Even whilst they are in the womb, a baby can begin to build a bond with the people who love them. From about 16 weeks babies can hear their mum's voice, and by about 20 weeks they start to get to know other familiar voices too.
Sensory and brain mechanisms for hearing are developed at 30 weeks of gestational age, and the new study shows that unborn babies are listening to their mothers talk during the last 10 weeks of pregnancy and at birth can demonstrate what they've heard.
While in your womb, your baby will hear and feel the vibrations of your voice every time you speak to anyone. They will have learnt to recognise and be comforted by your voice by the time they're born, even if you don't speak to them directly4.
The good news, though, is that the sound of you talking, reading, or singing can help your baby become familiar with your voice and bond to you. Studies have found that the sound of her mother's voice can raise a developing baby's heart rate. Your voice, more than others, transmits most clearly to the womb.
Even before your baby is born they get to know the sound of your voice—and the feeling of being wrapped up in your love.
"Overall results suggest that maternal touch of the abdomen was a powerful stimulus, producing a range of fetal behavioural responses," the researchers write. Scientists have studied how unborn babies respond to their mothers' voice, but whether, how and when they're affected by touch was much more of a mystery.
Researchers have discovered babies as early as 21 weeks gestation show a response to their mother's touch from the outside. In this study, researchers used ultrasound and watched fetal movements and heart rate increase when the belly was rubbed.
Bonding before birth
Your baby can hear you from at least 16 weeks, and perhaps earlier. Babies hear their mother's voices most clearly, but anyone can talk and sing to them – your baby will love to hear from anyone. This helps your baby: to get to know voices, which will help them feel safe and secure.
And the bonus? Baby may start to know when their father is touching mom's belly. Babies can sense touch from anyone, but they can also sense when touch (and voice) is familiar. And by 24 weeks into pregnancy, dad can usually feel baby kick – but the exact time varies.
Just like how babies respond to their mother's touch or voice, they respond to their mother's laughter too. When we laugh, a series of 'feel good' hormones are released. These hormones not only make a mother happy but a baby too. And listening to their mother's cackle is probably an added bonus.
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. During the gestational period, your baby is preparing themselves for life in the outside world.
Benefits of emotional health during pregnancy
When you feel happy and calm, it allows your baby to develop in a happy, calm environment. However, emotions like stress and anxiety can increase particular hormones in your body, which can affect your baby's developing body and brain.
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.
For starters, babies will learn to speak more slowly than if you did talk to them. Not speaking with your children means their vocabularies will be smaller. Not conversing with your children also means that you're spending less time paying attention to and interacting with them.
Background. 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.
Can a pregnant woman sneeze out her baby? No. A baby will not be born because a pregnant woman sneezes. While some people may joke about fast childbirth, even those who deliver their babies quickly still go through the labor process.
The good news is that while it may be annoying, coughing alone won't hurt baby, says Kjersti Aagaard, MD, a professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital. And, no, it won't cause you to go into labor either.
During pregnancy the ligaments can become long and taught and may pull on nerve fibers, especially with sudden changes of position or movement. The further along in pregnancy, these activities may trigger round ligament pain: Coughing, sneezing, laughing. Standing or moving for sustained amounts of time.
For some moms-to-be, constantly touching, patting, rubbing and holding their belly can be soothing. For others, it's a way to feel close to the baby inside.
eat healthily and avoid rich, spicy and fatty foods. cut back on drinks with caffeine (like tea, coffee and energy drinks) sit up straight when you eat.
Can baby feel when I rub my belly? Yes! Baby's brain and nerve endings have now developed enough that they can sense touch, which means they'll feel your hand pressing gently on your 22 week baby bump. Baby may even respond by pressing back—cool!