Fetal breathing
Carse E., Henderson-Smart D., Johnson P.
No subsequent event in the life of man is more dramatic or more essential to survival than the prompt initiation at birth of co-ordinated respiratory movements leading to adequate gas exchange. For many years interest was focused on this 'first breath', but it is now generally accepted that breathing movements normally occur in utero for a considerable period before birth. Although these movements contribute nothing towards gas exchange, they are important for normal pulmonary development and there is evidence that their presence is an indication of fetal well-being.