Immune function, structural development, spiritual wellbeing, relational health, confidence, and the capacity to respond to change and threat in a balanced way are all formed by what transpires in utero. Embryology bears this out. Of all the populations that will make the best use of this information, parents, I believe, are the most significant.

When we recognize the power and function of the precious formative primal period and educate broadly and appropriately about it, including educating youth who are the parents of the future, we will be making a decisive contribution to the continuity of civilization.

The personality of the unborn baby is present and engaged with its family from virtually the moment of conception, and some believe even before. The baby is not only interacting, he or she is a full time student, constantly learning and creating the blueprint for a lifetime of physical health, relationships and motivation. Honoring this can decisively shift disturbing trends in violence and disease.

COMMUNICATION IS THE ESSENCE OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIP

“Embryology is an ongoing process. It is a lifetime of communication through the body, through movement, and through partnership.” Stephanie Mines, Ph.D.

All relationships flourish with authentic and frequent communication. This is as true for prenates as it is for husband and wife, and for parents and children of all ages.

I am reminded of a story reported to me by a young friend who attended a conference where insights into prenatal health were discussed. He was inspired by what he heard. Soon after, he discovered that friends of his had been told that their baby was breach and that a caesarean was scheduled. This young man immediately went to their home, sat in front of the mother’s pregnant belly, and begged and pleaded with the baby to turn. He spoke with full commitment, faith and insistence. The baby turned and was delivered vaginally.

What does embryology say about the prenate’s ability to hear and respond to auditory communication?

Neonates as well as prenates, until relatively recently, were regarded as being deaf as well as mute. Beginning in 1977, however, research demonstrated that the fetus responds to sound from at least 12 weeks in utero and perhaps sooner. Certain sounds, like the mother’s heartbeat, elicit strong responses. The mother’s voice is decidedly heard, as well as the voices of others in the environment. This is supported by the discovery that neonates prefer the sound of their mother’s voice to other sounds.

Auditory sensory mechanisms begin developing during the fourth and fifth week in utero and continue to completion by about the 25th week. At the early stages, however, the baby can hear. A study involving invasive sound at less than 24 weeks of gestation revealed that after hearing a loud and shrill noise that evoked initial dramatic fetal movement, the fetus stopped responding completely. The overwhelming invasion resulted in fatigue and collapse. The fetus learned it was powerless to stop the invasion. The method of the study disturbs me but I hope we will learn from this and stop such painful experiments. However, we can take this knowledge and use it to protect our own prenates from auditory assault!

FETAL LEARNING

“The fetal environment is not one of sensory deprivation as was previously believed, but rather one of richness. There is little doubt that the fetus does learn whilst in the womb.” Dr. Frank Hepper

Visual information, like sound, is mediated by the mother’s body. Through her, the fetus watches events unfold, and has the ability to associate these events. In addition, the retention of prenatal learning (such as identification of the mother’s voice and the neonate’s ability to choose the mother’s voice from the voices of others), indicates that there is memory in utero. This memory influences later social interactions that rely on attunement to others. What the prenate learns promotes or discourages later bonding and attachment.

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