The maternal womb is an optimal, stimulating, interactive environment for human development. Activity never ceases and a fetus is never isolated. Touch, the first sense, is the cornerstone of human experience and communication, beginning in the womb (Montagu, 1978). 

Just before 8 weeks gestational age, the first sensitivity to touch manifests in a set of protective movements to avoid a mere hair stroke on the cheek. Skin sensitivity quickly extends to the genital area (10 weeks), palms (11 weeks), and soles (12 weeks). These areas of first sensitivity are the ones which will have the greatest number and variety of sensory receptors in adults. By 17 weeks, all parts of the abdomen and buttocks are sensitive. Skin is marvelously complex, containing a hundred varieties of cells which seem especially sensitive to heat, cold, pressure and pain. 

By 32 weeks, nearly every part of the body is sensitive to the same light stroke of a single hair. Your baby uses this newfound sense of touch to explore his/her environment in the womb by stroking his or her face, sucking on a thumb, touching the rest of his/her body, touching the uterine wall and the umbilical cord.

Another study, using 4-D scans, published in 2013 by Durham and Lancaster universities “found, for the first time, that a fetus was able to predict, rather than react to, his/her own hand movements towards his/her mouth as they entered the later stages of gestation compared to earlier in a pregnancy”. This showed that, in the womb, babies open their mouths before bringing their hands to their mouths. Touch, the strongest sense at birth, is a critical survival sense and is the main way in which infants learn about their environment and bond with other people. Most of what a newborn learns about the world is learned through touch—holding, caressing, dressing, diapering, cuddling, etc.

Humans have five basic senses: Sight, smell, taste, hearing and touch. You may be wondering just when, during your pregnancy, your tiny baby can start feeling, smelling, tasting, hearing and see. You will be surprised to know that it is a lot earlier than you think!

Week Wise Pregnancy and Fetus Development from Virtue Baby

Your Baby’s Senses – When do they develop?  Your baby’s senses begin to develop from the moment of conception with all the senses established by week 8 (gestational age) but maturing at varies rates. What this means is that although the senses begin to develop very early on, they only really start functioning properly later in your pregnancy.

• Sensitivity to Touch
• The Fetus In Motion
• Tasting and Smelling
• Listening and Hearing
• Development of Vision

Pain in pregnancy is the most common complaint caused due to misalignment and stiffness of your pelvic joints, generally they are self-limiting, settle and rest but if they are progressively increasing in intensity, coming at regular intends, it is a cause of concern and you need to come fora review.

Few tips for most common complaints:

• Be as active within your pain limits.
• Rest when you can
• Get help with household chores from your family
• Sit down to get dressed
• Identify and avoid activities that aggravate pain.

In our culture, the majority opinion is that parenthood starts after birth. Hence we tend to think that parenting can’t really begin until a baby is actually delivered to the parents. Considering all we know about the realities of life before birth we need to reset the clock on parenthood.

To a pioneering minority holding the idea of conscious conception, parenting has always been seen as a spiritual process in which they wanted to participate fully and consciously. It is important to appreciate that their own health, habits and environment will determine the quality of their conception and can spare their body from a lifetime of sickness and handicap.

Considering all we know today about the realities of life before birth, we must appropriately reset the clock on parenthood. The womb is no longer a dark, secret place. All the new facts of life plead for parental involvement, participation and cooperation in the powerful matrix of intimate interaction that take place in the womb.

Creating what pregnancy is about and pregnancy is parenting De facto.

1. Creating a physical body & brain
2. Creating emotional foundations for living
3. Establishing a rich connection with the prenatal child