Friday, March 21, 2014

A View from the Womb


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.
Although our backgrounds may vary, there's one place all of us have lived; one location that is central to each of our existences. We've all inhabited that magical, muscular pouch, the womb.

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 week eleven, the sensory nerve endings are in place and by the fourteenth week, innervation is complete, meaning the wiring that enables the tot to experience and respond to its surroundings is up and running. By week sixteen, the fetus will usually begin to kick, which is known as "quickening." (Is it me, or is does that word conjure up a scary image of a demon fetus?)

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.
 It’s a shame we can’t remember the womb. What safer place could there be than tucked inside your mother, blissfully unaware of the harsh world that awaits your arrival; protected from the noise and stress of everyday life, all your needs met without having to lift a teeny, tiny finger.

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 Posts
A 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.