Life Before Birth: The Challenges of Fetal Development

This work examines the stages and mechanisms of normal development during the last three months of pregnancy. Topics covered include: how the placenta functions as a lung, gut and kidney for the uterus; how the foetal brain is dependent on continuous activity to develop normally; maternal lifestyle and its impact on foetal development; cell instructions to each other in order that they end up in the right place in the baby`s body; how the foetus gives the signal to start the birth process; and how the new-born baby adapts to the world outside the uterus.