Babies are fascinating little things, aren’t they? They surprise us and continue to excite us even before they are out in the world. Babies have the reputation of being rather quirky while they are in the womb. Naturally curious and continuously growing, they begin to appreciate sensations very early on. You will be very surprised to know some of these sensations for sure. Who knew babies were so far ahead?

#1 They can hear and even grow to like, music

As you close progress midway in your second trimester, your baby has started to develop pretty strong hearing sensations. Their hearing gets better and develops over time. Studies have shown that babies are capable of retaining memory of the songs that they have heard while in the womb. Music has a soothing effect on babies just as it does on adults. According to a study conducted by the University of Helsinki, there were patterns of recognition observed in babies’ brains after birth to a song/tune that was played frequently during the third trimester. Go ahead and pick a song that you like. Play this frequently enough. You can use this to calm them down after birth.

#2 They know their mommy’s touch

The urge to keep patting or rubbing your belly is very common as the bump gets bigger. Studies have shown that babies respond rather well to this. They know when you rub the belly lightly. They respond in their ways. They could give you a slight kick. Or, they could lean against your hand when you do so. Either way, they enjoy it and so do you. So don’t listen to anyone telling you not to rub your belly during pregnancy! But do let the baby sleep, of course. As the fetus gets older, you will appreciate the response more.

#3 They can sense light

Just like light is faster than sound, your baby’s detection of light is also quicker. At around 15 weeks of pregnancy, the fetus becomes sensitive to the stimulus of light. At this stage, their eyes are still closed. It takes a while for them to open. But if there is a bright light, they will sense it. Even if it is outside your tummy. You can try to elicit a response yourself. See if it works. Just feel the bump to see if they move around! This is how you know that they are responding to the light.

#4 They get hiccups!

Weird? Not at all. Some fetuses develop the sensation of hiccups even before they enter the second trimester. Most commonly, it is experienced during the later stages. What is stranger is, you can feel it too. Whenever they have hiccups, you have spasms in your tummy. These little jolts are nothing to worry about. Sometimes your tummy might do little hilarious jerks. You might even feel that it is you hiccupping. Hiccups in the womb and outside are no reason to worry though. It is completely natural even if it feels super weird.

#5 They taste what you eat

Your sneaky little baby has front-seat access to everything you are eating. Their taste buds develop in the womb. Your baby has been developing taste buds since the ninth week. By the time of the second trimester, you can even start influencing their taste preferences! A very interesting study proved that babies develop preferences based on what their moms eat. Babies whose moms drank carrot juice during the third trimester quite enjoyed carrots while weaning. Mommies, you know what you need to do if you are worried about your little one fussing to munch on those carrots. Get juicing right away!

#6 They feel cold when you drink cold water!

Strange as it may seem, they feel cold when you gulp down cold water. What you consume is streamlined pretty quickly into the uterus, as it happens. This means that the baby will get a splash of the cold pretty soon. This is a good way to check if your baby is doing okay in there. Medical professionals suggest drinking a glass of cold water and observing whenever you feel movements are fewer than you expected. Wait for a bit for the baby to stir. If you don’t feel it, get help soon or call your physician.

#7 They know when you sm0ke, and they don’t like it!

If you haven’t already, here is a very good reason to quit sm0king during pregnancy (other than the obvious). Your baby knows and reacts to it when you sm0ke. Movement scans detected overt discomfort expressed by babies when their moms sm0ked. They appeared to move around uncomfortably and moved their mouths a lot. Besides this, there are very obvious reasons why you should not sm0ke during pregnancy. The most important one is the health of your baby. Also, now is the best time to quit and never look back!

Babies have fascinating lives in the womb that we know quite little about. They can cry, laugh, taste, hear and do so much more. And they aren’t even born yet! Use these insights and apply little tricks that will make parenting slightly easier for you. Start munching on those carrots right away and maybe stay away from chips and candy for just a little while! Also, why not make a playlist of your favorite tunes so that you and your little one can jam to it later!