Download or read book Life Before Birth: the Challenges of Fetal Development (Second Edition) written by Peter W. Nathanielsz and published by . This book was released on 2021-04 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: We pass more biological milestones before birth than any other time in our lives. Peter W. Nathanielsz writes that how we develop in the womb is the most fascinating biological story, central to our life-time health. The first edition of Life Before Birth, published in twelve languages, was the first evidence-based book on the science of fetal development, easily accessible for the general reader. This unique book unlocks the awe-inspiring biology that unfolds as fetuses live and grow in one environment, the womb, while simultaneously preparing for independent life in a very different previously unexperienced world. The new edition shows how the placenta functions as a fetal lung, gut, kidney and multiple glands. Just as training prepares a track athlete, fetal preparations determine performance when the great event of birth occurs. The development of a unique fetal blood system that changes within minutes when the placenta is lost at birth is a truly dramatic story.