Question

Discuss infant growth and development as it relates to respiratory tract function.

Answer 1

Development of respiratory system begins in fetus   and until birth , the mother provides all the oxygen to fetus and there lungs are filled with fluid . . The respiratory system allows to breathe oxygen and expel carbon dioxide..the primary organs of respiratory system are lungs, which carried out such exchange.

Infants lungs are ready to breathe as they soon as they are born . As the infants starts taking birth , the blood vessels around lungs gets wider and the baby's blood flow to the lungs to collect oxygen.

An important part of baby's lung development is the production of surfactant, which is a substance made by the cells in small airways . In around 35 weeks of pregnancy most babies have developed enough surfactant , but premature babies may not have enough surfactant.

At Birth a baby has 20-50 million sacs as compared to 300 million air sacs of adults , as they are not fully developed.

-The number of air sacs rises very sharply in lungs during first 6months.

- The volume increases a lot in the first 2 years of a child.By the time , a child is around 3 ,their lungs look like a mini   version of adults lungs the exact size and volume of lungs will vary from child to child.