防止焊接变形:子宫日记（13）

In the womb 13

In normal circumstances, there is no need for the scanning probe to go anywhere near the ear. But if the baby becomes at all unhappy she can easily wriggle(扭动) away from the sound. Just as in this 4D scan, doctors have observed fetus’s grimace(作苦相) and frown as they manipulate the fetus through the mother’s abdomen, all part of the delicate expansion of the senses. During the final trimester, the fetus prepares for life outside the womb away from her comforting cocoon(茧) and its built-in life support. Many of the crucial tricks and skills she needs to survive on the outside are innate(先天的) reflexes that she develops inside the womb.

一般情况下，不需要把探头伸到靠近耳朵的地方。如果孩子对超声波的声音很不喜欢，她可以轻松地扭动身体来避开噪音的干扰。在这张4D的扫瞄图里，专家们看到对母亲肚子进行超声波检查时，胎儿皱着眉头、做出痛苦的表情，身上的每个感官全都参与。在最后的三个月里，胎儿一直在为离开舒适的温床和生命支持后的生活做准备。很多生存需要的重要技能其实都是先天的条件反射，这些反射正是她在子宫里就练就的。

From the 26^th week, babies spend about 90% of their time sleeping, and when they sleep nothing can wake them. For the other 10% of the time they awake and alert ready for whatever might happen next. They may react to sudden sounds with the startle reflex flinging(投) their arms and legs out to the side. The startle reflex is thought to have originated at a time when we were more at a risk of being eaten. A sudden noise or touch from a predator triggers the reflex and causes the arms to fling out to the side in what may be an attempted self-preservation. This may not be so relevant to our lives today, but other reflexes are crucial to survival after birth.

从26周开始，胎儿90%的时间都在睡觉，睡着的时候什么事也不能吵醒他们。余下的10%时间他们醒着，并且随时准备应付可能出现的情况。他们可能会对突然出现的声音做出向周围猛甩手臂和腿的条件反射。这种突然条件反射产生于人类还处在经常要被吃掉的危险时代。食肉动物突然发出的声音或者触摸引起了这种反射，使胳臂和腿向周围猛甩，这可能是一种自我保护的方法。这种反射已经与我们现在的生活没有什么关系，但是其它条件反射对出生后的生活仍然是很重要的。

In this 4D image, the fetus swallows amniotic fluid. During this trimester, she will swallow a pint(品脱) of fluid every day. By drinking, the fetus helps maintain the liquid balance in the womb. It also helps her digestive system develop properly. But from the moment she is born and the cord is cut, she needs to have perfected the art of taking food from her mouth to her stomach.

 在这张4D扫瞄图里，胎儿吞下了羊水。在这三个月里，她每天要吞下一品脱的液体。通过饮水，胎儿能保持子宫内的水平衡。这种动作也能锻炼她的消化系统良好发育。因为从出生后脐带被剪断的那一刻起，她就需要学会用嘴来吃食物并用胃来消化。

Along with swallowing one of the most important reflexes to perfect before birth is sucking. Anything vaguely nipple(乳头)-size that comes close to her mouth triggers her attempts at the sucking reflex. This fetus, 25 weeks old, first sucked its thumb at about 11 weeks at which time it may have already begun to develop a lifelong preference for one hand or the other. Ultrasound scans have shown that as soon as thumb sucking begins, a fetus tends to show a clear preference for either the left or right thumb. This left or right handedness(用右手或左手的习惯) which stays with it for life develops in the womb rather than during early childhood as was previously thought.

与吞咽一样，吮吸也是出生前最重要的反射之一。任何乳头形状的东西靠近孩子的嘴都会引起吮吸反射。这个25周的胎儿，第一次吮吸大拇指是在11周的时候，那个时候她大概已经选择了一生偏好使用的手。超声波扫瞄显示，只要胎儿开始吮吸拇指，它就已经表现出对左手或是右手的拇指的偏好。所以人习惯用右手或左手是在子宫里形成的，而不是以前认为的童年早期形成的。

At 26^th weeks, the fetus measures almost 10 inches from head to toe. She is growing fast and as she moves through the third trimester towards birth, the fetus will triple her weight and double her length. The brain and nervous system will continue to grow dramatically. And soon the fetus will create something even more remarkable. At 26^th weeks, the baby’s parents may enjoy a pleasant surprise. Now it’s possible to hear the fetal heartbeat just by putting an ear to the mother’s abdomen.

26周的时候，胎儿从头到脚大概有10英寸长。她长得很快，出生前三个月里一直在动。胎儿的体重将达到原来的三倍，身长则会加倍。大脑和神经系统也继续快速发育。另外还会有一些让人惊讶的事发生。26周的时候，父母可能会有一个惊喜，因为把耳朵贴在母亲的肚子上就已经能听到胎儿的心跳了。

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