PREGNANCY AND BIRTH
Curse man for his ingratitude! From what thing
did He create him? From a drop of sperm He created him and proportioned
him. Then He eases the way for him. (Qur'an, 80:17-20)
 The
foetus is fully formed at the end of the sixth month. The womb then
enters the incubation period. All the baby's bodily organs and systems
develop fully during that time, and the womb accelerates this growth
by providing nourishment for the foetus. This period continues until
the baby emerges from the mother's womb.
The birth canal is normally very narrow and it
is difficult for the foetus to pass through it. During birth, however,
a number of physiological changes take place in the mother's body.
These changes allow the foetus to move easily through the birth
canal. Some of these changes include: the expansion of the joints
in the pelvic bones in order to widen the birth canal, the relaxation
of the muscles to further widen the canal and the lubrication of
the canal with amniotic fluid.92
These pre-birth changes are described in one scientific source in
these terms:
As birth approaches, the amniotic fluid embarks
on those activities that will be necessary to facilitate that
birth. This fluid comprises sacs, which will enlarge the mouth
of the womb, thus allowing the womb to assume the dimensions to
allow the baby to pass. These sacs also prevent the foetus from
being crushed in the womb during birth. Furthermore, when the
sacs burst and release their fluid at the commencement of birth,
the path to be taken by the foetus is both lubricated and sterilised.
In this way, birth takes place easier and in a manner naturally
free of germs.93
This series of occurrences is openly indicated in the verse of
the Qur'an, "Then He eases the way for him." (Qur'an,
80:20) However, it has been possible today to determine these physiological
changes-which Allah informed us of 1,400 years ago-only with the
use of a number of technological devices.
92. Kazi, 130 Evident Miracles
in the Qur'an, 96-97.
93. Laurence Pernoud, J’attends un enfant (Paris : Pierre
Horay : 1995), 138.
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