Take a look at that beautiful tummy! ‘What precisely goes on in that huge ball of protruding flesh?’ you must be thinking. Is the baby simply ‘chilling’ in there, having his little kickboxing workouts at 3 a.m. at midnight, or is there something more going on?
The miracle of life begins way before you hear the first cry of a baby struggling to cope with the overwhelming new world. As your baby grows within your womb, it goes through various stages of development.
Your womb is their tiny, fluid home for nearly 49 weeks, and your little one can get quite comfortable in there. Here are some things that babies often do in the womb that can be both amazing and rather weird!
Pregnancy is probably one of the best experiences in the life of a mother. Despite all the discomforts, sleepless nights, nauseous mornings and endless hospital visits, the moment you think about your little bundle of joy, it’s hard to not smile & light up with joy. Every week, your baby grows and learns a little bit more. Isn’t it fascinating to speculate about what your kid has been up to while in your womb? Are you curious about what a baby does in the womb? Continue reading!
- Babies Cry in There!
Research has incidentally displayed that there is significant evidence to believe that babies do cry way before they are brought out into the world. Now, crying, in its simplest form, seems to be the plain annoying screeching that happens after birth.
If you just had a minor heartbreak reading this, don’t worry! Crying is an important function for babies as they must cry right after they’re born, to indicate that oxygen has reached their brains and they are healthy. Moreover, until they learn to speak, they use crying as a communication tool so perfecting it in the womb is good for them! Many studies have shown that unborn babies even display a quivering bottom lip while crying in the womb!
Moreover, this also means that your baby knows that the stimulus is negative. In other words, they know something bad is happening.
- They enjoy music and other comforting sounds
In the study, some babies had a popular nursery rhyme played to them frequently. After they were born, the babies displayed recognition for this particular song, evident by their increased brain activity.
Other studies have also shown that babies in the womb are comforted by a story or poem being read to them repeatedly by their mothers. Talk to your baby and bond with them. They can indeed hear you, even if they can’t understand you.
- They taste what you eat and smell what you smell!
The flavors of some food items that expecting moms consume can be discovered in the amniotic fluid. Flavors like ginger, garlic, anise, and sweet have been proven to change the “taste” of amniotic fluid for babies. Some scientists also hold a notion that this is a natural way of preparing the child for various flavors he is going to eat after being born.
The personal favorites of your unborn baby will be sweet flavored foods as every time you consume something sweet, he will swallow more amniotic fluid. That’s why some mommies also believe that what you eat during pregnancy, those foods – the child grows up to enjoy more.
- Thumbs Up – Quite literally!
Thumb sucking is the mini-favorite hobby, and they don’t waste any time getting started. On an ultrasound, infants may be seen sucking their teeny-tiny fingers.
The intriguing aspect is that the hand your kid favors for their favorite hobby (thumb-sucking) might be a clue to their left/right-handedness. If you’re wondering if you can tell if someone is ambidextrous, the answer is no.
Thumb sucking usually continues even after the baby is born, and it is considerably fine during the earliest years of their growth and development out in the open world.
- They smile, AND they bond
Smiling is something that we learn right from the womb; after all, it is another essential life skill. Sonographers have proven with the help of 4D scans that unborn babies begin practicing the art of smiling from around the 26th week of pregnancy. So if you’ve been waiting to see the toothless gums of your newly-born munchkin, your wait is almost over, as your baby will soon shower you with that heart-warming smile. Isn’t it wonderful to know that the baby is already practicing how to spread joy? In the list of many surprising things, smiling is one of the things that a baby does in the womb.
- They hiccup inside the womb
Upon noticing rhythmic movement in the womb, it is not ʙɪᴢᴀʀʀᴇ to think that the maybe might be kicking or moving around. However, if the movement is unusually rhythmic, it could be a sign of your baby hic-hic-hiccuping inside the womb.
During the first few weeks of life, your baby might learn to hiccup. However, because your baby’s hiccups may be very subtle, you may not notice them until the latter weeks of pregnancy. While some women may not experience their baby’s hiccups throughout pregnancy, others may experience them on a regular basis later on.
- Babies possibly visit the dreamland too
Although the research on fetuses and the possibility of them dreaming is limited, given how difficult it can be to study such a phenomenon up close, a few researchers think it’s possible!
Some researchers are of the opinion that your baby may be having their first dream while still inside the womb. So grab that baby blanket, and put on that slow song to snuggle your baby up even though you can’t put him to sleep on your own.
- It is a sticky mess of hair in there
The fetus is coated in lanugo throughout the second trimester of pregnancy. This is a fine hair covering that covers the whole body of the fetus. To top it off, they’re coated with vernix, a waxy material that’s thick, oily, and cheesy in texture. The lanugo is lost later, and the vernix protects the infants’ fragile skin within the womb.
- Yawning
Cooped up inside your womb, things can get pretty boring for your little bundle of joy. Moreover, growing & developing is one big tiring task.
It’s possible that the idea of your kid ᴘᴇᴇing inside you isn’t the greatest thing you’d want to know! Especially when you’re in the middle of a series of toilet excursions. However, you must become accustomed to your infant ᴘᴇᴇing since it will soon be all over your bed, sofa, and every other surface. By the 12th week, infants begin ᴘᴇᴇing in the womb in order to master this important ability and discharge waste. Pregnancy is quite the rollercoaster of growth and development for you and your baby, loaded with surprises and joy. For more such fascinating insights into this wonderful ᴘᴇʀɪᴏᴅ of your life, check out our other posts as well!
