Babies do not consciously "realize" they are not in the womb in a fully reflective or verbal sense, but research shows that consciousness or awareness likely begins very early, perhaps even before birth during late pregnancy. From birth, babies begin distinguishing their mother and other people through senses like sight, smell, and sound, indicating an early form of recognition of their environment outside the womb. The awareness of self as separate from the mother and environment develops gradually over the first several months, with some sources suggesting 6 to 7 months as a period when babies start recognizing themselves as separate persons.
Consciousness Emergence
- Consciousness related to experience might start as early as 24-26 weeks gestational age, with brain connectivity developing in the third trimester.
- Some researchers argue consciousness is present at birth or shortly thereafter, supported by neural network readiness.
- By around one year of age, children have a wide range of perceptual and cognitive abilities clearly marking conscious awareness.
Recognition Outside the Womb
- At birth, babies use senses to identify their mother and differentiate her from others through sight, smell, hearing, and touch.
- Babies recognize their mother immediately after birth using these senses but distinguish other family members between 6 to 9 months as recognition improves.
- The first 3 months after birth ("the fourth trimester") involve significant adjustment as babies adapt to life outside the womb.
Development of Self-Awareness
- Newborns don't initially have control over movements or a sense of their own body; this develops gradually from about 8 weeks onwards.
- Self-awareness or the realization of separateness from the mother is believed to typically emerge around 6-7 months.
- This coincides with early signs of separation anxiety and recognition that they are independent individuals.
In summary, babies start to be conscious of their surroundings near birth and use senses to recognize their mother immediately. The full sense of self as a separate being from the mother and the outside environment develops between 4 to 7 months after birth as brain and sensory integration mature.
