Do Babies Pee In The Womb?

Being pregnant is undoubtedly one of the marvels of life. It truly makes you appreciate the magnificence of our bodies and shapes your self-perception in a meaningful way. Yet, concurrently, going through a pregnancy can be quite an intimidating experience.

All of a sudden, you have another human growing inside you, and you never know exactly what they are getting up to.

In the movies, pregnancy is made out to be a really beautiful experience, and, of course, it is. But, at the same time, pregnancy can be pretty gross.

Your body is going through some massive changes, and this can lead to some pretty unpleasant side effects. That is without even thinking about what your baby gets up to while it is still in your womb.

While they are growing, babies receive all their nutrients through the placenta. But, once they receive the nutrients, the excess waste has to go somewhere. This has led a lot of people to wonder whether, or not, babies pee and poop in the womb. In this guide, we’ll be finding out, so keep on reading.

Do Babies Pee In The Womb?

Babies do pee in the womb. In fact, during the time between 13 and 16 weeks gestation, babies pee a lot. This is because their kidneys are developing during this period, so they produce more urine. They then remain active urinators in the womb until birth.

From conception, your baby will grow in your womb. During this time, your baby will develop from a small ball of cells into the baby that you give birth to.

In the early stages of your pregnancy, the baby goes through huge development as it transforms from a handful of cells into a baby with eyes, ears, fingers, and all the other body parts that human beings have. But, what a lot of people don’t realize is that it is the baby’s internal organs that develop first.

By the time that you are around 9 weeks pregnant, your baby will have developed a bladder, and this bladder will be able to store urine (although this usually doesn’t happen until further on in the pregnancy).

Some time between 13 and 16 weeks gestation, your baby will begin to empty its bladder of the urine that it has been storing, and this urine will have to go somewhere. As your baby exists solely in the womb, this is where the urine will go.

What Happens When Babies Pee In The Womb?

When you are pregnant, your baby grows inside your womb. But, not only is your baby within your womb, it is also within the amniotic sac. The amniotic sac is also home to the placenta, and it is filled with amniotic fluid that is generated by the fetus.

When your baby urinates in the womb, this urine is released into the amniotic fluid, and this amniotic fluid will remain around the baby until you give birth.

This can seem rather gross, but remember that pregnancy is completely natural. So, your baby will pee in the womb because it is supposed to do this. In fact, it is actually very important that your baby pees in the womb because fetal urine plays a crucial role in ensuring constant healthy levels of amniotic fluid.

It is critical that the amniotic fluid remains at healthy levels because this has an influence on the growth of your baby. Without urine being released into the amniotic fluid, your baby would likely experience issues with overall health, and the proper development of the lungs.

So, while it can seem a little disgusting, it is perfectly normal for babies to pee when they are in the womb. In fact this is something that has to happen.

Do Babies Drink Pee In The Womb?

During the 9 months that your baby is developing in your womb, they spend the entire time living in the amniotic fluid. So, as well as releasing urine into the amniotic fluid, you might be wondering if your baby also drinks this mixture of amniotic fluid and urine. Let’s take a look.

Yes, babies do drink pee in the womb. They do not literally drink the urine that comes out of them. But, they do drink the amniotic fluid, and as we already know, when the baby pees in the womb, the urine is mixed with the amniotic fluid.

In fact, babies actually begin to drink urine fairly early on in the pregnancy. Usually around the same time that they begin to produce and release urine into the amniotic sac.

At around 11 weeks gestation, the cell membrane that was covering your baby\’s mouth ruptures. This seems like a dramatic development, but again it is entirely natural, and this rupture allows your baby to swallow things.

As they exist solely within the amniotic fluid, it is natural for your baby to begin to swallow it. This amniotic fluid will then go through the baby’s system and be released as urine, ready to be swallowed again.

This happens constantly, and by 20 weeks it is thought that the majority of the amniotic fluid is actually made up of urine.

Do Babies Poop In The Womb?

After reading this, you are probably left with one question, and that is whether, or not, babies poop in the womb. Most of the time, babies will not poop in the womb, this is an action that does not occur until after birth.

However, it is possible for babies to poop in the womb, and if they do, this will release meconium into the amniotic fluid.

In turn, this meconium can be inhaled, and it can lead to a condition called meconium aspiration syndrome (MAS) which can cause damage to your baby’s lungs. But, like we have said, the majority of the time, babies will not poop until after they are born.

Summary

In short, yes, babies do pee in the womb. This can seem pretty gross, but urinating in the womb is actually essential for your baby’s development. It is natural for urine to be in the amniotic fluid. So, your baby only pees in the womb because it is supposed to.