Happy Labor (+delivery) Day!

1. The baby starts labor 👶 (not castor oil or sex, sry. But don’t let us stop you -do u babe)

Recent research states that there are two proteins in the fetus' lungs that are produced when the lungs are matured. These proteins cause an inflammatory response in the uterus that seems to begin the labor process. 🤯

TLDR; When a baby is ready for life on the outside, their lil body will release a tiny amount of proteins that signals mama’s hormones to get their sh*t together and start that laborin’.

2. The full term pregnant uterus is the strongest muscle in the human body 💪

It takes WERK dilating the cervix and then navigating that full-size babe out through the pelvis, so this makes sense, rly. During the v fun pushing stage, the uterus does about 80% of the work, while the human on the table adds basically whatever strength they have left at that point. (which, when that time came for me, was not much tbh).

Fun fact: If a person was unconscious during labor,, their uterus would STILL BE ABLE TO PUSH THAT BABE OUT all on its own. (Asking/begging to be knocked out next time)

3. Babies pee in the womb. And then they drink it. 🍻

UP TO A LITER PER DAY. (disgusting even before the toddler stage…who knew.)

Starting at around 12 weeks, your precious little bb starts drinking a cocktail of pee and amniotic fluid. By week 20… most of that amniotic fluid is just… pee. (Stay hydrated, friend. If you aren’t, that kid is sippin straight-up concentrated pee pee.) Cheers, babes.

4. The placenta is the body's only disposable organ 🗑

The placenta is made from the same cells that make the baby (sperm + egg, in case you missed that class). Some cells go to the babe, and others go on to form that disgusting blob known as  the placenta. After the blob does its job of keeping that kid alive on the inside, your body tells it that it’s fired, and time to gtfo. AKA, after you pop that babe out, prepare yourself for round 2 - poppin’ dat placenta out. Yeah, you get to give birth TWICE. (It’s also edible, but after you see it just laying there next to you on the table…idk about you, but it was a no from me, dawg.)

5.  Some babies are born covered with hair 🧔

This hair is called Lanugo, which sometimes covers the entire baby at birth! (Ears, shoulders, chin, the whole 9.)  Usually this hair falls off before birth, but sometimes… it doesn’t. Don’t worry if your sweet lil angel pops out resembling more bigfoot rather than yourself or your partner, it falls off in a few days. (TOPS  a few weeks). Bright side, you’ve got blackmail on that kid ALREADY! Lucky duck.