Why does blood flow to a fetus bypass its liver?

Blood from the placenta passes back to the fetus through the umbilical vein, which has an oxygen saturation of approximately 80% compared with the 98% saturation in the arterial circulation of the adult. read more

Because blood flow doesn’t bypass liver rather it is re-distributed in a peculiar fashion between right and left lobes of liver, which is an area of active research. read more

Blood flow in the unborn baby follows this pathway: Oxygen and nutrients from the mother's blood are transferred across the placenta to the fetus through the umbilical cord. This enriched blood flows through the umbilical vein toward the baby’s liver. There it moves through a shunt called the ductus venosus. read more

The red blood then returns to the fetus via the third vessel in the umbilical cord (umbilical vein). The red blood that enters the fetus passes through the fetal liver and enters the right side of the heart. The red blood goes through one of the two extra connections in the fetal heart that will close after the baby is born. read more