Movement patterns in prenates are replicated in neonates, demonstrating the continuity of neural behavior. The human fetus sleeps, breathes moves, eliminates, and feels, sees, cries, initiates and responds. He or she is acutely sensitive, as a result of constantly expanding neurological capacities, to the surrounding environment and its vicissitudes.

The prenate communicates its experiences the only way it can: through motility. Eye movement, heart-rate, respiration, gestures, and elimination patterns speak volumes about the individual prenatal world. The patterns that these expressions make, when attended to, add texture to our understanding of the quality of prenatal life. They also give us our first insights into who the unique being is within its mother’s body.

Regularity of movement can be a sign of health whereas deceleration or lack of movement can signal distress or concern. Certain fetal movements may convey discomfort. By noticing movements or their absence, the family can come to know its new arrival and begin, well before birth, to integrate the baby into the family. Prenatal consciousness is neurologically organized to be present, alert and receptive. The unborn baby delights in recognition.

Whitney had an unforgettable experience of this when she became ill during her second trimester. A terrible virus hit Whitney’s family hard. They were housebound and unable to function. The baby’s movement was significantly reduced until Whitney came out of her fevered trance.

“I know you are concerned,” Whitney said, as she lay in bed. “You are so caring and we are so connected to you. I am sorry I was too weak to include you, but now I want to reassure you. We will all get better soon. Don’t fret. I’ve been worried myself and that’s why I forgot to talk to you.”

By the next day Whitney felt movement in her womb again. The comforting rhythmic presence of this life she had welcomed in reminded her of how much she had missed contact with the newest addition to her family. As she recovered, Whitney felt she now knew more about the baby she was carrying. This child was engaged with all of them. She talked to her family about her discoveries. They acknowledged the compassion of their new arrival who became still so as not to further burden them. They were truly a family of four now.

WHO IS THE BABY IN UTERO?

“The human embryo is a coherent whole, a unity of form, shape and function, interacting with its environment.” Jaap Van Der Wal, MD

The question of whom and what the baby in utero actually is and what he or she is capable of doing can best be answered by a respectful collaboration between scientists, parents and people who remember their own prenatal lives. Optimally, these three categories can be combined. Scientists, like me, who are passionate about the role and function of very early life in holistic healthcare, are building the case to demonstrate that prenatal life is, in fact, the basis of all health.

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