When it comes to pregnancy and motherhood, there is no shortage of questions, advice and unusual information on the subject. The baby's development over the nine months is one of those complex subjects full of curiosities. Here, we will talk about a very interesting one, which many mothers and those interested in the subject must have already asked themselves: where do the baby's pee and poop go during pregnancy?

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What happens to baby pee and poop in the mother's belly?

According to Alexandre Pupo, gynecologist and obstetrician at the Sírio-Libanês and Albert Einstein hospitals, the baby's excretion mechanism changes according to the evolution of pregnancy.However, the fetus does not poop, because the tone of the sphincter (muscles that control the exit of urine or feces) of the anus is very strong, and there is still no swallowing of solid food," explains Pupo.

In other words, without the food we know, the material that accumulates in the baby's intestine is formed by residues from metabolism and from the intestine itself, which results in meconium: "This meconium remains trapped in the fetus' intestine until the end of gestation. However, the baby's sphincter can relax before birth and release the contents, which are greenish and pasty in color", she continues.

But, what about the peeing? Pupo explains that from the formation of the urinary tract, usually after the 13th week, the blood filtering system by the kidneys begins. "Basically all the baby's nourishment takes place through the transportation of nutrients from the mother through the placenta. Thus, the production of urine is still small, but it is released into the amniotic fluid and the baby reabsorbs it through the skin andingestion," he explains.

Is ingesting the waste dangerous after all?

After reading how the baby's excretion process works, this concern may have arisen. However, there are no risks to the health of the fetus: "Urine is basically composed of water, sometimes it contains a little ammonia. It is even beneficial for the baby, because it participates in the hydration of the skin, which does not yet have keratin, which increases the loss of fluid from the fetus," she explains. With feces,same situation: the composition of the meconium is harmless.

However, Pupo warns about a specific condition, which can happen during pregnancy: "Starting in the thirtieth week, the baby starts to simulate breathing movements. Then, if there is meconium excretion, the fetus can aspirate the content and hinder oxygenation, which we call mechonic syndrome. Therefore, it requires medical evaluation to observe if there is any kind of risk", he points out.