A fetus will urinate amniotic fluid as well as swallow it.

They are also practicing breathing, so

they breathe in fluid too. A fetus should not have a bowel movement until after birth, but sometimes
they have them inside mom. This can get a little dangerous because it can be thick or thin or have
particles. We don't like for baby to get that stuff in their lungs, it can get them really sick if it stays in the
lungs after birth. As long as a baby can have a forceful cry at birth, thin meconium (that's what the 1st
poop is called) is okay. If the meconium is thick, the doctor will suction the baby really well hopefully
before it takes its first breath.
The placenta and umbilical cord are the sources of oxygen and nutrients and the means of waste
elimination through the mother's circulation system where it is then filtered by her organs. Humans and
pigs both use the umbilical cord for fetal elimination of nitrogenous wastes. Both send the waste back to
the mother through the umbilical cord and then the mother excretes the waste.

A fetus expels waste through the umbilical cord. The umbilical cord is attached to the
fetus at the belly button and is attached to the mother's placenta. The placenta works with both
mother and baby to provide blood, nutrients and oxygen to the fetus while in the womb. Once the
baby is born, the mother expels the placenta.

The umbilical cord is made of three blood vessels that attach the fetus to the mother. It
can grow to be around 23 inches long, which gives the baby plenty of room to move without
damaging the cord or placenta or having the cord tangle around the baby.

Function

The purpose of fetal digestive development is to take the digestive tract from its early stages,
wherein it is really nothing more than a group of identical cells, to a fully functional group of organs that
will be able to digest and absorb food once the baby is born. The digestive system develops continuously
throughout the neonatal period, resulting in a fully functional gut that is prepared to digest a baby’s first
food, which is milk, by birth.

Early Development

According to authors Sharon Mazel and Heidi Murkoff in their book, "What To Expect When
You’re Expecting," development of the digestive system begins as early as the fifth week of gestation, or
about two weeks after conception occurs. By the end of the ninth week of gestation, all digestive organs
are underway, though they’re far from mature.

Through the second and third trimesters of pregnancy, fetal digestive development continues.
Around the 20th week of gestation, explain Drs. Michael Roizen and Mehmet Oz in their book, "You:
Having a Baby," a fetus begins swallowing small amounts of amniotic fluid each day. This fluid passes
through the digestive tract in order to allow the tract to "practice" the movements it will depend upon
later.

Expert Insight
 While fetal digestive tracts gain function throughout pregnancy, at no time does digestion take
place "for real" in utero. All the nutritional needs of a fetus are fulfilled by its mother note Drs. Roizen
and Oz, who digests and absorbs the nutrients from food into her bloodstream. The nutrients are then
passed from the mother’s vessels into the baby’s, providing it with all it requires to fuel growth and
development. As such, even the fetus’s relatively mature digestive tract in late pregnancy doesn’t truly
begin to function until after birth.

Warning

The fact that a developing fetal digestive tract isn’t functional doesn’t mean it can’t fill up, notes
Dr. Miriam Stoppard in "Pregnancy, Conception and Birth." In fact, throughout a fetus’s time in the
womb, it takes in particles from the amniotic fluid, floating bits of material, and cells. These form a
sticky, dark material called meconium, which collects in the large intestine and is expelled shortly after
birth as the first bowel movement. In distressed births, meconium may be passed in utero. In such cases,
the baby is usually delivered as soon as possible, since meconium aspiration into

Development of a Fetus' Digestive System

The embryo's digestive system begins developing before many women even realize they are
pregnant, and goes through extreme changes throughout the entire pregnancy. A properly functioning
digestive system is essential for fetal nourishment and development, and helps to prepare for life as a
newborn.

The Digestive System

The digestive system is a group of organs that work together to break down food, in order for us to
absorb its nutrients. Some of the organs which make up the digestive system include the stomach, liver,
pancreas, intestines, gallbladder, colon, esophagus, rectum, anus and appendix. Beginning with chewing
and swallowing of food, the digestive system gradually breaks food down by pushing it through various
tubes and cavities, and ends by expelling waste and retaining nutrients.

The Embryonic Stage

The digestive system begins to develop even earlier than the fetal stage. In the fourth week of
embryonic development, the digestive system begins to develop with the formation of what is called the
"primitive gut," as discussed in "Primitive Gut Morphogenesis" on the Molson Medical Informatics
Project. The primitive gut is a primary factor in the formation of the mouth in the fetal stages of
development, and provides the first basic "stomach" of the embryo.

Second Trimester
 The fetal digestive system really kicks into gear around the third month of pregnancy. At this point,
the liver, intestines and stomach develop rapidly. The cells of the stomach, for instance, begin to release
fluids, and bile is developed by the liver for the first time, according to ChildDevelopmentInfo.com.

Later Pregnancy

By week 21 of pregnancy, the fetus already begins to take in small amounts of amniotic fluid, or the
fluid that surrounds him or her in the womb, according to "Baby's Growth and Development," on
Similac.com, and this activity increases in the third trimester. The amniotic fluid provides the fetus with
a very small amount of sugar, which is passed through the developing digestive system. This sugar
provides the newly developing digestive organs with a bit of practice. However, at this point in prenatal
development, the fetus is nourished primarily through the umbilical cord and placenta. The digestive
system only increases in activity from here. Towards the end of the third trimester, the digestive system
will begin to form the meconium, or fetal stool.