Physical development is one thing, but how much does your unborn baby know and sense about his interior world, and the outside world?

Sight

How much does an unborn baby see? Given that the environment inside the uterus is quite dark. However, his eyes are certainly capable of seeing by the time he is born, so it’s likely that he would have been aware of light filtering in through his mother’s bare belly, particularly if she was in strong sunlight.

Hearing

Regardless of the fact that an unborn baby’s ears are filled with fluid, he can probably still hear from as early as 12 weeks after conception. Studies have shown that a baby does remember sounds they have heard while in the womb. Your voice as well as your partner’s voice will certainly be familiar to your baby from the days in your womb.

Touch

Until recently it was assumed that babies were unable to feel pain, so surgical procedures (such as circumcision) were carried out without anaesthetic. New studies indicate that the levels of stress hormones in babies undergoing surgery are quite high, and doctors have begun to realize that babies feel pain, just like adults.

Taste and smell

Like his other senses a baby’s senses of taste and smell develop during his time in the womb. Studies have shown that babies develop a preference for tastes or smells based on what the mother consumes during their pregnancy.

Emotions

Babies move more in the womb following emotional stress in the mother. Unborn babies of mothers who experienced an earthquake in southern Italy were observed to be agitated for hours afterwards. For this reason it is probably best to avoid negative feeling and stressful situations as much as possible.