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Steps of the development
of our sensations
Fetal Memories… |
For a long time we have had a good scientific knowledge about the developing "new person" cuddling within the womb. At first we call it an embryo, then in the twelfth week of pregnancy we call it a fetus. This name sticks all up till the baby is born. Cutting the umbilical cord is the deciding moment, from there on the newborn is capable to live on its own.
The influence of the external world begins shaping the life in the womb right from the time of conception. The effects depend on the particular week of pregnancy. The development of the embryo and fetus is defined by the stages in development of the nervous system, or rather the time points of the emergence of the sense organs.
From the twelfth week you can see the stomach of the fetus filling with fluids. This is important primarily because it proves that the esophagus is traversable and it can swallow the amniotic fluid that gets in its mouth. Second, the sense of taste forms at that time. In weeks sixteen to eighteen most of the taste buds emerge, and by week twenty the sense of taste of the fetus is close to that of the newborn.
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The taste of the amniotic fluid is determinant for the baby. Due to the large amounts of glycogen in the fluid, the fetus can taste a bit of sweetness. Any strong spices or plant extracts (mustard, garlic, etc.) in the diet of the expectant mother can change this familiar flavor. Naturally digestion processes are also occurring, so under optimal conditions the kidneys are functioning as well, and so the fetus urinates into the amniotic fluid.
The next stage in the formation of the sense organs is the development of audition. In weeks eighteen to twenty the inner and outer ear forms, and by the twenty-second week of pregnancy the fetus identifies with the mother's heartbeat. Spectacular proof of this is that the newborn baby cries loudly until being placed on its mother's chest. To the effect of the familiar sounds of the mother's heartbeat the baby quiets down and is comforted. |
The next experiment is similarly suggestive:
A mother played a short bell melody each night for her fetus before she laid down to sleep. The unborn baby listened to it calmly and identified the melody with resting. After the baby was born, when it was laid down the melody was played and the automatic reaction of the baby was to calm down.
From the twenty-fourth week of pregnancy the fetus can hear the sounds of the outside world. Loud noise causes lively movements of the fetus. Studying the facial expression by ultrasound showed observable changes.
Mothers can experience their baby jump at the sound of the vacuum cleaner or blender being turned on or the door being shut. They can comfort their baby with pleasurable sounds like singing or playing classical music. Similarly determining are the noises of the external world, for example outside traffic, loud music, household appliances, and loud voices. A baby will no doubt become familiar with the mother's voice, but it will get to know the father also.
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Additionally important in the development of the nervous system is the sense of touch. Body movement begins as soon as week nine and by week ten the baby moves the extremities also. Mothers are not aware of this only through ultrasound until the eighteenth to twentieth weeks when they start to actually feel the movements of the fetus. The free movement of the fetus is assured in the space of the amniotic fluid. The wall of the uterus, placenta, and the umbilical cord stimulate the sense of touch as well as through discovery of their own body. Fetuses often suck on their fingers while in the womb, or even push their hands and legs against the wall of the uterus triggering a response from the mother.
The sense of light within the womb is interesting. Though the eyes of the fetus are closed usually and not much light can filter into the womb from the outside, bright light can in fact provoke the attention of the fetus. The light that gets into the womb has a reddish hue but it is mostly dark. This is the reason for the lights should be dim in the room where the baby is born.
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We can speak of the neuro-hormonal system's constant effect on the life of the fetus, which represents the communication between the fetus and mother. The most apparent form of this is the baby's time of birth. Of the many theories, according to the most widely accepted one is that particular hormone-like substances can cross the placenta into the circulation of the fetus. As the baby gets ready to be born, it alters the substances it receives, and that gets back into the mother's circulation. In the case that the mother is prepared for the acceptance of the baby a specific area in the central nervous system releases substances that induce contractions and the delivery of the baby.
The countless stimuli that reach the fetus in the womb are stored in a particular memory area. The existence of the stored information has been proven, but bringing up the memories from this area is still a central theme in psychiatric research; specifically, specialists in psychoanalysis are reporting more and more of the fascinating results of their investigations. |
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Dr. György Szőnyi
Society of Scientific Preventive Gynecology
www.sznptt.hu
Tel: 36 (30) 388-1863 |
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