0:00:21 > 0:00:27This is Harrison and he was born at 23 weeks, which is incredibly early.
0:00:29 > 0:00:32And you just feel, you know, so much emotion,
0:00:32 > 0:00:36looking at a baby that is this small, this young and this vulnerable.
0:00:37 > 0:00:41He really shouldn't be here, he should be inside his mum.
0:00:46 > 0:00:49Often born without fingernails and with their eyelids sealed shut,
0:00:49 > 0:00:53these premature babies are fighting for their lives.
0:01:00 > 0:01:04Inside their bodies, vital changes which should have happened
0:01:04 > 0:01:07while in the womb still need to take place.
0:01:09 > 0:01:11I'm not sure what he can see or how much sense
0:01:11 > 0:01:15he can make of the world because the neurons in his brain are not
0:01:15 > 0:01:18fully formed, his senses are not fully developed.
0:01:19 > 0:01:24My older son was born premature and...
0:01:24 > 0:01:27It is very moving, it takes me back,
0:01:27 > 0:01:30because we were worried about him,
0:01:30 > 0:01:34but he was early, but not as early as this young boy.
0:01:46 > 0:01:50Many months will pass before some of these babies can leave hospital.
0:01:52 > 0:01:54But the technology in this room will give them
0:01:54 > 0:01:56the best chance of survival.
0:02:00 > 0:02:02HORN BLARES
0:02:08 > 0:02:14In this final episode, we journey from 24 weeks to 40 weeks...
0:02:14 > 0:02:16SHE GROANS
0:02:18 > 0:02:21..and the moment when we have to face the outside world
0:02:21 > 0:02:23and survive on our own.
0:02:23 > 0:02:25CAT YOWLS
0:02:32 > 0:02:36We home in on the moment when bones harden...
0:02:39 > 0:02:40..lungs mature...
0:02:44 > 0:02:47..and our senses switch on,
0:02:47 > 0:02:50flooding the brain with new impressions of the world.
0:02:53 > 0:02:55Yet not everything will always go to plan.
0:02:58 > 0:03:03Those last precious months may shape not just your long-term health
0:03:03 > 0:03:05but your entire future.
0:03:16 > 0:03:18HORN BLARES
0:03:27 > 0:03:30To be a strong human, we need a strong skeleton.
0:03:34 > 0:03:38An adult skeleton is made up of over 200 bones.
0:03:41 > 0:03:43These give us shape and movement.
0:03:45 > 0:03:47They protect our vital organs.
0:03:52 > 0:03:56And muscles attached to the ribs enable our lungs to expand
0:03:56 > 0:03:58and fill with life-giving air.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28It is a strange thought that we all began without a single
0:04:28 > 0:04:30bone in our body.
0:04:30 > 0:04:33Our skeleton was made of supple cartilage.
0:04:35 > 0:04:38But at 25 weeks, the pelvis,
0:04:38 > 0:04:40our largest bone, is forming.
0:04:46 > 0:04:48It is a very precise process.
0:04:50 > 0:04:54If it is disrupted you will be floppy,
0:04:54 > 0:04:56with little support or shape.
0:04:59 > 0:05:04Nine-year-old Janelly was born without the ability to make bones.
0:05:56 > 0:06:00Our bones are formed by special cells called osteoblasts.
0:06:03 > 0:06:05They swarm around the skeleton,
0:06:05 > 0:06:10replacing the soft cartilage with a hard calcium-based mineral.
0:06:16 > 0:06:19But this process produces a damaging chemical
0:06:19 > 0:06:21which stops our bones from hardening.
0:06:29 > 0:06:32So the body has developed a response.
0:06:34 > 0:06:38A gene is activated, creating a protein -
0:06:38 > 0:06:40TNSALP -
0:06:40 > 0:06:42which neutralises the damaging chemical.
0:06:45 > 0:06:47This lets bone formation continue.
0:06:56 > 0:06:59But in Janelly, this gene is faulty...
0:07:01 > 0:07:05..so her supple cartilage never turned to strong bone...
0:07:07 > 0:07:09..leaving her on the edge of survival.
0:07:15 > 0:07:16Que quieres, hmm?
0:07:18 > 0:07:19Que quieres?
0:07:29 > 0:07:32But before they were forced to make that choice,
0:07:32 > 0:07:35Janelly's doctors heard of a new drug being trialled in Australia.
0:07:35 > 0:07:37Going to listen to you.
0:07:37 > 0:07:39Yes, we are!
0:07:40 > 0:07:42Suddenly, out of the blue, there was hope.
0:07:44 > 0:07:48Dr Jill Simmons has been treating Janelly for the past seven years.
0:07:50 > 0:07:53We had heard about the drug,
0:07:53 > 0:07:56but it was very early in the clinical trial.
0:07:56 > 0:07:58There was almost nothing known about it at this point
0:07:58 > 0:08:02but at this point in Janelly's life, there was also no other option.
0:08:03 > 0:08:06So, this is when she was at her worst.
0:08:08 > 0:08:12Compare it to an X-ray of a normal 18-month-old child.
0:08:12 > 0:08:16Well, Janelly's made grim viewing. It showed a severe lack of bones.
0:08:20 > 0:08:23Normal bone development happens not just in the womb
0:08:23 > 0:08:26but all the way through to our teenage years.
0:08:28 > 0:08:31Janelly's doctors hoped that the new drug might stimulate her body
0:08:31 > 0:08:33to start this bone formation.
0:08:36 > 0:08:40After an agonising six-month wait, they X-rayed her.
0:08:41 > 0:08:44What they saw was amazing.
0:09:00 > 0:09:02The drug had replaced the missing protein
0:09:02 > 0:09:05Janelly's body couldn't produce.
0:09:09 > 0:09:13It was astonishing. Janelly had started to develop real bones.
0:09:26 > 0:09:28I think when you look at the X-rays,
0:09:28 > 0:09:30it's one of the most miraculous things
0:09:30 > 0:09:32that I have ever seen as a doctor.
0:09:32 > 0:09:36Here we were seeing bones grow from where
0:09:36 > 0:09:40there had been no bones before and it was an incredible experience.
0:09:50 > 0:09:52Te gusta, Janelly?
0:10:16 > 0:10:19Nine-year-old Janelly's treatment is ongoing,
0:10:19 > 0:10:23but doctors are confident that she will continue to improve
0:10:23 > 0:10:26and live a long and happy life.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39There is, of course, more to being human
0:10:39 > 0:10:41than just flesh, blood and bone.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46At the top of your body, the most complex organ of them all
0:10:46 > 0:10:49is beginning to get organised.
0:11:00 > 0:11:04At 27 weeks, our brain is already extremely active.
0:11:09 > 0:11:13Cells transform into wonderful, complex structures,
0:11:13 > 0:11:15reaching out to connect with each other.
0:11:18 > 0:11:21Most of the brain's growth is now in the wiring.
0:11:21 > 0:11:25Fatty sheaves are wrapped around the brain cells,
0:11:25 > 0:11:28insulating them so they can send signals around your head.
0:11:34 > 0:11:40You are making an estimated 100 billion new connections every single day
0:11:40 > 0:11:43and you are beginning to lay the foundations
0:11:43 > 0:11:47for one of the most important things in the future - your memory.
0:11:52 > 0:11:54This is Joey.
0:11:54 > 0:11:57He is one of a handful of people being actively studied
0:11:57 > 0:12:00because of his extraordinary memory.
0:12:01 > 0:12:03I can't quite explain it.
0:12:03 > 0:12:05The memory is just there.
0:12:05 > 0:12:09It is very clear, it's very quick and it is almost like I see
0:12:09 > 0:12:13my life very chronologically, if that makes sense, like a movie.
0:12:13 > 0:12:16If you give me a date, I can usually tell you something that
0:12:16 > 0:12:18happened on that day or vice versa.
0:12:18 > 0:12:20OK, well, it just so happens, obviously enough,
0:12:20 > 0:12:22I have a few dates here.
0:12:22 > 0:12:24If you don't mind, I'm going to try testing you now.
0:12:24 > 0:12:27So, 31st of August 1997.
0:12:28 > 0:12:32- Well, that was a Sunday. - OK. OK, that's good.
0:12:32 > 0:12:35I remember... So, that was the day that Princess Di passed away.
0:12:35 > 0:12:37Absolutely right, yeah.
0:12:37 > 0:12:39June 24, 2011.
0:12:39 > 0:12:41I remember hearing the news that New York
0:12:41 > 0:12:43had legalised same-sex marriage.
0:12:43 > 0:12:44Absolutely, there you go.
0:12:44 > 0:12:46- That was a Saturday.- Yeah.
0:12:46 > 0:12:49- Thursday. Tuesday.- Yes.
0:12:49 > 0:12:51And I remember that one very well - the OJ verdict.
0:12:51 > 0:12:54I also lost my wallet, coincidentally.
0:13:01 > 0:13:04Joey certainly has an exceptional memory
0:13:04 > 0:13:08and it begs the question, do memories start way back in the womb?
0:13:10 > 0:13:13To have memories, we need to have formed senses
0:13:13 > 0:13:16and the very first to develop is hearing.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25Old Mother Hubbard Went to the cupboard
0:13:25 > 0:13:27To fetch her poor dog a bone.
0:13:28 > 0:13:31But when she got there The cupboard was bare
0:13:31 > 0:13:33And so the poor doggy had none.
0:13:39 > 0:13:43No bigger than a grain of rice, this amazing coiled snail-like
0:13:43 > 0:13:47structure, the cochlea, is the sensory organ for hearing.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50She went to the bakers To buy him some bread
0:13:50 > 0:13:52But when she came back, The poor dog was dead.
0:13:59 > 0:14:03Sound waves cause fluid inside the cochlea to move...
0:14:05 > 0:14:10..A motion that is picked up by 30,000 tiny hair cells.
0:14:25 > 0:14:29At 28 weeks, sounds coming from the outside world should spark
0:14:29 > 0:14:31these tiny hair cells into life...
0:14:33 > 0:14:37..sending signals to our brain, which we interpret as sound.
0:14:42 > 0:14:44And it is time for Kirsten to find out
0:14:44 > 0:14:48if her unborn baby has arrived at this life-changing moment.
0:14:53 > 0:14:56So, we can see the internal structure of the baby's brain.
0:14:57 > 0:15:00There is the baby's little cheeky face looking at us.
0:15:01 > 0:15:04It's amazing how much it has grown.
0:15:04 > 0:15:06They are astonishing images, aren't they?
0:15:07 > 0:15:09Do you talk to your baby at all?
0:15:09 > 0:15:12Yeah, always first thing in the morning
0:15:12 > 0:15:17and then my partner likes to blow raspberries all over my tummy.
0:15:17 > 0:15:20- MICHAEL BLOWS A RASPBERRY - Yeah, and I often get a kick with that.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23- And then I sing as well, I like the Disney songs.- OK.
0:15:23 > 0:15:26- But I'm an awful singer.- What sort of things?- The Bare Necessities.
0:15:26 > 0:15:28# The bare necessities... #
0:15:28 > 0:15:30If you do that, it will definitely kick.
0:15:35 > 0:15:38'I want to find out if Kirsten's baby can hear.
0:15:40 > 0:15:42'So I have devised a simple test...'
0:15:43 > 0:15:45So, my little bag of tricks.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49'..and it involves making a lot of noise.'
0:15:52 > 0:15:53I'm optimistic about the bell.
0:15:53 > 0:15:55I think probably not...
0:15:55 > 0:15:57WHISTLE TOOTS
0:15:59 > 0:16:02To make sure that Kirsten can't subconsciously influence her
0:16:02 > 0:16:07baby's responses, we are going to shut out the outside world.
0:16:07 > 0:16:09Can you hear me? Is she responding?
0:16:09 > 0:16:12No, she is not responding. That's good.
0:16:12 > 0:16:13OK, one, two, three.
0:16:13 > 0:16:16TOY SQUEAKS
0:16:16 > 0:16:18- The baby put its hands over its face.- Did it?
0:16:18 > 0:16:20MICHAEL LAUGHS
0:16:20 > 0:16:22So, yes, the baby seemed to go,
0:16:22 > 0:16:25"No, I don't particularly like that one."
0:16:25 > 0:16:28ULTRASOUND WHOOSHES
0:16:28 > 0:16:32From the reaction to all the racket I'm making,
0:16:32 > 0:16:35it seems this baby really can hear in the womb
0:16:35 > 0:16:38and is already beginning to make sense of the world around it.
0:16:40 > 0:16:45That was just like the baby heard the rattle, went, "What is this row?"
0:16:45 > 0:16:46and then went back again.
0:16:50 > 0:16:54But do we remember any of those sounds we hear in the womb?
0:16:55 > 0:16:57Old Mother Hubbard Went to the cupboard
0:16:57 > 0:16:59To fetch her poor doggy a bone.
0:16:59 > 0:17:01But when she got there The cupboard was bare
0:17:01 > 0:17:03And so the poor doggy had none.
0:17:03 > 0:17:06Are we capable of forming early memories?
0:17:07 > 0:17:09She went to the joiners To buy him a coffin
0:17:09 > 0:17:11But when she came back
0:17:11 > 0:17:12The poor dog was laughing.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17- ECHOING VOICE:- She took a clean dish To get him some tripe
0:17:17 > 0:17:20But when she came back He was smoking a pipe.
0:17:22 > 0:17:24She went to the fishmonger's...
0:17:24 > 0:17:28In a study, a group of pregnant women were asked to read a rhyme
0:17:28 > 0:17:32to their unborn babies every day for six weeks.
0:17:32 > 0:17:34When she came back He was dancing a jig.
0:17:34 > 0:17:37She went to the cobbler's To buy him some shoes
0:17:37 > 0:17:41And when she came back He was reading the news.
0:17:41 > 0:17:43They then stopped for a couple of weeks
0:17:43 > 0:17:45before starting to read to them again.
0:17:45 > 0:17:47She went to the hatter's To buy him a hat.
0:17:47 > 0:17:50She went to the joiner's To buy him a coffin.
0:17:50 > 0:17:53When she came back The poor dog was laughing.
0:17:53 > 0:17:57And what they found is when you read them a rhyme that they were
0:17:57 > 0:17:59now familiar with because they had heard it before,
0:17:59 > 0:18:01the heart rate dropped.
0:18:02 > 0:18:04They became nice and calm.
0:18:06 > 0:18:08She went to the seamstress To buy him some linen
0:18:08 > 0:18:10But when she came back...
0:18:10 > 0:18:12When the mother read them a rhyme
0:18:12 > 0:18:15they were not familiar with there was no response,
0:18:15 > 0:18:19so that would suggest that the baby was remembering something.
0:18:23 > 0:18:25Old Mother Hubbard Went to the cupboard
0:18:25 > 0:18:28To fetch the poor dog a bone.
0:18:28 > 0:18:32Now, what was surprising is that when even a stranger read the rhyme,
0:18:32 > 0:18:35the baby responded by reducing the heart rate.
0:18:35 > 0:18:38That suggests, to me at least, that somewhere,
0:18:38 > 0:18:40lingering in the back of its mind,
0:18:40 > 0:18:42was a memory of the stories that its mother had told it.
0:18:53 > 0:18:56So, it seems even before birth, the brain can store memories.
0:18:59 > 0:19:02But these memories will soon be lost.
0:19:10 > 0:19:13No-one is capable of remembering anything about what their life
0:19:13 > 0:19:14was like in the womb.
0:19:17 > 0:19:21The brain cells that store memories long term simply don't exist yet.
0:19:32 > 0:19:36But this is a time when our other senses ripen.
0:19:52 > 0:19:55At 28 weeks, in the enclosed world of the womb...
0:20:00 > 0:20:03..something truly amazing is happening.
0:20:11 > 0:20:13We are starting to see.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25Nestling deep in the South Pacific is this tiny atoll.
0:20:36 > 0:20:38For your eyes, it is a feast of beauty.
0:20:41 > 0:20:45Yet this place is known as Colour-Blind Island.
0:20:58 > 0:21:00At the back of our eyes on the retina,
0:21:00 > 0:21:03light-sensitive cells called rods and cones grow.
0:21:06 > 0:21:10And our rods are so sensitive that in the darkness of the womb,
0:21:10 > 0:21:11we can see...
0:21:14 > 0:21:16..even if it is only in black and white.
0:21:23 > 0:21:26But now the cone cells are being wired up...
0:21:28 > 0:21:30..getting ready to colour our world.
0:21:41 > 0:21:45Light-sensitive proteins will convert red, green and blue,
0:21:45 > 0:21:49separate components of the light entering our eyes,
0:21:49 > 0:21:50into nerve impulses.
0:21:53 > 0:21:57These are sent to the brain and interpreted as a colour image.
0:22:08 > 0:22:11But if these vital proteins misfunction,
0:22:11 > 0:22:13you will live in a world like this...
0:22:15 > 0:22:18..24/7, for the whole of your life.
0:22:42 > 0:22:45It is not just about being unable to see colour -
0:22:45 > 0:22:49without his cones working, in the daylight,
0:22:49 > 0:22:52Herrol struggles with a painful burnt-out image.
0:23:25 > 0:23:28What do you see here? Do you see any numbers?
0:23:30 > 0:23:32Nothing.
0:23:36 > 0:23:40Most people aren't really colour-blind but colour deficient.
0:23:41 > 0:23:44A strongly colour-blind person may only be able to
0:23:44 > 0:23:47distinguish 20 different hues...
0:23:49 > 0:23:53..compared to the hundred or so that normal-sighted people can.
0:24:00 > 0:24:05But sadly, 10% of the population of Pingelap are condemned
0:24:05 > 0:24:08to live in a totally black and white world.
0:24:20 > 0:24:23In 1780, tragedy struck.
0:24:23 > 0:24:27Pingelap was all but wiped out by a typhoon.
0:24:31 > 0:24:34As few as 20 people survived...
0:24:35 > 0:24:38..one of whom was the king.
0:24:40 > 0:24:43Now, the king went on to have many children,
0:24:43 > 0:24:46but it seems that he himself was profoundly colour-blind
0:24:46 > 0:24:49and he passed this characteristic on to his children.
0:24:49 > 0:24:51THUNDER RUMBLES
0:24:53 > 0:24:55BELL RINGS
0:25:03 > 0:25:05THEY SING
0:25:06 > 0:25:10The remoteness of the island and a religion that discourages marriage
0:25:10 > 0:25:15to outsiders has, down the centuries, kept the gene pool very small.
0:25:21 > 0:25:24Today, if both parents have the faulty gene...
0:25:25 > 0:25:28..then their children are programmed in the womb
0:25:28 > 0:25:30to be completely colour-blind.
0:25:41 > 0:25:44By day, life is hard for the colour-blind.
0:25:50 > 0:25:52But as the sun goes down...
0:25:53 > 0:25:55..they gain an amazing advantage.
0:26:16 > 0:26:20You and I have no chance of seeing what Herrol can see,
0:26:20 > 0:26:22but our super-sensitive camera
0:26:22 > 0:26:25reveals just how well he can see in the dark.
0:26:34 > 0:26:38So, it could just be that the part of Herrol's brain that should
0:26:38 > 0:26:40interpret the light from cone cells
0:26:40 > 0:26:43is instead being used as extra processing power
0:26:43 > 0:26:46for his monochrome night-vision.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56In the middle of the night, long after the sun has gone,
0:26:56 > 0:26:59Herrol and his friends are out hunting flying fish.
0:27:01 > 0:27:04These fish are attracted to the flame and fly towards it
0:27:04 > 0:27:05as if towards moonlight.
0:27:07 > 0:27:10It is now that Herrol truly puts his disadvantage to good use.
0:27:42 > 0:27:44During our time in the womb,
0:27:44 > 0:27:47we go through the most incredible transformation...
0:27:49 > 0:27:54..from a single cell to a baby that is able to make sense of its world.
0:27:56 > 0:27:59A lot of what makes you who you are, from your height
0:27:59 > 0:28:02to the colour of your skin, is of course down to the genes
0:28:02 > 0:28:04you inherit from your parents.
0:28:04 > 0:28:08But these are nothing like as inflexible as was once thought.
0:28:15 > 0:28:18# How lucky can one guy be?
0:28:19 > 0:28:21# I kissed her and she kissed me
0:28:23 > 0:28:24# Like the fella once said... #
0:28:24 > 0:28:28We are starting to discover that our genetic code is not fixed.
0:28:31 > 0:28:34And extraordinarily, that even in the womb,
0:28:34 > 0:28:36we are being shaped by the outside.
0:28:39 > 0:28:42The world is already beginning to subtly influence you,
0:28:42 > 0:28:46to programme your body, preparing for what is to come.
0:28:53 > 0:28:54It may even be preparing us
0:28:54 > 0:28:57for how we will respond to food later in life.
0:29:06 > 0:29:08I used to eat fish and chips and Indian food.
0:29:08 > 0:29:10Next over here is coffee time.
0:29:14 > 0:29:17Lal and Freddie have very similar lives.
0:29:17 > 0:29:19- Subway.- Potato chips.
0:29:19 > 0:29:22- Dunkin' Donuts. - Sweet, sometimes salty.
0:29:24 > 0:29:27They live in the same city, they do the same job.
0:29:28 > 0:29:31They even eat the same food.
0:29:46 > 0:29:5024 hours, everywhere is open, subway's running.
0:29:51 > 0:29:54The restaurants are open, food is everywhere.
0:29:56 > 0:29:59Even sometimes when you're not hungry, you eat the burger.
0:29:59 > 0:30:03You eat the burger. After a while, you go to have a cup of coffee.
0:30:06 > 0:30:08After a cup of coffee, you aren't hungry,
0:30:08 > 0:30:12but you want to have some doughnut or some candy.
0:30:12 > 0:30:16You never give a rest to your stomach, you keep eating
0:30:16 > 0:30:17and keep eating, you know?
0:30:21 > 0:30:24Yet Lal, unlike Freddie, has developed type 2 diabetes.
0:30:27 > 0:30:31His body is no longer able to regulate the sugar in his blood.
0:30:39 > 0:30:44When I find out I'm diabetic and my doctor tell me, I was big shock.
0:30:44 > 0:30:48I was... Really, I thought I was going to die soon.
0:30:48 > 0:30:50My doctor said nothing going to happen like this,
0:30:50 > 0:30:53but you have to take care of yourself, you have to take
0:30:53 > 0:30:56the medicine rest of your life, and watch what you're eating.
0:30:58 > 0:31:00Two eggs, straight up, and bread without butter.
0:31:02 > 0:31:06Can I try your Greek omelette? Can I get a coffee as well, please?
0:31:06 > 0:31:10If it's left untreated, Lal's diabetes could cause severe
0:31:10 > 0:31:14loss of sight and damage his arteries...
0:31:14 > 0:31:17Thank you, this looks fabulous. Tuck in.
0:31:17 > 0:31:19..potentially leading to heart failure or stroke.
0:31:21 > 0:31:26- Three years ago I discovered that I was also a type 2 diabetic.- OK.
0:31:26 > 0:31:28So my blood sugar was way too high,
0:31:28 > 0:31:32and we just found it by accident when the doctor was doing a blood test.
0:31:32 > 0:31:34- Mmm. - But when you look at me you don't
0:31:34 > 0:31:37immediately think I look like somebody...
0:31:37 > 0:31:39Many people when I tell them I'm diabetic, they say,
0:31:39 > 0:31:43"You do not look like..." You know?
0:31:46 > 0:31:51Type 2 diabetes develops when we are adults, it's caused by our
0:31:51 > 0:31:53diet and lifestyles as well as our genes.
0:31:56 > 0:31:58But do our chances of getting this disease also
0:31:58 > 0:32:02depend on what our mother was eating before we were born?
0:32:02 > 0:32:05Secretly, what I'm doing is looking at the pancakes.
0:32:05 > 0:32:06HE LAUGHS
0:32:06 > 0:32:09Could the reason why Lal has type 2 diabetes
0:32:09 > 0:32:13and Freddie doesn't be traced back to the womb?
0:32:22 > 0:32:24Well, they were both born in India
0:32:24 > 0:32:27and there is no family history of diabetes,
0:32:27 > 0:32:29but there is one crucial difference.
0:32:31 > 0:32:37I was born and brought up in Mumbai, and it is very fast life.
0:32:37 > 0:32:3820 million people.
0:32:40 > 0:32:45I was born in Punjab. My village was small village.
0:32:46 > 0:32:48And life was very simple.
0:32:51 > 0:32:55Like millions of Indians, Lal's life is very different to
0:32:55 > 0:32:56his mother and father's.
0:32:59 > 0:33:01Theirs was a rural existence.
0:33:05 > 0:33:08Life was totally different here and there.
0:33:08 > 0:33:12And over there we were eating all the natural food.
0:33:12 > 0:33:16Rice, some daal, some rotis.
0:33:16 > 0:33:20Some vegetables. Over and over.
0:33:20 > 0:33:22And we was very happy.
0:33:29 > 0:33:33One theory is that if a mum's diet is low in fat, sugar
0:33:33 > 0:33:36and calories, then her growing baby adapts to this.
0:33:40 > 0:33:41It becomes incredibly efficient,
0:33:41 > 0:33:46built to extract as much energy as it can from the little food available.
0:33:57 > 0:34:00The problem comes when you end up living in a very different
0:34:00 > 0:34:03environment to the one you were conceived in.
0:34:04 > 0:34:07Ever since he left the village where he was conceived and grew up,
0:34:07 > 0:34:10Lal's diet has been very different to his parents.
0:34:10 > 0:34:13Much richer in fat, sugar and calories.
0:34:13 > 0:34:16And unfortunately, it is not the sort of diet
0:34:16 > 0:34:19that his body was programmed in the womb to expect.
0:34:22 > 0:34:24If that theory is right,
0:34:24 > 0:34:28then Lal was always more likely to become obese or develop diabetes.
0:34:30 > 0:34:32He certainly fits the studies.
0:34:35 > 0:34:38Freddie's mum, on the other hand, would have been eating a lot
0:34:38 > 0:34:41more calories, living as she did in the busy city of Mumbai.
0:34:43 > 0:34:45Fries with that. Number five, fries.
0:34:46 > 0:34:49Today, his diet is not that different to hers.
0:34:50 > 0:34:55Recently I've been eating Italian foods, pizzas, Spanish food.
0:34:55 > 0:34:57The other day I had Brazilian food.
0:34:59 > 0:35:03Freddie may have been programmed in the womb to expect
0:35:03 > 0:35:04a high-calorie future.
0:35:15 > 0:35:19We are living through the greatest migration in history.
0:35:21 > 0:35:25As people like Lal move from small villages to big cities.
0:35:26 > 0:35:28From poor countries to rich ones.
0:35:31 > 0:35:34Freddie and Lal's stories certainly fit the theory.
0:35:36 > 0:35:40Yet the actual process of how their mother's diet affected them
0:35:40 > 0:35:42in the womb is unclear.
0:35:45 > 0:35:46But there are clues.
0:35:48 > 0:35:51I want to show you something which I think is utterly remarkable.
0:35:51 > 0:35:55What you've got here are a special strain of mice that have been
0:35:55 > 0:35:58bred so they are genetically identical.
0:35:58 > 0:36:02And yet, when you look at them, they look utterly different.
0:36:02 > 0:36:04So how is that possible?
0:36:04 > 0:36:07The only difference is, the little brown mouse,
0:36:07 > 0:36:11has mum was given special supplements during pregnancy.
0:36:11 > 0:36:15These include things like folic acid and vitamin B12.
0:36:15 > 0:36:18The result was that from the earliest stage,
0:36:18 > 0:36:23when, just a few cells big, he was exposed to what are called methyl groups.
0:36:23 > 0:36:26What these methyl groups do is they latch on to the DNA...
0:36:28 > 0:36:32As a result, crucial genes are switched on and off,
0:36:32 > 0:36:37a process called methylation, leading to a normal, healthy brown mouse.
0:36:40 > 0:36:44But the mother of the mouse with the ginger coat
0:36:44 > 0:36:48was not fed these supplements, and the genes remained unaltered.
0:36:50 > 0:36:53The result is, not only is he bigger and fatter,
0:36:53 > 0:36:58but he's also much more vulnerable to diseases like cancer and diabetes.
0:36:58 > 0:37:00So I think that is remarkable.
0:37:00 > 0:37:05Genetically identical mice who are fed exactly the same from birth,
0:37:05 > 0:37:08and the only difference is what their mums were eating
0:37:08 > 0:37:10while they were in the womb.
0:37:23 > 0:37:30I think that diabetes is like the gift I have from America.
0:37:30 > 0:37:33You see, all my sisters and my brothers,
0:37:33 > 0:37:35they're living in India, none of them have diabetes.
0:37:42 > 0:37:43But still, I love America.
0:37:55 > 0:37:59Although we can't say for sure that Lal's diabetes is
0:37:59 > 0:38:02the result of nutrition in the womb, the statistics
0:38:02 > 0:38:05and the mice study strongly point in that direction.
0:38:08 > 0:38:12And all around the world, the hunt is on for other forces which will
0:38:12 > 0:38:13subtly change you in the womb,
0:38:13 > 0:38:17and which will then go on affecting you for decades later.
0:38:32 > 0:38:3617 years ago, this community was thrown into turmoil.
0:38:42 > 0:38:45The people of Quebec in Canada were experiencing
0:38:45 > 0:38:47the collapse of civilisation.
0:38:49 > 0:38:51SIREN WAILS
0:38:51 > 0:38:54Outside was very, very scary.
0:38:54 > 0:38:58We didn't know what was happening, we don't have any radio,
0:38:58 > 0:39:00so we don't have any news.
0:39:02 > 0:39:04WIND HOWLS
0:39:06 > 0:39:10We have no phone, no electricity, so we were alone, very, very alone.
0:39:12 > 0:39:15We didn't see the light at the end of the tunnel.
0:39:15 > 0:39:18It was like a warzone. Warzone.
0:39:30 > 0:39:34They had been hit by a giant ice storm that left a trail of destruction.
0:39:36 > 0:39:39But the landscape wasn't the only thing affected.
0:39:41 > 0:39:43At the time, this boy was in the womb,
0:39:43 > 0:39:47and his family became part of a unique experiment.
0:39:48 > 0:39:52His mum Julie was in her last months of pregnancy with Vincent.
0:40:08 > 0:40:11Julie was one of hundreds of expectant mothers
0:40:11 > 0:40:15trapped by the ice storm, living under extreme stress.
0:40:23 > 0:40:25It's long been wondered whether experiencing stress
0:40:25 > 0:40:30during pregnancy could have a lasting effect on your unborn child.
0:40:34 > 0:40:38There are very few studies in humans on prenatal stress.
0:40:39 > 0:40:43It just would not be ethical to submit a pregnant woman to stress
0:40:43 > 0:40:47to see what effects it has on the children.
0:40:49 > 0:40:53But the ice storm gave Professor Suzanne King
0:40:53 > 0:40:54a precious opportunity to find out.
0:41:05 > 0:41:07I was wondering, "Are we going to have enough wood?
0:41:07 > 0:41:10"Are we going to have enough food?
0:41:11 > 0:41:15"We have no money!" Banks were closed, so what are we going to do?
0:41:17 > 0:41:21You know what's happening, you're alone. You're alone.
0:41:21 > 0:41:22Alone.
0:41:30 > 0:41:34Professor King reasoned that the longer they were without power,
0:41:34 > 0:41:39the more stressed the 176 pregnant mums in the survey would have become.
0:41:41 > 0:41:43At first, I was OK.
0:41:45 > 0:41:48But the morning came and, no electricity, and the evening
0:41:48 > 0:41:52came in, no electricity, and the day after and the day after...
0:41:54 > 0:41:58We were 22 days without electricity.
0:42:06 > 0:42:07The question was -
0:42:07 > 0:42:12would the effects of this stress be passed on to their unborn children?
0:42:14 > 0:42:15That's the day Vincent was born.
0:42:17 > 0:42:19He was 8lb 14oz.
0:42:21 > 0:42:26Here he is about two weeks. Two weeks.
0:42:26 > 0:42:29Professor King had to play
0:42:29 > 0:42:31an extraordinarily long and patient game.
0:42:31 > 0:42:37She took swabs of DNA from the children as they grew.
0:42:38 > 0:42:41Here is Vincent with Santa Claus.
0:42:41 > 0:42:46First at three years of age and then at various stages up until 15.
0:42:46 > 0:42:49That's at four years old, and now at...
0:42:51 > 0:42:5317.
0:42:58 > 0:42:59IN FRENCH:
0:43:12 > 0:43:14STEADY HEARTBEATS
0:43:14 > 0:43:17When Professor King looked at her results...
0:43:19 > 0:43:22..what she found was disturbing.
0:43:22 > 0:43:23RAPID HEARTBEATS
0:43:25 > 0:43:26HORN BLARES
0:43:31 > 0:43:34Whoo! Go, go, go, go, Vincent!
0:43:34 > 0:43:36SHE SCREAMS
0:43:40 > 0:43:43The test on the children's DNA showed that crucial genes
0:43:43 > 0:43:47had been switched on and off.
0:43:53 > 0:43:56And the more days the expectant mum spent without electricity,
0:43:56 > 0:43:59the bigger the effect on their unborn babies.
0:44:01 > 0:44:04And the bigger the impact on their lives as they grew up.
0:44:06 > 0:44:09So, for example, the greater the number of days without
0:44:09 > 0:44:13electricity, the lower the IQ of the child, the lower
0:44:13 > 0:44:20their language development, even the way they played was different.
0:44:24 > 0:44:29Vincent, he had a lot of allergies to dairy food, nuts and seafood.
0:44:29 > 0:44:33And Vincent had problems with language.
0:44:34 > 0:44:37He's seen a therapist for that for about seven years.
0:44:40 > 0:44:42Why is he allergic? Why?
0:44:43 > 0:44:46Nobody in the family had food allergies.
0:44:47 > 0:44:49Nobody have problem to speak.
0:44:54 > 0:44:57A likely explanation is that the stress
0:44:57 > 0:45:00the mothers were experiencing during the ice storm...
0:45:03 > 0:45:07..caused cortisol to be released into their bloodstream.
0:45:07 > 0:45:09- SHE SHOUTS ENCOURAGEMENT - Go, go, go.
0:45:11 > 0:45:15This hormone regulates the body's response to stress.
0:45:18 > 0:45:21It can cross the placenta, into the baby's bloodstream,
0:45:21 > 0:45:23and affect how it grows.
0:45:26 > 0:45:28Whoo-hoo!
0:45:28 > 0:45:31Whooo!
0:45:46 > 0:45:51We still have a long way to go before we completely understand how the
0:45:51 > 0:45:55outside world influences the way that we are built in the womb.
0:45:58 > 0:46:02But Professor King's study showed for the first time that a stressful
0:46:02 > 0:46:05environment affects our genes before we are born.
0:46:21 > 0:46:23We are nearing the end.
0:46:25 > 0:46:28All the vital organs have been built and tested.
0:46:30 > 0:46:31Except one.
0:46:34 > 0:46:38For our entire time in the womb, our lungs lay dormant,
0:46:38 > 0:46:39flooded with liquid.
0:46:43 > 0:46:47Strangely, we practice breathing in anticipation of our first
0:46:47 > 0:46:48air-filled breath.
0:46:52 > 0:46:54SHE INHALES DEEPLY
0:46:58 > 0:46:59SHE EXHALES DEEPLY
0:47:01 > 0:47:04The whole aim of the game is to be as relaxed as possible,
0:47:04 > 0:47:07so no stress, no worry.
0:47:08 > 0:47:11Getting into your own little world, disappearing really.
0:47:16 > 0:47:17You kind of focus inward
0:47:17 > 0:47:21and you get very in tune with what your heart rate is doing,
0:47:21 > 0:47:26what your levels of oxygen are, whether you need to breathe or not.
0:47:31 > 0:47:35Sam regularly pushes her lungs to their absolute limit.
0:47:40 > 0:47:41She is a freediver.
0:47:44 > 0:47:48She can explore the depths of this lake on one single breath...
0:47:48 > 0:47:51for minutes at a time, without coming up for air.
0:47:55 > 0:48:00It's very quiet, it's very peaceful, it can be very beautiful.
0:48:00 > 0:48:03You haven't got your phone to think about, you haven't got any beeps
0:48:03 > 0:48:05or distractions or people calling for you.
0:48:08 > 0:48:11You're in a real moment of peace and serenity,
0:48:11 > 0:48:16you tune in to that nothingness and enjoy that instead of everyday life.
0:48:27 > 0:48:30Our lungs have been growing like branches of a tree,
0:48:30 > 0:48:32and now, just weeks from birth,
0:48:32 > 0:48:35a massive flood of growth hormone is about to
0:48:35 > 0:48:40kick off a transformation that is essential to life after birth.
0:48:51 > 0:48:54Thousands of tiny saccules blossom.
0:49:01 > 0:49:05These are alveoli, the secret to breathing.
0:49:10 > 0:49:12Unless they form properly,
0:49:12 > 0:49:16we will struggle to absorb the oxygen we need to stay alive.
0:49:17 > 0:49:22Oxygen that has to cross from the outside world into our bloodstream.
0:49:27 > 0:49:31I may not be an athlete or indeed as young as Sam,
0:49:31 > 0:49:34but I'm here to challenge her to a competition.
0:49:34 > 0:49:37Put your hands, kind of push your belly button,
0:49:37 > 0:49:40suck the air, try and suck it all the way down as far as you can.
0:49:43 > 0:49:47I'm going to pit my bigger male lungs against her
0:49:47 > 0:49:48smaller female lungs.
0:49:55 > 0:49:58It's a rather basic test, but an effective one.
0:49:58 > 0:50:01Who can hold their breath the longest?
0:50:01 > 0:50:04So you want that last breath to be a really full breath,
0:50:04 > 0:50:07because it's going to last you maybe 15,
0:50:07 > 0:50:1120 times longer than it might do if you're wandering around up here.
0:50:11 > 0:50:14- You think of breathing as quite a simple thing...- Yeah.
0:50:14 > 0:50:16Clearly, breathing is more sophisticated than...
0:50:16 > 0:50:19As long as you breathe, that's the main thing!
0:50:20 > 0:50:22Sam teaches freediving, which is
0:50:22 > 0:50:26very surprising considering what happened early in her life.
0:50:26 > 0:50:29You need to spit in it to stop it fogging up.
0:50:31 > 0:50:35I was born six weeks premature back in 1972.
0:50:35 > 0:50:38And at that stage, six weeks premature was quite severe.
0:50:38 > 0:50:41It's still not that great today, but it was quite a big deal
0:50:41 > 0:50:45in those days and it was quite scary for my parents apparently.
0:50:45 > 0:50:49Being premature meant Sam's lungs couldn't develop
0:50:49 > 0:50:50to their full potential.
0:50:51 > 0:50:56She has far fewer alveoli than if she'd gone to full term.
0:50:58 > 0:50:59In we go.
0:51:03 > 0:51:05Keep hold of the rope and let your face go in,
0:51:05 > 0:51:07and just try and stay there for as long as you can.
0:51:10 > 0:51:13A few basic training tips from Sam and I'm good to go.
0:51:17 > 0:51:19With safety divers on hand...
0:51:22 > 0:51:25..should anything go wrong.
0:51:25 > 0:51:27Surface to Neil, surface to Neil.
0:51:27 > 0:51:29Do you have sight with both divers?
0:52:04 > 0:52:05Woo!
0:52:09 > 0:52:12That's about as much as I think I can handle.
0:52:12 > 0:52:15She's still down there somewhere. I can't see her at all.
0:52:18 > 0:52:23That is pretty amazing because she obviously was born premature,
0:52:23 > 0:52:28her lungs, in theory, should be much less efficient than mine,
0:52:28 > 0:52:30less alveoli.
0:52:32 > 0:52:36I only managed about 40 seconds which is a pretty standard time
0:52:36 > 0:52:39for holding your breath underwater.
0:52:43 > 0:52:46But Sam has certainly demonstrated that she has overcome
0:52:46 > 0:52:49the disadvantages she was born with.
0:52:49 > 0:52:52She has trained herself to the point where
0:52:52 > 0:52:55she can hold her breath underwater for five minutes.
0:52:57 > 0:53:01If you don't really know how far you can go or how long you can stay,
0:53:01 > 0:53:04then sometimes you might overstay your welcome.
0:53:06 > 0:53:09If you get too excited or nervous than your heart starts racing
0:53:09 > 0:53:13and then you need to come up, so you've got to be very in control
0:53:13 > 0:53:16of your thought processes and, to some extent, your body.
0:53:21 > 0:53:25Well done, how are your lungs? That was very good.
0:53:25 > 0:53:28I must admit, I found it quite addictive.
0:53:28 > 0:53:32Good. Maybe we'll see you again, then!
0:53:35 > 0:53:40Sam is living proof that whatever the circumstances of your first breath,
0:53:40 > 0:53:43you can overcome those early obstacles in life.
0:53:44 > 0:53:45Though, having said that,
0:53:45 > 0:53:49there's no doubt that how we develop in the womb profoundly
0:53:49 > 0:53:54influences our body, our personality, in many ways our entire future
0:53:56 > 0:53:59From our first breath, to our last.
0:54:14 > 0:54:17After nine months of development, our bodies are ready.
0:54:21 > 0:54:26We are now made up of more cells than there are stars in the galaxy.
0:54:26 > 0:54:31We are just hours away from having to abandon Mum, go it alone.
0:54:33 > 0:54:34It's the final push
0:54:34 > 0:54:36WOMAN MOANS
0:54:41 > 0:54:45In the womb, we get our life-giving oxygen from our mum.
0:54:47 > 0:54:52Well done, well done, nearly there. Nearly there.
0:54:52 > 0:54:56It crosses the placenta directly into our blood.
0:55:01 > 0:55:06Now, in an instant, a monumental change takes place
0:55:20 > 0:55:24Our lungs must switch from being an unused sack of liquid...
0:55:26 > 0:55:29..to an organ filled with air.
0:55:29 > 0:55:33Big push, Gaby. Big push.
0:55:33 > 0:55:38Another big push, if you've still got a contraction, another big push.
0:55:38 > 0:55:43- Take a breath in and another big push.- Another big push.
0:55:46 > 0:55:51Lovely, that's it. You're doing so well.
0:55:53 > 0:55:55You can see the head.
0:56:01 > 0:56:06- There we go.- Oh, wow! There we are.- Well done, Gaby.
0:56:06 > 0:56:09Oh, my God, that was so good.
0:56:09 > 0:56:12BABY GURGLES
0:56:12 > 0:56:17As we take our first ever breath, our lungs start the lifelong job
0:56:17 > 0:56:22of providing the oxygen we need to survive.
0:56:22 > 0:56:24Oh, little baby.
0:56:24 > 0:56:30One cut of the umbilical cord and you are separated from your mother.
0:56:30 > 0:56:31You've made it.
0:56:31 > 0:56:33Thank you very much.
0:56:34 > 0:56:37And your life outside the womb begins.
0:56:41 > 0:56:47- 3.972. Which is 8lb 12.- Wow.
0:56:50 > 0:56:53MUSIC: One Life by James Morrison
0:56:55 > 0:57:00It's a boy. 8lb 12oz.
0:57:00 > 0:57:04# With so many choices I just Didn't know what to do now
0:57:04 > 0:57:07# Won't let my soul slide away I'll do whatever it takes
0:57:07 > 0:57:09# Cos this time's only borrowed
0:57:09 > 0:57:12# I got one life One life
0:57:12 > 0:57:15# One life and I'm gonna live it
0:57:15 > 0:57:19# I got one life One life... #
0:57:19 > 0:57:22Birth, of course, is just the beginning.
0:57:22 > 0:57:25From now on, we will learn, grow, adapt.
0:57:25 > 0:57:29Our lives will be immeasurably enriched by our relationships with other people.
0:57:29 > 0:57:32But our life before birth will have left an indelible mark,
0:57:32 > 0:57:34it will have laid the foundations
0:57:34 > 0:57:39because in many ways these were the nine months that made us.
0:57:39 > 0:57:45# I got one life, one life One life and I'm gonna live it
0:57:45 > 0:57:48# I got one life, one life
0:57:48 > 0:57:53# One life and I'm gonna live it right. #
0:57:55 > 0:57:59The Open University has produced a poster exploring how the
0:57:59 > 0:58:03process of human development in the womb affects health after birth
0:58:03 > 0:58:05and long into adulthood.
0:58:07 > 0:58:13To order your free copy, please call:
0:58:13 > 0:58:16Or go to:
0:58:16 > 0:58:22Follow links to the Open University.