This is the most sensitive time for damage from drugs and poor nutrition. The fetus adds bulk in the last months. Good nutrition influences size, susceptability to disease, and intelligence of the baby. Antibodies can pass from mother to child via the placenta. These help to prevent infections for a few weeks after birth.
Antibodies also appear in mother's milk that protect the baby before it can protect itself.
This is a virus that is easily communicated to the mother and passes the placenta to disrupt development in the fetus, especially in the early weeks. Fetal alcohol syndrome is devastating, addictive drugs produce addictions in the fetus, and smoking reduces fetal weight and is a health risk . From Birth Onward Near the end of pregnancy, the hormone relaxin is produced by the ovary. It loosens the connective tissue around the cervix and erodes the cartilage between the two pubic bones. These allow more room for the baby to pass.