Dear Mr. Licauco,

“Is it possible for my 3-year-old daughter to remember what happened when she was still in the womb?” asked Catherine P.

“She told me she dreamt she was floating inside my tummy, that I was cooking eggs and vegetables, and that she ate them also. This is true because I mostly cooked eggs and vegetables during my pregnancy. Also, she mentioned that she felt hot/burned once inside my tummy. There was this incident when I accidentally burned my tummy with hot water when I was pregnant. She also mentioned that she dreamt how she came out from me. Is this normal for her age, or does she have any psychic ability?”

Well, this is not a common occurrence, but it happens. For example, I read a story years ago about the case of a 3-year-old American baby who was heard by her parents humming an old French folk song. Now, nobody in the household spoke French nor did they know any French song. Then somebody remembered that when the baby was still in the womb, they had a French nanny who used to sing that same folk song.

Babies who remember things while still in the womb must have a photographic (or eidetic) memory and, yes, they also exhibit strong psychic abilities later in life.

Parents should, therefore, be careful when saying things in front of an unborn child. They can hear and remember things, believe it or not. But not only when babies are still in the womb. They should also be careful what they say in front of a newborn child.

I remember the case of a woman who grew up very shy and lacked self-confidence. She felt nobody wanted her and she had difficulty relating to people or making friends.

It was later revealed during a regression session that, when she was born, her parents expressed disappointment because they wanted the first child to be a boy. They expressed such disappointment in front of the newborn child, not realizing the baby could hear what they were saying.

Prenatal programming

There is such a thing as prenatal (i.e., before birth) programming which refers to “the theory that the environment surrounding the fetus during its developmental phase plays a seminal role in determining its disease risk during the later stages.

“The theory originated during World War II, when a German blockade in the Netherlands led to a lack of food supplies, causing the Dutch Famine of 1944-45. The famine caused severe malnutrition among the population, including women in various stages of pregnancy.”

An examination of the impact of lack of nutrition on babies born during and after the famine showed that “over the course of their lives, these children were at greater risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity and other communicable diseases.”

That’s why what a woman eats during pregnancy should be monitored carefully.

But prenatal programming can also refer to the practice of educating the child while still in the womb.

For example, reading books or stories to an unborn child can make the child appreciate reading books later. Listening to classical music can make the child appreciate classical music.

A mother who wanted to make her unborn child good in math used to memorize multiplication tables and solve algebraic problems aloud to make her unborn child appreciate math. And true enough, these children so taught by their parents while still in the womb turned out to be good in mathematics.

Erratum: In my Dec. 22 column about movie actress Anna Marie Gutierrez’s antique dresser, I mentioned that she died in New York in 1990. This is not true. She’s very much alive. I got that fake news from the internet. My mistake was not verifying that news. When my error was pointed out to me, I at once wrote a letter of apology to Anna Marie on her Facebook page, telling her that it was an honest mistake and that no malice was intended.

She graciously accepted my apology and wrote back: “Dear Jaime, it’s all right, no worries! I took the step to have it corrected. I wish you a merry Christmas and a happy New Year! Take care and be safe, Anna.”

My correction and apology and Anna Marie’s reply were not printed last week, because the Lifestyle Section’s pages were closed way ahead due to the holiday season.