Life Before Birth – In the Womb

Before it takes its first breath, a human baby has been through an incredible transformation from a single cell to a complex, self-sustaining organism. Watch this amazing process in real time inside the womb.

Enter the wombs of three mammals -- elephant, dolphin and dog -- and trace their different paths from conception to birth. Discover evolutionary clues to the animals' ancestry by observing fetal development in utero.

In the Womb: Multiples utilizes groundbreaking technology to take viewers into the extraordinary world of twins, triplets and quadruplets as they develop in utero.

The latest installment of National Geographic's popular franchise In The Womb follows the embryonic and fetal journey of one of nature's most fascinating reproductive miracles - identical twins. Witness key moments from the spontaneous splitting of a single fertilized egg into identical twins to the major milestones of twin fetal development, ending with their dramatic births. Along the way, learn how skin color is formed; what happens when aberrations in early development occur, producing conjoined twins; and how twins with ambiguous genitalia (hermaphrodites) can develop. Meet a pair of identicals who were separated at birth and met for the first time four decades later. Then, see dramatic 4-D ultrasound images of twins interacting in the womb in real time. In The Womb opens he window to how identical twins are helping to answer fundamental questions about nurture versus nature. Dramatic 4-D images trace the embryonic and fetal journey of one of nature's most fascinating miracles.

Using state-of-the-art visual effects and real-time 4-D ultrasound imagery, we follow the fetal development of one wolf and three different dog breeds.

4-D ultrasound images show remarkable behavior of a lion embryo and a cat embryo running in place and stretching in the womb.

The latest installment of the critically acclaimed In the Womb series, which explores the extraordinary methods of reproduction and gestation of four different animals: sharks, emperor penguins, red kangaroos and parasitic wasps. Using real-time 4-D ultrasound images, specially created visual effects and fetal imaging techniques, the two-hour special follows unusual developmental challenges in utero.

In the Womb: Extreme Animals, which explores the extraordinary methods of reproduction and gestation of four different animals: fish, bird, mammal and insect, using real-time 4-D ultrasound images.

Every newborn baby is a miracle. But for some, the journey to birth is the most dangerous they'll ever endure. Follow four extraordinary pregnancies that faced seemingly insurmountable obstacles.