Frequently Asked Questions
When does the fetus feel pain?
(Fetus means little one)
At 20 weeks gestation the spino-thalamic system (the human pain-conveying network) is fully established. Observations of human fetal response to painful stimulation supports this. An English study in 1994 by Prof. Nicholas Fisk showed that two types of hormones released during pain and stress rose to high levels when blood was drawn (for necessary testing) from the living fetus by puncturing the abdomen.
As a 'control' experiment, blood was drawn from the painless umbilical vein source; these unborn babies did not release the pain and stress hormones.
Is the fertilized ovum only a potential human being?
No. It is not a potential human being. It is, rather, a human being with vast potential.` One could say that the sperm and ovum, before their union, constitute a potential human being. Once their union is completed, "they" have become an actual human being.
When does the unborn baby's heart begin to beat?
Ultrasonic stethoscopes, now common in obstetrician's offices allow the mother to actually hear her baby's heart beat as early as eight weeks.
When would you say all his body systems are present?
By eight weeks (2 months).
At what point are all his body systems working?
By eleven weeks.
When do other movements begin?
At nine to ten weeks he squints, swallows, moves his tongue, and if you stroke his palm, will make a tight fist. At eleven to twelve weeks, he is sucking his thumb vigorously.
When does he start to breathe?
By eleven to twelve weeks, he is breathing fluid steadily and continues so until birth. At birth, he will breathe air.
What of detailed development such as fingernails and eyelashes?
Fingernails are present by about eleven to twelve weeks; eyelashes by sixteen.
How about teeth?
All twenty milk-teeth buds are present by six and a half weeks.
Can an unborn baby cry?
At eighteen weeks, the baby can go through the motion of crying as he is equipped with a full set of vocal chords. But without air it cannot make a sound.
How does the size of the baby increase in weight?
At twelve weeks he weighs one ounce, at sixteen weeks six ounces, and at twenty weeks approximately one pound.
(Fetus means little one)
At 20 weeks gestation the spino-thalamic system (the human pain-conveying network) is fully established. Observations of human fetal response to painful stimulation supports this. An English study in 1994 by Prof. Nicholas Fisk showed that two types of hormones released during pain and stress rose to high levels when blood was drawn (for necessary testing) from the living fetus by puncturing the abdomen.
As a 'control' experiment, blood was drawn from the painless umbilical vein source; these unborn babies did not release the pain and stress hormones.
Is the fertilized ovum only a potential human being?
No. It is not a potential human being. It is, rather, a human being with vast potential.` One could say that the sperm and ovum, before their union, constitute a potential human being. Once their union is completed, "they" have become an actual human being.
When does the unborn baby's heart begin to beat?
Ultrasonic stethoscopes, now common in obstetrician's offices allow the mother to actually hear her baby's heart beat as early as eight weeks.
When would you say all his body systems are present?
By eight weeks (2 months).
At what point are all his body systems working?
By eleven weeks.
When do other movements begin?
At nine to ten weeks he squints, swallows, moves his tongue, and if you stroke his palm, will make a tight fist. At eleven to twelve weeks, he is sucking his thumb vigorously.
When does he start to breathe?
By eleven to twelve weeks, he is breathing fluid steadily and continues so until birth. At birth, he will breathe air.
What of detailed development such as fingernails and eyelashes?
Fingernails are present by about eleven to twelve weeks; eyelashes by sixteen.
How about teeth?
All twenty milk-teeth buds are present by six and a half weeks.
Can an unborn baby cry?
At eighteen weeks, the baby can go through the motion of crying as he is equipped with a full set of vocal chords. But without air it cannot make a sound.
How does the size of the baby increase in weight?
At twelve weeks he weighs one ounce, at sixteen weeks six ounces, and at twenty weeks approximately one pound.