The Baby’s Development – Week 19

• The fetus begins secreting vernix, the waxy coating that protects the fetus’s skin from the amniotic fluid and cushions it against scratches from its own toes and fingers as it kicks and rolls. Newborns arrive coated in vernix, which is cleaned off immediately after delivery.
• The fetal circulatory system is fully functional, as the umbilical cord thickens to carry liters of blood and nourishment daily from the mother to the fetus.

Source: Valley Medical Center, Weekly Parenting Email