"Will the baby be in pain in the womb because of the condition that has been diagnosed? This is very unlikely. Current research shows that the sensory structures are not developed or specialised enough to respond to pain in a fetus of less than 24 weeks. Even after 24 weeks it is difficult to say that the fetus experiences pain, because this, like all other experiences, develops postnatally along with memory and other learned behaviours. Moreover, the environment of the womb is usually protective with the fetus floating in the warm amniotic fluid."