Stimulate your foetus - 3 (concl.)

Vision

At the time of birth, vision is focussed from 8 to 12 inches, the distance between a mother's face when feeding at the breast.

Testing eyesight within the womb is difficult. But premature babies at 31-32 weeks g.a possess visual focus and can usually do horizontal and vertical tracking.


By the end of 40 weeks g.a., babies develop proper eyesight with acuity and contrast sensitivity, refraction and accommodation, spacial vision, binocular function, distance and depth perception, color vision, and sensitivity to flicker and motion patterns.

In the uterus, the eyelid remains closed until about the 26th week. The fetus is sensitive to light, responding to light with heart rate accelerations to projections of light on the abdomen. This can even serve as a test of well-being before birth.

Isn't it interesting to know that at 20 weeks g.a., twins in uterus have no trouble locating each other and touching faces or holding hands!

In conclusion, providing a stimulating environment for your unborn baby is worthwhile for his development. However, it is important to note that since the fetus sleeps almost 22 hours a day, he/she would prefer a quiet environment rather than constant loud classical music or Shakesperean poetry.

Happy pregnancy!

Stimulate your foetus - 2

Tasting & Smelling
Taste structures deveop at 14 weeks g.a. Latest research has shown that they have a definite preference for a few tastes by the time they are born. At the fetus stage, swallowing increases with sweet tastes and decreases with sour or bitter tastes.
The nose develops between 11 and 15 weeks. Many chemical compounds cross the placenta to join the amniotic fluid so the fetus gets an exposure to different tastes and odors.
There is a relationship of postnatal behaviour with the associations built over the nine months within the womb.
Listening and Hearing
The human ear begins to function properly around the start of the third trimester of pregnancy. It is several weeks later, however, near the seventh month of pregnancy before the ear is mature enough to respond to sounds that are not very loud.
Inspite of the barriers created by the amniotic fluid, embryonic membranes, uterus, and the maternal abdomen, fetuses can hear maternal speech and remember something of what is heard after they are born.
Does't that make you feel good, suddenly? He/She is listening to all that you are trying to say and trying to recognize your voice.
Studies show that an infant is able to recognize the voice of his/her mother from the voice of other unknown people after birth.
Talk to your baby as much as you can. If possible address him/her by a name or nickname.
Sing songs or hum whenever you like. Listen to soothing music to soothe your baby too.
If you read a rhythmic story to your fetus in the last weeks of pregnancy, chances are your newborn will recognize the story even if someone else reads it.
A newborn can discriminate between spoken languages, for example French vs. English, as long as their native language is one of them.
Be aware of the fact that your baby would like you to stay away from excessive noisy or stressful environments. So, avoid shouting at each other; instead ask your hubby to tell your unborn baby all things he has planned for him/her once the baby grows up. :)

Stimulate your foetus - 1

Ever wondered about the mysterious world of the unborn? Creativity Begins Right in the Womb


The voyage into the womb has become possible with the advancement of embryology and fetal studies. What was unimaginable before is now not only being viewed and monitored through intrauterine photography, ultrasound imaging, the scanning electron microscope, and other new technologies but also being experimented with to see confirmed benefits in a newborn.


The human brain is a complex network of neurons. Neurologists believe that stimulating the brain will make the cells functional while they respond to the stimulus from outside. Else, they will just wither and die.


Hence stimulating the unborn and also the newborn can bring about a huge difference in the development of a child.

The Sense of Touch

Touch is the first sense through which communication and interaction of the fetus with the outside world begins. The skin is made of a complex network of cells, that are sensitive to heat, cold, pressure and pain.

So, here's my piece of advice: Touch the pregnant belly as often as possible showing how much you love your to-be-born baby. He sure will get the message.


The Fetus in Motion

The first sign of life is signified by the beating of the heartbeat three weeks after conception.
This rhythmic activity continues while all the parts keep developing.


Then the fetus bodies jump into action with stretching and rotational movements of the head, arms and legs. Hand to head, hand to face, hand to mouth movements, mouth opening, closing, and swallowing are all present at 10 weeks.


Breathing movements and jaw movements begin. Hands are busy interacting with other parts of the body and with the umbilical cord.

So, when the mother laughs or coughs, the fetus can be felt moving after a few seconds.