Irish Wedding News
06/06/2013
The study, which was carried out by researchers from Durham and Lancaster universities and published in the PLOS One journal, revealed that a foetus "practices" grimacing, furrowing their brows and even wrinkling their nose before they are born. Researchers believe the unborn babies are learning to communicate to their parents after their birth.
Research leader Dr Nadja Reissland, senior lecturer in developmental psychology at Durham University, said they were able to identify 19 separate small movements which eventually combined to form single distinguishable expressions. She added that the study could help doctors identify problems.
Dr Reissland also said that it remained unclear over whether the unborn babies could feel pain and the 'expressions' may not reflect emotions.
She did believe that the expressions are, however, "practiced by the fetus in the womb to get ready for life after they are born.
"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.
"It is not yet clear whether fetuses can actually feel pain, nor do we know whether facial expressions relate to how they feel."
The study looked at video footage of 4D scans of eight female and seven male foetuses at two-week intervals between 24 and 36 weeks gestation, and supported previous research which suggests facial expressions of healthy foetuses develop and become more complex during pregnancy.
(JP)
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Babies 'Practice Crying' In The Womb
A new study has found babies practice crying and smiling while they are in the womb.The study, which was carried out by researchers from Durham and Lancaster universities and published in the PLOS One journal, revealed that a foetus "practices" grimacing, furrowing their brows and even wrinkling their nose before they are born. Researchers believe the unborn babies are learning to communicate to their parents after their birth.
Research leader Dr Nadja Reissland, senior lecturer in developmental psychology at Durham University, said they were able to identify 19 separate small movements which eventually combined to form single distinguishable expressions. She added that the study could help doctors identify problems.
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Dr Reissland also said that it remained unclear over whether the unborn babies could feel pain and the 'expressions' may not reflect emotions.
She did believe that the expressions are, however, "practiced by the fetus in the womb to get ready for life after they are born.
"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.
"It is not yet clear whether fetuses can actually feel pain, nor do we know whether facial expressions relate to how they feel."
The study looked at video footage of 4D scans of eight female and seven male foetuses at two-week intervals between 24 and 36 weeks gestation, and supported previous research which suggests facial expressions of healthy foetuses develop and become more complex during pregnancy.
(JP)
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