I read this info tonight in one of my pregnancy books. It made me feel more patient about having the baby, so I though I would share it:
" Fetal development late in pregnancy not only sets in motion some of the mechanisms that initiate labor, it also prepares the baby for life outside the uterus. He stores iron at a rapid rate in the late weeks of pregnancy, taking in enough to supplement the small amounts in breast milk and to meet his need for the next four to six months.
"The baby adds fat and develops the mechanism to maintain his own body temperature. He gains weight and strength. His fetal lungs mature, ensuring that he will be able to breath without difficulty.
"As the placenta ages, the membrane that separates the fetal blood from the maternal blood becomes more permeable to large molecules. This permits antibodies and immunoglobins to cross from your bloodstream to your baby's, providing months of protection for the baby against diseases to which you are immune. If you breastfeed, you will continue to provide such protection for as long as you nurse."
I thought he was just hanging out getting bigger--so this was interesting me--hopefully to you too!!
Adrienne
" Fetal development late in pregnancy not only sets in motion some of the mechanisms that initiate labor, it also prepares the baby for life outside the uterus. He stores iron at a rapid rate in the late weeks of pregnancy, taking in enough to supplement the small amounts in breast milk and to meet his need for the next four to six months.
"The baby adds fat and develops the mechanism to maintain his own body temperature. He gains weight and strength. His fetal lungs mature, ensuring that he will be able to breath without difficulty.
"As the placenta ages, the membrane that separates the fetal blood from the maternal blood becomes more permeable to large molecules. This permits antibodies and immunoglobins to cross from your bloodstream to your baby's, providing months of protection for the baby against diseases to which you are immune. If you breastfeed, you will continue to provide such protection for as long as you nurse."
I thought he was just hanging out getting bigger--so this was interesting me--hopefully to you too!!
Adrienne
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