THE PERIOD OF GESTATION

The technical term, derived from the Greek and Latin terms, for the newborn is neonate, and most researchers agree that we can refer to a baby as a neonate until the end of the first month of independent life. The neonate is a curious mixture of competence and helplessness. As we have seen from previous chapters, the growing, developing embryo/fetus is far from a quiescent entity passively accepting the events taking place in its protective uterine environment. Rather, the fetus is an active, dynamic individual who is increasingly engaged in the regulation of its own development. Between fertilization, when their genetic make-up is set, and birth, babies accumulate a load of experiences that will contribute in the shaping of who they are and what they can bring to their new life. The importance of the continuum from the single cell to the newborn child, from the youngster to the adult, cannot be overemphasized because throughout the course of these different phases, involving a wide variety of interactions with the environment, the individual becomes a social being with a sense of self. As already noted, primate fetuses remember their early physiological environment in utero and prepare, under the prevailing conditions, for the future. The degree of maturity at birth varies from offspring to offspring, therefore the perinatal period spans the continuum from late fetal to early postnatal development.

The significance of gestation as an experience for the mother must also not be neglected. Normally both the mother and her newborn adapt easily because the relationship established during pregnancy continues to develop postnatally.