At the beginning of the second trimester, some of your unborn baby's senses are already coming into play. Did you know that by then your baby can taste, feel and hear? So how you feel, your little one feels too. What you eat or drink, your little one also tastes. Music, your voice or other outside noises can already be perceived by your baby from week 20. Magical, right? In this blog we will go deeper into these three perceptions and how your baby experiences them. But one thing is for sure: a happy and healthy mommy is a happy baby!
Trials
As early as week 12, taste buds can be found on your unborn baby's tongue. This means that he can already taste different flavors. He does this by taking sips from the amniotic fluid. And the taste of the amniotic fluid is in your control as a mom. Everything you eat or drink is reflected in some way in your baby. So the more varied your diet, the broader your baby's palette will be once he is born. For example, do you have a penchant for sweet foods and drinks? If so, there's a good chance that your baby will also gravitate towards sweet foods later in life (People and Health, ed.).
Effects of certain food and beverages
As mentioned above, everything you eat or drink has an effect on your baby. Mothers who continue to drink alcohol during pregnancy are more likely - in addition to the negative effects on growth development - to have the baby. Snacking mothers during pregnancy often have an overweight child later on. Are you a fish lover? Good, that contributes to the development of your little one's motor skills. Are you a meat lover? You can, but watch your intake. Your baby can be stressed by this (Human and Health, s.d.).
Feeling
The emotions you feel, your unborn baby also feels with the same intensity. You are his support and the contact person with everything that happens outside the belly. The emotional state of the mom affects the baby before and after birth. They feel and experience everything the mother feels and experiences. The mother's emotional state is passed on to the little one through the placenta. From sadness and depression to great moments of happiness. Therefore, it is important that you as a mother balance your emotions and take lots of rest. In this way, your baby will have all the peace and freedom to develop in the right way in your belly. So throw your fears and sadness out the door and go for happiness, because that is what your little one is going to feel (Veerhuis, 2018)!
Effects of depression
Depression in the mother can have unpleasant consequences for the development of the little one. In the long term, depression during pregnancy can lead to neurological and psychiatric problems in the child. For example, the baby may become easily anxious or stressed growing up. So our tip: take good care of your mental health during pregnancy (Veerhuis, 2018).
Hearing
It is healthy to talk to your baby. At first this will feel a little strange, but at some point it will be the most normal thing in the world. And that's a good thing! Your baby's hearing starts to develop quietly from about week 20 of the pregnancy. From then on your little one can listen to your heartbeat, hear the rumbling of your stomach, hear your or your voices, and also hear the loud noises from outside the belly. From week 24 your little one also starts to recognize sounds. He can respond to certain music or to the emotion in your voice (Pregnancy Portal, 2020
Fun to try: Hold your head under water in the bathtub and have someone talk to you. Retrieved from
this way your little one perceives the sounds from the belly.
Effects of music
They sometimes say that a baby is born more intelligent if exposed to classical music during pregnancy. This is sometimes called the Mozart Effect. However, this is not true. However, it turns out that babies in the womb experience exposure to classical music as pleasant and even after pregnancy they recognize these sounds and can become calmer. Loud music such as hard rock they find less pleasant and can therefore become restless in the belly (Pregnancy Portal, 2020).
Making even more powerful contact
Because your unborn baby's senses are coming on at an early age, you can still connect more powerfully with him or her. There is, of course, plenty of time after delivery, but above all, take your time to transmit your love through sounds, feelings and a healthy diet. All of these will have a positive effect on your little one's development.
Sources:
Man and Health. (s.d.). How does what mother eats affect the baby in the womb? InfoNow. Accessed August 23, 2021, from https://mens-en-gezondheid.infonu.nl/kinderen/36896-welke-invloed-heeft-wat-moeder-eet-op-de-baby-in-de-buik.html
Veerhuis, M. (2018, April 26). What your baby feels when you cry in grief during pregnancy. You're Mom. https://jebentmama.nl/zwangerschap/wat-je-baby-voelt-als-je-van-verdriet-huilt-tijdens-de-zwangerschap/
Pregnancy Portal. (2020). When and what can your baby hear in the womb? What are the effects of this? https://www.zwangerenportaal.nl/zwanger/wanneer-en-wat-kan-je-baby-horen-in-de-buik-wat-zijn-de-effecten-hiervan