Final answer:
A neonate will have mature lungs and be able to breathe without assistance if born after about 28 weeks gestation when sufficient surfactant is produced. However, lung maturity varies, and some infants may require medical support to breathe. Labor may be induced or augmented with pitocin if contractions are insufficient and cervical dilation minimal.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question of whether a neonate will be delivered with mature lungs depends on the gestational age at which the baby is born. The lungs are considered mature and capable of supporting unassisted breathing after about 28 weeks of gestation when sufficient quantities of pulmonary surfactant are produced by type II pneumocytes. Surfactant reduces the surface tension in the alveoli, which is critical for preventing collapse of the lung alveoli and for breathing post-delivery. Before this time, while the structural development of the lungs may be advanced, the production of surfactant may not be adequate, and a neonate born prematurely may require medical assistance such as ventilator support or exogenous surfactant administration to breathe adequately.
In the clinical case of Janine, who is 41 weeks pregnant, pitocin is used to induce or augment labor because her contractions are mild and infrequent, with minimal cervical dilation, indicating that labor is not progressing normally. For newborns, the circulation pattern changes with the first breath as the pulmonary vessels expand to accommodate a rush of blood, and the closure of fetal circulatory shunts directs blood flow through the lungs for gas exchange.