The fetus does not need to breathe in the womb. The fetus is supplied with oxygen and nutrients from the mother’s blood through the placenta and does not need to pass through the lungs to breathe. The fetus lives in amniotic fluid and is unable to breathe because its airways and lungs are filled with amniotic fluid and are not dilated. It is only when the fetus expels the fluid from the lungs by squeezing through the birth canal, and the first loud cry after birth expands the lungs, that breathing begins on its own. If there is a lack of oxygen in the fetus during labor, it may stimulate the fetus to have respiratory movements. If there are such respiratory movements, it may be due to neonatal respiratory distress or even a lung infection caused by excessive inhalation of amniotic fluid in the neonate.