An unborn child. photo/conscious-mind.comAs you battle the heartburn, bloating and swollen ankles, here’s what your baby is getting up to in the womb.
Your baby is acquiring a taste for life
Certain foods you eat can be detected in your amniotic fluid. Research shows that strong flavors, such as garlic, anise and ginger; and sweet flavors, are all known to change the flavor of amniotic fluid. From as early as 15 weeks, your baby starts to show a preference for sweeter food – swallowing more amniotic fluid when it’s sweet and less when it is bitterer. She will also get hiccups. These start during the first trimester, although you may only feel them later in your pregnancy.
She drinks her own pee
By the end of the first trimester, your baby starts producing urine. Of course, there is nowhere for this pee to go, except into the amniotic fluid. This is then swallowed, digested, goes through the kidneys, and the process is repeated. And while this may sound truly gross this pee is completely sterile and does your baby no harm.
You never know who is listening
Your baby’s inner ear structures have formed by 16 weeks, allowing her to hear a sound. By 24 weeks, the cochlea, eardrum, ossicles and the rest of the important ear structures have formed. From here on, your baby can hear your heartbeat, as well as you, eating, breathing, walking, exercising, and even your digestive system working. Best of all, your baby can hear you talking. There is some evidence that your baby learns to recognize your voice in the womb, and having your partner talk or read to your belly, will help your baby bond post-birth as well.
She breathes
The umbilical cord is your baby’s lifeline, providing her with the oxygen she needs while developing in utero. However, from nine weeks, she starts practicing her breathing by going through the motions.
Your baby plays with her umbilical cord
If you think about it, from around 28 to 30 weeks, her eyes are open, she can hear, and she has arms and legs so why wouldn’t she want to play? The only “toy” available to her is her umbilical cord. Ultrasounds have found that babies tend to clutch onto their umbilical cords, “playing” with them.