• Question: How are babies born?

    Asked by baburf to Alberto, Chris, Emmanuel, Jennie, Michelle on 21 Jun 2013.
    • Photo: Jennie Douthwaite

      Jennie Douthwaite answered on 21 Jun 2013:

      We still don’t properly know the signal that causes babies to be born. We know more about what happens in other animals. In some animals it can be changes in the hormone progesterone which causes the cells inside the womb to respond, and tell the muscles to contract to push out the baby. But in people it is more complicated and uses several different hormones and factors. It is important to find out to stop babies being born too early as it’s more difficult for them to survive than if they are born at the right time.

    • Photo: Michelle Taylor

      Michelle Taylor answered on 21 Jun 2013:

      Babies that grow within their mother’s body are born by being squeezed out through the vagina – a tough business!

      Babies that grow within eggs have a special ‘egg tooth’ on their beaks to help them chip their way out of the hard shell. They may not even see their own parents.

      Babies that grow in a jelly egg, like tadpoles, eat their way out of their jelly eggs and use the rest of the jelly as their first meal – yum!

    • Photo: Emmanuel Amabebe

      Emmanuel Amabebe answered on 21 Jun 2013:

      After fertilization, the fetus(baby) is carried in the womb of the mother for about 38-40 weeks. During this period the baby grows in size and shape as well as an increase in the size of the womb to accomodate the growing baby. There are several hormones involved in this process. Close to delivery these hormones undergo some changes that causes contraction of the womb and dilation of the cervix i.e the passage connecting the womb to the vagina and the baby is ‘squeezed’ out through the vagina.If this process occurs before 37 weeks,it is called premature delivery.

    • Photo: Chris Whittle

      Chris Whittle answered on 23 Jun 2013:

      I guess the only thing I can add is that babies may be born in a number of ways depending on the nature of the birth. The babies head has to squeeze through a very small gap in the mother’s pelvis, which is why babies are born with softer heads (a bit like what your ears are made from) to help them to squeeze through. The woman’s pelvis will often have to move as well to allow the baby to pass through.

      Some babies need a bit of extra help and they may use some forceps which grab around the babies head to help to pull them out. However, some babies may experience some difficulties, or it may be dangerous for the baby to be born naturally, so they may be taken out by caesarian section. This is where the woman’s lower tummy is cut open and the baby is pulled out from here, along with the placenta. During the natural birth, the placenta comes out naturally after the baby has been born.

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