For You From The Word
You knit me together in my mother’s womb. (Psalm 139:13, NIV)
For You To Think About
An unborn baby’s fingerprints are set in place by the end of the first trimester (13 weeks.) No two sets are alike, even in identical twins or multiples.
God allows fingerprint ridges to form uniquely through the baby’s genetics, her activity, and the environment provided by the mother. That’s why each set is unique.
It happens as the middle layer of skin on finger pads – the basal layer – grows faster than inner and outer layers, thereby folding, crumpling, and bulging the finger pads in several directions.
Simultaneously, baby’s position, her activity while bumping and moving in utero, and the content of the surrounding amniotic fluid swirling around the finger pads at any given moment determine how every individual fingerprint ridge forms, according to Dr. Michael Roizen of the Cleveland Clinic. Since patterns are formed beneath the outer skin layer, they cannot be altered by superficial injuries.
Because the baby’s genetic wiring, his activity, and the makeup of the mother are all different, “There is virtually no chance of the same exact pattern forming twice,” says Dr. Roizen. Each person’s unique set of fingerprints make them one of our most reliable means of individual identification.
By the time the unborn is six months old her fingerprints and footprints are fully developed.
For You To Pray
Heavenly Father,
I praise You for the uniqueness of each baby. By looking at our fingerprints we see how You knit each individual together in a one-of-a-kind way. Remind each mother of that uniqueness … and her irreplaceable contribution to that new life.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.