Do you ever wonder when your little one in the womb starts getting a grip on the world outside? Although it may seem like they’re floating peacefully away, growing little feet and fingers, eventually that embryo will start tapping into their surroundings. So what is happening inside the uterus during fetal life? Let's take a closer look.
The Beginning
At six weeks' gestation, nerve cells begin to form while transmitting impulses for muscle movements throughout the developing baby. This quick formation of neurocircuits happens at an exponential rate because these manipulations are necessary to form practically every part of their body. Believe it or not, this could quite possibly be considered as engrossing as Kim Kardashian posting another selfie!
As neurons [1] migrate in opposing directions with signals such as Netrin-1 traveling northward towards the head and Slit2 heading southward towards the tail.
The Second Trimester
Around 18 weeks, most fetuses can sense bright light being shone directly onto mom’s belly and react by turning to face it; however, only some respond by kicking or exhibiting other physical (perhaps even emotional) reactions.
In fact, research suggests that over half of responding babies turned toward audio originating from outside-the-womb speakers placed near Mom’s navel! Talk about discrimination based on auditory sensory input!
But sassy human beings aside, stimuli coming from within Mom begins to pique baby's interest around this time too – so if your pregnancy soundtrack includes any belligerent allusions such as “Whoop That Trick” maybe opt-out moving forward.
Taste Buds - Yum?
Babies are capable of tasting whatever foods & flavors you're eating through amniotic fluid production as soon as the second trimester thanks ’to quickly developed taste-adapted patterns.’ Rumor has it there is nothing these miniature human beings love more than seasonings like garlic, ginger or even prosciutto. Don't let the haters sway you with their ~complete and utter~ lack of evidence.
Talking games and music both should not be presented via earphones due to its direct insertion 3 into your auditory canal which could be detrimental if it ruptures extremely sensitive membrane that effectively sends vital sensations from hair cells in the cochlea directly to a nerve center located between your brainstem & cortex! After all, no one wants an embarrassingly expensive discussion about hearing loss at their OB-GYN appointments.
The Third Trimester
Once stepping into the final few weeks inside Mom's stomach, stimuli-gone-wild signals start raining down on baby big-time alongside sounds becoming increasingly louder despite being subdued by skin layers and fluid-filled sacs ^2. And at this stage - because trust us they lose all patience as soon as they need things such as food/water/attention - attention has firmly focused on kicking rather reminiscent of Victoria Beckham’s unforgettable attitude throughout Spice Girls concerts – who remembers?!
Finally ‼️ around 36-38 weeks gestation babies increase REM sleep periods which seem to constitute dreaming activity ????°❤️????Thereby suggesting laying groundwork for spatial memory development upon birth reaching full maturity but unfortunately nothing can really explain why penchant for unexpected outbursts of crying continues post-delivery besides outright emotional manipulation. And yes we are sticking with this story till someone comes up with something better when aiming for pity/recognition/food helplessly refusing to feel contented without said treatment.
Wrapping Up
In summation: science tells us that sensing is fine-tuned while occurring every step along developing journey ????????& tiny humans continue experiencing growth within amniotic “waters” remaining safe until delivery – suddenly entering world weird everyone out with how chill they really are after having toiled 9 months away within this topsy-turvy spot all their own ♀️????
So be mindful of wavelengths produced around babies, and keep those headphones at bay no matter how cute you think it may look I promise your baby won’t care. And remember chatty parents, don’t whisper too loudly around these Ultimate Ears – there’s a lot going on inside that belly that can affect growing brains ????and personality development later in life ????✍????.