Brain Power

Your baby’s brain development is a vital process. Learn how it goes from zero to 100 billion neurons in just nine months

THE HUMAN BRAIN is a wonder of complexity: while awake, our brains generate enough energy to power a light bulb and are capable of processing information at a rate of 430kph.

It’s no wonder the brain is one of the very first organs to develop in the foetus – after all, it’s the super computer that controls and coordinates every thought and action, for the rest of your life.

IN THE BEGINNING

A few weeks into your pregnancy, your baby’s brain is already growing at an astonishing rate. At the peak of its development, an embryo’s brain grows by 250 000 neurons a minute.

Neurons are the specialised nerve cells that are found in our nervous system, and in our brains, they form what is also called grey matter.

Although you won’t see much more than a lump of cells during your ultrasounds in the first trimester, proportionally, the embryo’s head is huge in comparison to the rest of the developing body.

The brain and spinal cord begin as a simple neural tube. In week four, the brain separates into three sections – the fore brain, middle brain and hind brain. Then in week six, it further divides into the left and right hemispheres. Scientists claim to already be able to pick up some wave activity by this stage.