is changing every day, and these metamorphoses require huge amounts of energy and nutrients. How and what the baby in the mother's womb eats at different stages of its development, we will tell in this material.

Meals depend on the stage of development of the baby. At any stage, the child needs oxygen, basic minerals, vitamins, glucose, hormones. These substances provide metabolic processes, growth and division of cells in tissues and organs, growth of bone and muscle tissue. That's just getting the baby these substances at different stages of pregnancy in different ways.

7-10 days after fertilization, the blastocyst, into which the egg cell has grown, reaches the uterus and is “embedded” in the functional layer of the endometrium. At this stage, the embryo has a fairly small number of calories, which are contained in the cytoplasmic fluid of the male and female germ cells. After implantation, the chorionic villi gradually begin to intertwine with the blood vessels of the endometrium of the uterus. So begins the birth of an important organ - the placenta.

But while there is no “childish place”, his duties are performed by the chorion. The embryo has a separate “food store” - the yolk sac, which is formed from the endoblastic vesicle approximately two weeks after conception. Up to 6 weeks of gestation, this “storage” of nutrients is larger in size than the embryo and all other embryonic structures. By the end of the first trimester in the yolk sac is not necessary, since the role of the breadwinner takes the placenta.

The yolk sac produces important proteins for the growth and development of the baby. If the size of the bag is insufficient or it stops functioning before the placenta enters, the fetus may die. The baby at this stage of development receives the oxygen, necessary vitamins and microelements from the maternal blood through the chorionic villi.

At 12-14 weeks of pregnancy, the young placenta begins to function instead of the chorion. It provides the baby with nutrition, protects it, produces a number of hormones that are important for the continuation of pregnancy, and also acts as a “nightman”, bringing the baby’s waste products back to the mother’s body.

This process is quite complicated. For admission to the baby maternal blood, saturated with oxygen, vitamins and minerals, meets the vein. Urea, carbon dioxide, creatine and creatinine are eliminated through the placenta through the two arteries from the baby. Metabolism products are utilized by the maternal kidneys and liver.

In our usual understanding, the child does not eat at this time, he gets everything he needs immediately in the blood. But the fetus perfectly "trains" the digestive system - swallows the amniotic fluid together with the nutrients contained in it, as well as peeled epithelium cells, lanugo hairs.These "impurities" are not digested and are deposited in the intestines of the fetus in the form of a dark green feces, which is called "meconium".

Since the formation of the swallowing reflex, the baby begins to write, its urine flows back into the amniotic waters and participates in the process of their renewal. The composition of water is cleaned every 3.5 hours.

The embryo in early pregnancy does not distinguish between tastes and has no gastronomic preferences. However, from the second trimester, the baby begins to “understand” what his mother eats. "Echoes" of tastes are present in the amniotic fluid, which the baby so swallows diligently. As the taste buds develop, the baby begins to distinguish between sweet and bitter, sour from salty. Naturally, even at this age, children prefer sweets. That is why after stirring a piece of chocolate eaten by mom, the fetus becomes more active.

The placenta, which is a reliable barrier, absorbs salts as much as possible, part of toxic substances, without passing them to the baby. But its possibilities are not limitless, “a child’s place” with a woman’s unhealthy diet and excessive use of drugs, alcohol will quickly grow old and lose some of the functions, which can lead to the fact that the child receives from the maternal organism not the most useful substances for him.

A woman's diet should be balanced, rich in vitamins, "slow carbohydrates", proteins, fats and fructose. Must be present potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron. If something in the woman’s diet is missed, it will affect the child, but not immediately. Nature has arranged so that the baby for quite a long time can “compensate” for the missing substances by taking them from the mother's body.

So, with an insufficient amount of calcium consumed by the mother with food, the child will “take away” this substance from the parent., as a result, her teeth, hair, nails will become brittle, brittle, and her legs at night will cramp, caused by a violation of phosphorus and calcium metabolism.

The statement that a pregnant woman should eat for two, erroneously, from the point of view of medicine, it is even dangerous. The child receives from the maternal blood as much as he needs, a larger amount of the same vitamin C or vitamin E he is simply unable to absorb. But large amounts of food contribute to pathological weight gain in a pregnant woman, a baby, which is fraught with problems in childbirth, late toxicosis (gestosis), with all the ensuing consequences.

What happens to the baby, if the mother has toxemia, and she can not eat at all, worries every pregnant woman who is in such an unpleasant situation. Toxicosis with eating disorders usually occurs in early pregnancy. At this time, the baby is “fed” by the yolk sac, and the absence of normal and wholesome nutrition on the part of the parent can do little harm to the child. A little later, the baby, as in the case of a deficiency of certain substances, will get what he needs from the mother's body.

Toxicosis is moderate, in which vomiting does not occur every hour, is not particularly dangerous for the mother and fetus. But severe, frequent vomiting, the inability to eat and drink, the occurrence of puffiness or very rapid weight loss are alarming symptoms in which hospitalization is often indicated to a woman.In the hospital, she will be given the necessary vitamins and minerals intravenously or drip, so that the baby does not need them.

As far as possible, a woman should strive to eat even with toxicosis - small portions, healthy and vitamin-rich foods. Toxicosis is the same case in which quality is better than quantity.

About nutrition during pregnancy, as well as what determines the health of the unborn child, see the following video.