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Chapter 5

Don’t I Know You?: The Face and Head

(Brief excerpt of book chapter)

Gazing at your baby's face before birth allows you to see far more than just recognizable facial features. You may also glimpse mercurial changes of mood. The power of 3D ultrasound invites us to experience as never before the baby's world inside the womb. Look these 3D images, for example:

Peaceful	Amused
"Hey, you, out there"	A bit impolite

WHAT IS GOING ON INSIDE THAT CUTE HEAD?

While the 3D pictures above show the face in striking clarity, it takes 2D images to look through the face and into the brain. The image below of a at twenty-six-week baby’s head shows the major parts of the brain: the cerebrum, which is made up of two halves (the left and right cerebral hemispheres, divided by a membrane called the falx), and the cerebellum. The cerebrum is responsible for thinking, feeling and controlling movement. The cerebellum, seen at the back of the head, coordinates the sequential movement of various muscle groups, allowing dancers and athletes, for example, to move their bodies in coordinated, graceful ways. This is the part of the brain that may help your child become a prima ballerina or a star pitcher!