Babies may respond to their mothers’ yawns before birth, a study published Tuesday in Current Biology suggests, pointing to early links between maternal behavior and fetal development.
Researchers observed 38 pregnant women and found that when mothers yawned, their fetuses often yawned shortly after. Women who yawned more frequently also tended to carry fetuses that did the same.
Yawning, typically linked to tiredness, is also socially contagious after birth. The findings suggest this responsiveness may begin in the womb, challenging the idea that fetal behavior is purely reflexive. Instead, researchers say it reflects a shared “biological context” between mother and fetus.
Previous research has shown that fetuses can hear sounds, react to touch and taste elements of their mother’s diet. The new results suggest that social and attentional responses may also begin earlier than previously understood.
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