One doctor says the following about fetal development:
“By the eleventh week, the fetus develops sensitivity to touch on the hands, feet and genital areas…it may be more comfortable for us to attribute a vegetative state to the fetus in the first trimester, but in fact this is the most active period of our lives.”
Denis Cavanaugh, M.D., Testimony before Florida Legislature on Fetal Pain Bill, May 10, 1983
Here is some information on fetal brain development from Psychology Today:
The roots of human behavior, researchers now know, begin to develop early – just weeks after conception, in fact. Well before a woman typically knows she is pregnant, her embryo’s brain has already begun to bulge. By five weeks, the organ that looks like a lumpy inchworm has already embarked on the most spectacular feat of human development: the creation of the deeply creased and convoluted cerebral cortex, the part of the brain that will eventually allow the growing person to move, think, speak, plan, and create in a human way.
At nine weeks, the embryo’s ballooning brain allows it to bend its body, hiccup, and react to loud sounds. At week ten, it moves its arms, “breathes” amniotic fluid in and out, opens its jaw, and stretches. Before the first trimester is over, it yawns, sucks, and swallows, as well as feels and smells. By the end of the second trimester, it can hear; toward the end of pregnancy, it can see.
This is from a statement titled “The Unborn Person Is Also a Patient” presented by a group of more than 200 doctors, many of whom were members of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology. It was part of a Friend of the Court Brief filed before the United States Supreme Court:
3 months
“Every child shows a distinct individuality in his behavior by the end of the third month [in the womb]. This is because the actual structure of the muscles varies from baby to baby. The alignment of the muscles of the face, for example, following an inherited pattern.”
“Motion and Brief Amicus Curiae of Certain Physicians, Professionals and Fellows of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology in Support of Appellees”, submitted to the Supreme Court of the United States, October Term, 1971, no. 70 – 18, Roe vs. Wade, and no. 70 – 40, Doe vs. Bolton. Prepared by Dennis J Horan, at al
On 4/10/2016 a woman posted these pictures of her miscarried son, who she named Vincent Marie. Vincent was nine weeks gestation, or seven weeks from the time of conception. Vincent’s family hoped that showing these pictures would show others the humanity of unborn babies who are dying every day. 3,000 abortions happen in the US every single day, with most of them occurring at this stage or later.
A book on fetal development talks about how babies move in the womb
“Space permitting, fetuses might be rolling, back flipping, kicking, stretching, yawning, breathing, swallowing, somersaulting, turning their heads, flexing their feet, waving their arms, sucking their thumbs, holding their penises, rolling from side to side, hiccupping, jumping (startling) at loud noises from outside.
Only if they move a good deal will fetuses be doing enough muscle work for their joints, bones, and muscles to develop properly.… water, whether it is amniotic fluid surrounding a developing baby, or a pool in which children are free to fool around because of the freedom from gravity its buoyancy offers, is one of the best playgrounds ever created.”
Nikki Bradford The Miraculous World of Your Unborn Baby (London, UK: Salamander Books, 2004) 47
Pioneer in fetal development M. Liley talks about how the baby in the wombk can experience an uncomfortable or comfortable feeling.
“One of the most uncomfortable ledges that the unborn can encounter is his mother’s backbone. If he happens to be lying so that his own backbone is across hers [when the mother lies on her back], the unborn will wiggle around until he can get away from this highly disagreeable position.”
M. Liley & B. Day, Modern Motherhood (Random House, 1969) 42
Until healthy [unborn] babies were first observed by ultrasound in extensive studies in the 1980s while the mothers were resting quietly, it was not known that babies have such a diverse repertoire of movements at this early time, and perform these so smoothly and so frequently. It was a revelation that movements are polished almost from their first appearance and do not start in a clumsy and poorly coordinated way… The system is innately fine-tuned from the start and by exercise it is maintained in working order.
Geraldine Lux Flanagan, Beginning Life (New York: DK, 1996) 9.
Does a fetus see anything? It is known that the eye can sense light as early as the third month of pregnancy. Sometimes when an endoscope is inserted into the amniotic sac, a fetus tries to protect its eyes from the light on the instrument, either by turning away or by using its hands and fingers.
Lennart Nilsson and Lars Hamberger, A Child is Born, 4th edition. (New York: Bantum Dell, 2003) 141.
The fetus behaves in a much more complex way than previously imagined… During her odyssey in the womb she will smile, recognize her mother’s voice and maybe even dream.
The womb is not a quiet, isolated place; life within it offers abundant and varied experiences that prepare the baby for the world she will meet when she moves out. We are learning to recognize how sensitive, able and already experienced a newly born baby is. She arrives able to breathe and feed, and occasionally can complain loudly. She is also able, in quiet and subtle ways, to respond to people and is so endearing in her actions that she can elicit the loving care she needs. Her competence has developed gradually. New means of observation have made it possible to discover how responsive and active the baby already is in the months preceding birth. Certainly she does not simply lie there curled up in the legendary fetal position.
Geraldine Lux Flanagan Beginning Life. (New York: DK, 1996) 9.
