They may be tiny, but unborn babies can stretch, hiccup, swallow…and according to new research, yawn. Aside from being adorable, scientists suspect that this may be a sign of healthy brain development early on in pregnancy.
Traditionally, there has been debate among researchers about whether or not this phenomenon exists. Some claimed that the unborn babies were merely opening their mouths. To put an end to the controversy, researchers at the Universities of Durham and Lancaster used 4D ultrasound to scan babies (basically, they used ultrasound to take 3D videos). What the scientists found was that fetuses were yawning half the time they opened their mouths. Moreover, the tendencies began to dwindle after 28 weeks into the pregnancy.
Funny enough, yawning while in the womb was neither the result of sleepiness, nor contagious yawning. Researchers suspect that the act is linked to the healthy development of a baby’s central nervous system early on in pregnancy. Though more studies are required, scientists hope that in the future, MDs will be able to use this as a measure of an unborn baby’s health. Now, if only we could find evidence that yawning as adults is just an indication of brain development…
To watch a video of a fetus yawning (not related to this research study), click here.
