As an expecting mother, have you ever wondered what it’s like in the ᴡᴏᴍʙ for a developing baby? It’s not something you can really remember, but it’s where everyone began their lives.
As you experience bizarre changes in your body because of pregnancy, know that some of those changes are to accommodate your baby in the ᴡᴏᴍʙ.
So what does a typical day feel like in a mother’s belly? You may be surprised by some of the things babies experience.
Sleep – Almost All The Time
Babies are asleep for most of the time that they are in there. When a baby is at about 32 weeks, they sleep a total of 90 to 95 percent of the time. They rarely wake up at all and when they do it’s to stay awake for a bit to process what’s happening, stretch out a bit and kick around before getting tired from all the physical activity and fall asleep again.
Exploring Their Home
Everything is new to them. For the little time that they are awake, they begin to move around and realize that they can move in coordination if they move everything at once.
They begin to appreciate the space that they are in and take in the environment of the uterus. They try to grab hold of things and grasp them to engage and interact with the ᴜᴛᴇʀᴜs that is their world currently. They might figure out soon that if they kick the walls of the ᴜᴛᴇʀᴜs strongly enough, they can experience the sensation of jumping.
They’ll Have A Look Around
Babies start opening their eyes at about the seventh month of pregnancy, though the eyes are fully developed by the fourth month. Even though the eyes are still just formed and barely opening, that doesn’t mean the baby can’t see what’s going on around them.
They will be able to see their own limbs, the inside of the ᴡᴏᴍʙ, the ᴜᴍʙɪʟɪᴄᴀʟ ᴄʜᴏʀᴅ, and more, though they will be viewing it all through ᴀᴍɴɪᴏᴛɪᴄ ꜰʟᴜɪᴅ. Perhaps most interesting is that light is able to penetrate the walls of the ᴡᴏᴍʙ and get to the baby. Even before they are born, babies will begin reacting to light and darkness.
Listening To The Outside World
Around 26 or 27 weeks, babies begin to respond to sound vibrations in the womb, and many of those stimuli a baby hears on a day-to-day basis come directly from the parent. They will hear their parent’s heartbeat, their voice, and the sound of their body functioning around it. By about 30 weeks, they will begin to hear sounds outside the ᴡᴏᴍʙ, such as other voices and music. They will be able to recognize some of those sounds once it’s outside the ᴡᴏᴍʙ.
They Do Typical Outside Baby Things
Even before the baby exits the ᴡᴏᴍʙ, they’ll be prepping for life on the outside. Because the motor skills really start working in the last trimester, babies will start doing basic activities that all babies do. They won’t be able to suck yet, because that reflex isn’t fully formed, but that doesn’t stop them from putting their thumb in their mouth as if they’re sucking on it.
They’ll grab things around them, including parts of their body, and will squirm and fidget to try to find comfortable positions. They will even practice facial expressions, such as frowning and smiling, as 4D scans of babies in ᴜᴛᴇʀᴏ have shown.
They Taste What You Eat
While it’s true that the baby will be getting food through the ᴘʟᴀᴄᴇɴᴛᴀ and some nutrients through the ᴀᴍɴɪᴏᴛɪᴄ ꜰʟᴜɪᴅ, that doesn’t mean they aren’t developing a sense of taste. Not only does the ᴀᴍɴɪᴏᴛɪᴄ ꜰʟᴜɪᴅ carry particularly strong flavors, but the baby is developed enough by the third trimester to recognize whether food is bitter, sweet, sour, or even garlicky.
They’ll also show signs of enjoying some foods more than others. There is also evidence that babies prefer certain foods depending on what’s given to them while they’re in the ᴡᴏᴍʙ.