The outside noise your baby hears inside the uterus is about half the volume we hear. However, unborn babies may still startle and cry if exposed to a sudden loud noise.
The Fear of Your Stress Harming the Baby
According to most findings, intermittent stress or stress your body gets used to has minimal impact on your unborn child. On the other hand, severe or acute stress may increase the risk of premature birth. Overall, if you tend to get very stressed, find ways to relax.
The most common cause of fetal distress is the fetus not getting enough oxygen. The fetus gets oxygen from you. You breathe oxygen into your lungs, then your blood carries it to the placenta. It's handed off to the placenta and transferred to the fetus's blood.
Fetal movements in utero are an expression of fetal well-being. However, a sudden increase of fetal movements is a sign of acute fetal distress, such as in cases of cord complications or abruptio placentae.
Increased noise levels can cause stress. This can cause changes in a the body that can affect your developing baby. Sound can travel through your body and reach your baby. Very loud noises may be able to damage your baby's hearing.
You and Your Baby's Emotional Connection
Research has shown that, during pregnancy, your baby feels what you feel—and with the same intensity. That means if you're crying, your baby feels the same emotion, as if it's their own.
Stress-related changes in a pregnant woman's heart rate and blood pressure, along with chronic anxiety, can affect the heart rate of her developing fetus, a new study concludes.
Many physicians advise pregnant women to sleep on their left side. Previous studies have linked back and right-side sleeping with a higher risk of stillbirth, reduced fetal growth, low birth weight, and preeclampsia, a life-threatening high blood pressure disorder that affects the mother.
A stillbirth is the death of a fetus in the uterus after week 20 of pregnancy. The reasons go unexplained for 1 in 3 cases. The rest may be caused by problems with the placenta or umbilical cord, high blood pressure, infections, birth defects, or lifestyle choices.
At around 18 weeks of pregnancy, your unborn baby will start being able to hear sounds in your body like your heartbeat. At 27 to 29 weeks (6 to 7 months), they can hear some sounds outside your body too, like your voice. By the time they are full term, they will be able to hear at about the same level as an adult.
Truth be told, they won't feel much of a sensation due to the bath water itself but they will enjoy the sense of relaxation that flows through your body as a result of the soak. Further, you may find the baby squirming around based on the noise of the rushing water.
Some of these symptoms as outlined by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) include lack of fetal movement, low maternal blood pressure, and falling or erratic fetal heart rate.
Fetal movements typically increase when the mother is hungry, reflecting lowered blood sugar levels in the mother and fetus. This is similar to the increased activity of most animals when they are seeking food, followed by a period of quietness when they are fed.
Studies have shown that infants as young as one month-old sense when a parent is depressed or angry and are affected by the parent's mood. Understanding that even infants are affected by adult emotions can help parents do their best in supporting their child's healthy development.
When infants display anger and aggression, it is often due to discomfort, pain or frustration. Older babies will use aggression to protect themselves, to express anger or to get what they want. When your baby is aggressive, it is because he has not learned a better way of behaving.
Research suggests that babies are indeed affected by parental squabbles, and exposure to chronic conflict may affect brain development. Experimental studies confirm that babies can sense when their mothers are distressed, and the stress is contagious.
Ways to bond with your baby during pregnancy
Talk and sing to your baby, knowing he or she can hear you. Gently touch and rub your belly, or massage it. Respond to your baby's kicks. In the last trimester, you can gently push against the baby or rub your belly where the kick occurred and see if there is a response.
Getting to know each other
It may feel like a silly or one-sided conversation, but talking to your baby while they're still in the womb helps you to build a lasting bond. What's more, bonding with your bump helps your baby learn. It's easy to do – and dad can get involved too.
A number of ultrasound and animal studies have shown that the fetus has a circadian pattern that involves increased movement in the evening, and this is likely to reflect normal development.”
Some moms report that a short burst of exercise (like jogging in place) is enough to wake up their baby in the womb. Shine a flashlight on your tummy. Towards the middle of the second trimester, your baby may be able to tell the difference between light and dark; a moving light source may interest them.
A late stillbirth occurs between 28 and 36 completed pregnancy weeks. A term stillbirth occurs between 37 or more completed pregnancy weeks.