He can see, hear, and feel. For example, by the fourth month after conception, the unborn child has a well-developed sense of touch and taste. At five months, he will react to a loud sound by raising his hands and covering his ears. The unborn has the capacity to perceive and remember sounds of speech, to recognize a story heard repeatedly in utero, and to recognize his own mother's voice. He has formed the brain structures necessary for learning, and even awareness, sometime between the 28th and 32nd weeks of development.
Prenatal psychologists see the very core of human personality forming in the womb.
Stress hormones travel through the mother's bloodstream to the fetus, inducing the same stressful state in the unborn child. Babies respond not only to a surge of adrenaline, but also to mother's behavior. When she pats her stomach, talks, sings, or dances, the unborn child knows that mother is actively there. Communication also occurs on the psychological plane, with baby responding to mother's deepest thoughts and feelings. This does not mean that every fleeting worry, doubt, or anxiety a woman has rebounds on her child.