4-25-07 Baby's development

This week's update is from MSN.com.

"Your baby is still receiving oxygen through the placenta. But once birth occurs, his or her lungs will start taking in oxygen on their own. In preparation for that, your baby's lungs are developing the ability to produce surfactant. Surfactant is a substance that keeps the air sacs in our lungs from collapsing and sticking together when we exhale, allowing us to breathe properly.

Because the inner ear — which controls balance in the body — is now completely developed, your baby may be able to tell when he or she is upside down or right side up while floating and making movements in the amniotic fluid."