ABSTRACT
Many aspects of life before birth, processes that might seem purely physiological, can also be thought about from a psychological, social and neurobiological perspective. The growth of the human from an embryo into a foetus, and the journey until birth, is a complex, almost miraculous process. After a successful conception, the fertilised egg, at this stage called an embryo, moves slowly along the fallopian tube and settles in the lining of the mother’s womb, constantly dividing and growing. By seven weeks the embryo is only 10 mm long but already the heart, lungs, brain and face are forming. We start to call it a foetus, literally meaning ‘young one’, by about eight weeks. By 14 weeks it has a strong heartbeat, its internal organs are formed, as are hair, eye lashes and other details. Each foetus is subject to myriad influences; each develops inside a particular mother, has specific genetic inheritances, and is living in a unique intrauterine environment. Across the placenta nutrients and oxygen pass into the foetus’s bloodstream via the umbilical cord, as can drugs, alcohol and various hormones. This chapter tries to unravel some of the pre-birth influences that can affect the growing child.
