Babies Learn To Grimace In The Womb....
Babies Learn To Grimace In The Womb To Prepare For Pain After Birth
Scans reveal they develop make simple expressions such as smiling at 24 weeks to more complex pain expressions at 36 weeks
Frown: Baby in the womb
Babies practice frowning in the womb so that they can show when they are unhappy after birth, new research reveals today.Stark images captured using a 4D scanner suggest unborn babies grimace and pull faces to prepare for being in pain after birth, experts say.The scans of 15 healthy babies reveal that they develop from making simple expressions such as smiling at 24 weeks to much more complex pain expressions at 36 weeks.
Researchers say this enables the unborn baby to be able to communicate by frowning after being born if they are hungry, uncomfortable or in pain.It is not yet known whether unborn babies can actually feel pain in the womb.
Lead researcher Dr Nadja Reissland, of Durham University’s Department of Psychology, said: “It is vital for infants to be able to show pain as soon as they are born so that they can communicate any distress or pain they might feel to their carers and our results show that healthy fetuses learn to combine the necessary facial movements before they are born.
“This suggests that we can determine the normal development of facial movements and potentially identify abnormal development too. This could then provide a further medical indication of the health of the unborn baby.
“It is not yet clear whether fetuses can actually feel pain, nor do we know whether facial expressions relate to how they feel. Our research indicates that the expression of fetal facial movements is a developmental process which seems to be related to brain maturation rather than being linked to feelings.”
The study by researchers at Durham and Lancaster University is published today (THU) in medical journal PLOS ONE. It adds to findings that facial expressions of babies can become increasingly advanced as the pregnancy develops.
Researchers analysed video footage of the 4D scans of eight female and seven male fetuses from the second to third trimester - 24 to 36 weeks - of pregnancy.Those at 24 weeks rarely showed a combination of facial movements showing pain such as lowering the eyebrows, wrinkling the nose and stretching the mouth.
But by the time they had reached 36 weeks, they were regularly practicing multiple expressions at once - giving the impression they were capable of expressing pain.Lancaster University Professor of Social Statistics Brian Francis said: “Modern methods of data analysis enable the development of fetal pain faces to be clearly detected, with the complexity of facial movements making up a pain face increasing in the third trimester.”
It is hoped further research may be able to discover whether the development of facial expressions is delayed if unborn babies experience unhealthy conditions, such as effects of the mother smoking or drinking alcohol.
