Consciousness in fetuses arrives suddenly. The brain of animal fetuses start out with random individual brain cell firing not in waves such as even adult lobsters have. These fetuses do not move. No reaction to pain or light. Then, suddenly, late in pregnancy, the brain cells start to fire together is waves, and then movement starts, reactions to stimuli start, and a sleep wake cycle starts (not a 24 hour one, but much shorter, the same as newborns). I think most scientific study has been in other mammals like lambs for ethical reasons but no evidence humans are different.
Consciousness in fetuses arrives suddenly. The brain of animal fetuses start out with random individual brain cell firing not in waves such as even adult lobsters have. These fetuses do not move. No reaction to pain or light. Then, suddenly, late in pregnancy, the brain cells start to fire together is waves, and then movement starts, reactions to stimuli start, and a sleep wake cycle starts (not a 24 hour one, but much shorter, the same as newborns). I think most scientific study has been in other mammals like lambs for ethical reasons but no evidence humans are different.
Evolution fine tuned us for consciousness. I don't see it 'just happening' in this way.