You Carry Your Entire Family Inside of You

- The Fascinating Story of Microchimerism, Pregnancy, and the Genius within -

We often speak poetically about the idea of carrying our family with us - through memories, shared traits, or cultural heritage. But science is now showing us that this sentiment might be far more literal than we ever imagined.

In a recent article, evolutionary biologist Francisco Úbeda de Torres shared a striking perspective on microchimerism, saying: “It’s like you carry your entire family inside of you”. His words offer a beautifully visual interpretation of a complex biological process - one that challenges the way we think about our bodies, our pregnancies, and even our identity. A fascinating way to think about microchimerism - the phenomenon where cells from one individual live inside another, often transferred during pregnancy - is as a kind of genetic mosaic woven through families across generations. Our bodies may contain tiny cellular traces not only from our mothers but potentially from older siblings, forming an invisible family network within.

Transgenerational Connection
But the story doesn’t end there. According to emerging research, this cellular exchange can occur across multiple generations. For example, a woman pregnant with her daughter may still carry cells from her own mother. And when that daughter grows up and has children, the microchimeric trail could continue - creating what scientists refer to as transgenerational microchimerism. That means an individual may carry cells from their siblings, their grandmother, and even their aunts and uncles through maternal lines of pregnancy.

Though microchimeric cells often exist in extremely low concentrations - sometimes as few as one in a million - leading some scientists to question their significance, it may be precisely this subtle, almost imperceptible presence that holds their unique power.

Contrary to the notion that they are passive stowaways, many researchers argue that microchimeric cells are active participants - genetically distinct entities within a foreign body, each with its own evolutionary agenda. These cells may influence everything from immune tolerance and the success of future pregnancies to the risk of autoimmune conditions or infections. Some researchers even speculate about their potential influence on behavior and emotional health. If these cells are indeed as influential as some studies suggest, they could be one of the most underappreciated architects of human life.

This mosaic of shared cellular life is more than just a biological curiosity. It opens new doors to understanding how our immune systems function, how certain diseases develop or are prevented, and how deeply we are connected to our family line, quite literally, through the biology of pregnancy. It also offers a new lens for reflecting on the sacred interconnectedness of life in the womb.

Pregnancy is not only a time when one life grows within another - it is also a time of profound dialogue between generations, a cellular conversation between the past, present, and future.

This idea speaks to the deep biological interconnectedness passed on during pregnancy, where life is not simply created but shared, layered, and carried forward through time.


The Unfathomable Intelligence of Life Formation
Yet beyond this genetic exchange lies a far more awe-inspiring and mysterious process - the formation of a human being itself.

Dr. Zach Bush, a physician and researcher, eloquently describes this miracle of creation as something utterly beyond scientific comprehension. Despite our advances in physics, chemistry, and biology, no scientist has fully explained how a single fertilized cell becomes a complete human, with approximately 70 trillion cells, each precisely differentiated and located in a complex 3D blueprint. The information to direct this self-organization is not merely encoded in our DNA - it transcends it. There is no clear blueprint within the cell, no central plan that can account for the astonishing precision and harmony with which a human form emerges.

Dr. Bush reminds us that although we’ve mapped atoms and explored galaxies, not a single scientific theory fully explains how this orchestration happens. The process by which cells “know” how to become a heart, a brain, or a fingertip - how they align, interact, and respond - is beyond anything science has yet decoded. It is, as he says “beyond any human comprehension”.

He calls the birth of life “the greatest technology Earth has ever created” and in a recent interview that humans are not fixed solid matter but rather energetic centers - intense concentrations of light and frequency - that align with a greater map, a universal design of beauty that unfolds moment by moment. Life, then, is not a static state but a continuous dance of energy manifesting as matter. Each breath, each heartbeat, each movement is a momentary physical expression of light - an ongoing miracle of cosmic intelligence taking form.

To witness a child being born, to see them take their first breath, is, in his words, to stand in the physical presence of the genius of the universe in its totality.


Pregnancy: A Divine Act of Surrender
The sacred process of pregnancy is not just biology - it is a divine act of surrender. Dr. Bush reflects on how a woman’s body “blindly” hosts the creation of a new life, engaging in complex, finely tuned mechanisms - such as the role of progesterone in suppressing immune responses - to allow the developing baby to grow undisturbed. These protective functions operate without conscious input, demonstrating how the body yields to the wisdom of life itself.

This surrender - to the creative forces of the universe and the profound mystery unfolding within the womb - defies our modern obsession with control, prediction, and “biohacking.” It invites a deeper trust in the processes that guide us from within, beyond the reach of technology or intellect.

Adding to this sense of mystery, Dr. Joel Evans, an OB/GYN, offers a profound perspective on the holographic nature of pregnancy: “Sometimes, toward the middle of pregnancy, something not correctly completed at the beginning can still be addressed. There is an atemporality to pregnancy. Things can be repaired and changed - even physical defects spontaneously disappear.” He has seen in his own practice how an unborn baby with a malformation early in pregnancy may spontaneously heal as development progresses. Dr. Evans emphasizes that this potential for transformation arises through surrender and trust. And we must reflect that surrender is not a passive state, it’s not just about letting go, but a frequency shift where what once seemed unchangeable can dissolve, revealing the deep healing potential inherent in the pregnancy journey. This deep surrender invites parents to embrace the unknown, to trust in possibility, to embrace the divine script of their baby, and to discover the profound healing potential woven into the pregnancy journey.

You Are Not an Isolated Individual
This profound respect for the creative power of life aligns beautifully with the concept of microchimerism. The tiny genetic “swaps” that occur during pregnancy are physical manifestations of a far deeper truth: that life is a shared, interconnected, and miraculous phenomenon.

We are not isolated individuals but carriers of ancestral life, interwoven with the biology of our mothers, grandmothers, children, and even siblings. Microchimerism reveals that our bodies are living archives of those who came before and those who may come after - a silent symphony of lineage playing out in our very cells.

To truly support pregnancy is to honor this sacred web of connection. It is to recognize the womb not just as a vessel, but as a luminous space of generational exchange, creativity, and profound intelligence.


A Call to Educate and Empower
For those of us in the field of prenatal education and advocacy, this information is not only fascinating - it is empowering. It reminds us that supporting a woman during pregnancy isn’t just about safeguarding her individual experience. It’s about honoring the web of connection that forms in that space - a web that may extend across lifetimes.

When we speak of the importance of respectful prenatal care, maternal emotional well-being, and supported birthing environments, we are acknowledging that pregnancy is not just personal - it is deeply relational. The body of a pregnant woman becomes a gathering place of family history, a living archive of love, biology, and inheritance.


What if we began to educate expecting mothers and health professionals about this?
Recognizing this calls for a radical shift in how we view prenatal health and care, pregnancy, and birth. It urges us to honor women and the womb as a sacred space, to support expecting mothers with integrative and respectful care, and to appreciate that nurturing new life is a societal and spiritual responsibility, not just a medical event.

At Prenatal Alliance, we believe that science, compassion, and ancestral wisdom must walk together. We hold this vision close as we promote awareness of the profound impact of life in the womb on our physical, emotional, spiritual, and social health.

We celebrate the miracle of human development and advocate for care systems and social policies that support mothers and families - because life’s greatest miracle deserves nothing less than our deepest respect and protection.

You do not walk alone. You carry your ancestors, your children, and perhaps even future generations within you. As Francisco Úbeda so beautifully said: “It’s like you carry your entire family inside of you.”

 

 

About the Author
Susana Lopes is the Secretary-General of Prenatal Alliance, an advocate for World Pregnancy Day – March 22, a Prenatal and Postnatal Yoga Teacher, a Pilates Teacher, a Humanized Pregnancy and Birth Advocate, Speaker, and the author of “Yoga e Maternidade”. Her present work includes guiding women to effectively release stress and anxiety from their body and improve their overall health and connection with their baby.