It flows down into the right ventricle, where it normally would be sent to the lungs to be oxygenated. It's then pumped into the first part of the large artery coming from the heart (the ascending aorta).įrom the aorta, the oxygen-rich blood is sent to the brain and to the heart muscle itself. Blood is also sent to the lower body.īlood returning to the heart from the fetal body contains carbon dioxide and waste products as it enters the right atrium. Most of the blood flows across to the left atrium through a shunt called the foramen ovale.įrom the left atrium, blood moves down into the lower chamber of the heart (the left ventricle). When oxygenated blood from the mother enters the right side of the heart it flows into the upper chamber (the right atrium). Here is what happens inside the fetal heart: But most of this highly oxygenated blood flows to a large vessel called the inferior vena cava and then into the right atrium of the heart. This allows some of the blood to go to the liver. There it moves through a shunt called the ductus venosus. This enriched blood flows through the umbilical vein toward the baby’s liver. Oxygen and nutrients from the mother's blood are transferred across the placenta to the fetus through the umbilical cord. Circulating blood bypasses the lungs and liver by flowing in different pathways and through special openings called shunts.īlood flow in the unborn baby follows this pathway: While the baby is still in the uterus, his or her lungs are not being used.
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