The development of the 5 senses in the belly: what does your baby hear and see?

It is with these senses (touch, hearing, sight, smell and taste) that the baby in the belly is in contact with the mother and the world around him for 9 very long months.

Go out onto the terrace, into the garden… or stand at the window: close your eyes and smell, listen, touch. You will thus come into contact with your senses. Five tools that can communicate billions of information to us and that we often underestimate.

It is with these senses (touch, hearing, sight, smell and taste) that the baby in the belly is in contact with the mother and the world around him for 9 very long months.

It might seem like an eternity to us but in all this time the child, in addition to growing, is preparing for that impact with the outside world which might seem traumatic but which, thanks to the information received during pregnancy, he will be able to face with more confidence the new life. Smell, listen and cuddle his mother who he recognizes from the first moment.

I imagine that all of you mothers and mothers-to-be have wondered what your baby is able to hear, see and feel in the belly : if he hears your voice, the music you listen to, if he enjoys being tickled and if he hears flavors of what you eat, or your mood, when you get angry or happy.

A field to be discovered where it would be nice for each of us to bring their own experiences, perceptions and sensations. There would be so many things to explore on the subject. In fact, we and our children are the protagonists of this journey, those who experience the journey of pregnancy and motherhood firsthand. And we have many topics to tell and discover! .

Today we talk about pregnancy and in particular about the development of the 5 senses in the baby during the 40 weeks of pregnancy.

Hearing development in the fetus

Obviously the amniotic fluid creates a muffled environment that filters sounds but already at only 8 weeks of life the perceptive mechanism of the ear is developed and becomes complete at about 24 weeks. Already at 18 weeks, however, the baby begins to hear the first sounds represented by the mother’s heartbeat (the one he loves to hear once he is born leaning against our chest), the blood flowing in the umbilical cord, the gurgling of the mother’s intestine and certainly yes, even the very loud sounds that come from outside and that could scare him.

I’ve always wondered when my kids started recognizing my voice. It seems that they feel it from the 25th week and are able to recognize it from the 27th. Thus the voices of his mother and father reach him even if in a very attenuated way. To make us understand that this is the case are the measurements of the fetal heart rate. For example, when mom talks, her heartbeat slows down because her voice soothes him. Accelerations and slowdowns of the beat and fetal movements are parameters that are used to understand whether or not the child likes the sounds that come from the outside.

Development of touch in the fetus

Before 8 weeks, a very important sense, touch, begins to develop. The first parts of the fetal body to experience sensitivity are those that remain most sensitive as adults: the cheeks, the genital area (10 weeks), the palms of the hands (11 weeks), the soles of the feet (12 weeks)… and so on, until at 32 weeks, almost every part of the body is sensitive to heat, cold, pressure and pain. In short, the child soon begins to experiment and get to know himself . Have you ever had the sensation placing your hand on your belly that he felt you were touching him, especially when the foot pressed against the wall of the uterus? An experience that has remained imprinted in my heart and that still moves me!

By staying in a dark environment and being fed through the cord, we are led to think that hearing and touch of the fetus are the only senses active before birth. But no.

Development of smell in the fetus

Here we enter a field that has yet to be fully explored. But if I have to be honest, I prefer a little mystery to remain in this wonderful journey that is fetal development. The nose forms between 11 and 15 weeks and it seems that the olfactory receptors are activated by the amniotic fluid. The baby is born already recognizing the smell of the mother’s milk (thanks to the glands surrounding the nipple) and it is thought that this experience can be “learned” in some way during fetal life. Fantastic right?

Development of taste in the fetus

We know more about taste than smell. The taste buds found on the tongue are formed between 13 and 15 weeks of gestation and are as functional as ours. Thus it seems that the fetus in the belly can taste, through the amniotic fluid, strong flavors such as garlic, onion or sprouts eaten by the mother. From monitoring, the researchers recorded an increase in swallowing when the child is surrounded by sweet flavors and a decrease when the flavors are sour or bitter.

I guess that’s why they tell us you can eat anything while breastfeeding if you did it while pregnant!

Vision development in the fetus

The last sense to develop is sight. The eyelids remain closed for up to 26 weeks to allow for full development of the retina.

The uterus is not completely dark as we might think. Even when the eyelids are still closed, at 18 weeks, they can still feel the light filtering through the bump, especially if the mother is out in the sun or exposed to bright lights.

At about 33 weeks, the pupils compress or dilate depending on the intensity of the light they perceive.

It would be nice to understand how the twins see themselves inside the belly even if I think touch has an even more important function in their case.

Surely, for the child, the senses play a very important role in the perception of himself and of what surrounds him or what he will encounter once he is born. It is an extremely fascinating topic to share with dads too because thanks to these communication channels, the 5 senses can make themselves known to their child, interact with him and experience the pregnancy as protagonists together with the mother.