The documentary video features the fragile and extraordinary world of twins and triplets in a mother’s womb. This amazing travel to the womb is possible due to the computer imagery technique, in particular, 4-D ultrasound images. The uterus is represented as a safe environment for the development and nurturing of a fetus. The video shows the multiple pregnancies of three different females from the moment of conception to shortly after birth. The first woman is having twins (a boy and a girl), the second woman is having triplets, and the third woman has four girls. Interestingly, all the women got pregnant naturally, despite the fact that the odds of having twins, triples, or quads are very little. The cutting-edge 4-D technology is able to read the speed of pulses from the tissue in the womb. By interpreting this information, the fetus may be observed with no harm caused to him. It is possible to see not only the way the fetus moves but also how he interacts with another fetus. It has been mentioned that when one fetus moves, the other one reacts to him. Girls begin to interact with each other earlier than boys.
The documentary demonstrates the cells’ division and complex procedures which follow it. An insight into the female reproductive system is given. Ovaries are the primary reproductive organs of females that produce the egg cells or ova. The fertilization occurs in the fallopian tubes, where a sperm cell successfully meets an egg cell (“National Geographic in the Womb Multiples”). Fetal development is shown week by week so that viewers can spot how fingers, ankles, wrists, and ears begin to develop. It is amazing to see how the placenta that will nourish the baby forms. It can be seen that by the end of the second month, the majority of the organs of a fetus have been formed, though some of them are not completely developed, such as fingers that are not separated. Apart from the development of organs, significant attention is paid to the appearance of the senses. Curiously, even though a fetus has little space to move, he is actively developing a sense of touch, which will further help him explore life (Reid et al. 1826). Then, the senses of smell, taste, and hearing start to appear so that a fetus can even smell his mother’s womb. By week 8, all the senses have been established, yet each one at a different rate.
The first and the longest stage of labor occurs when a woman begins to feel regular contractions which can feel like gastrointestinal discomfort. During active labor, a woman feels intense pain as her cervix is dilated. When a child is born, he adapts to the world around him very quickly. The presence of unconditioned reflexes is important as it signifies the development of the nervous system of a child. In a normal newborn baby, a rooting reflex can be seen when a child automatically heads towards one’s hand and makes rooting motions. In summary, the video described the process of fetal development in an interesting and simple way. It is loaded with useful information about how multiple pregnancies develop. I think that this video may be of particular interest to women who are planning to get pregnant or a person who is interested in how the human body develops.
Works Cited
“National Geographic: In the Womb – Multiples.” YouTube, uploaded by Ben Bird. 2014, Web.
Reid, Vincent, et al. “The Human Fetus Preferentially Engages with Face-Like Visual Stimuli.” Current Biology, vol. 27, no. 12, 2017, pp. 1825-1828.