Close your eyes and imagine a list of all the places you've ever lived in your lifetime. Organize the list however you choose: states, countries, continents... Perhaps your list is very short, although it's a rare individual who is born and raised in one place these days. I grew up a military brat, moving about every two years. By the time I was a teen, I was acclimated to the life of a transient.
Known in technical circles as the
"uterus," this hollow, expandable sac resides just north of the
vagina and serves as the site of incubation for each and every one of us. The
inner lining (endometrium) is a thick layer of tissues that grows ever thicker
as it prepares for pregnancy; the optimum thickness of a healthy uterus is eight millimeters, in
case you were wondering. This blood-rich lining will nourish the fetus on its
path to personhood while providing a cozy-comfy abode in which to grow.
But what's it like in there? When
you spot a pregnant woman, ever wonder what life is like for the fetus? What
sounds and sensations assail them as they float within that somnolent sea of
amniotic fluid? Let's spend a few minutes inside their world.
As early as week seven, that little peanut
is moving around. The mouth and tongue are almost developed and although the
taste buds won't develop until week twenty, the fetus is sucking and swallowing
about a liter of amniotic fluid per day. This will prepare the little guy for
real-life feeding later on. A newborn as young as three days old can
differentiate between sweet, sour, and bitter tastes. It can also tell the
difference between breast milk and formula, and, I’m betting, would overwhelmingly choose breast over bottle.
By the twenty-fourth week, the ears are
developed and functioning. I wonder what the fetus can hear - I suppose the
muffled sounds of a subsurface world, like what a frog experiences as he
cruises the depths of his pond. I'm sure there's a constant soundscape of
bodily functions as the mother churns out the metabolic necessities for that
demanding little tenant and I bet by the ninth month, the fetus has become
immune to the ever-present rumbles of flatulence. Pregnancy is a gassy
business.
And speaking of gas… I wonder what a
womb smells like. The nasal structures are in place by week eight, although that
sense of smell will really kick in once the baby makes its debut. Smell is one
of the most developed senses in a newborn and it enables the little tyke to
recognize its mother and root out the nipple. Newborns can even
sniff out danger, although their defenses are limited to a grunt and a squirm.
The visual system is one of the
earliest to begin developing but takes the longest to complete. The eye begins
forming as early as the third week of pregnancy and the optic nerve by week eight. By the sixth month, the visual cortex is
innervated and by month seven, the little bugger is taking a look around. But the
eyes aren’t complete at the time of birth; vision will continue to improve,
even as the newborn reaches his fourth month. And if the baby is born early, its eyes may still be sealed, like a puppy's.I’ll never experience growing a live person. I decided long ago to forgo parenthood. But I've been on the receiving end of pregnancy. During my tenure as a medic, I had the good fortune of delivering five healthy babies, so, although I didn’t take part in their development, at least I ushered them safely forth.
And that’s about as close to
pregnancy as I care to come.
Related PostsA Mother's Touch
Breasts for Hire
Below the Equator
The beautiful images in this week's post are courtesy of the gifted photographer, Lennart Nilsson. Check out his amazing website.
