Yes, you are eagerly waiting for your little one to show up so that you can experience what motherhood is like and nurture your new little soulmate in the best way possible. Incomparable to any other, the bond between a mother and baby is nothing short of unique and extremely pure. However, what many new mothers don’t realize is that pregnancy is the optimal time to begin bonding with your baby and establishing the connection of a lifetime. When your baby is in the womb, they undergo several developmental changes and each stage presents a new opportunity for you to bond with them.

Before you look into methods to bond with your baby, you need to understand what they can experience and appreciate while they are in your uterus. They begin to develop one sense after another and it is using these senses that you will establish a bond with them.

Talk and sing to your baby! They can hear you

Your baby can start to listen to sounds and will actively hear your heart beating and all the sounds your bowels make as different bodily functions occur. When they are as young as 18 weeks old, they can only hear sounds of events that take place within your body.

Another eight weeks later, they can slowly start identifying sounds from outside your body as well. Have normal conversations with your baby and let them get to learn your voice and accent, as well as your language. You can also sing to them and try putting them to sleep when they are extra active in there. If singing to them puts them to sleep before birth, this will likely work after birth as well.

Introduce them to different sounds

Babies tend to have a good memory of the different sounds that they listen to and can distinguish them from other sounds after birth. For example, babies who are used to listening to alarm clocks are not as startled as others who are introduced to the sound of one only after birth. Similarly, they tend to remember certain kinds of music that are played to them when they are in the womb. 

You don’t have to sing to them directly all the time, you can play music to them and figure out what kind of music they like as well. lullabies are a good way to get them to sleep both in and out of the womb.

Get touchy!

Your baby knows very well when you are up and about because they tend to get rocked inside as your body moves around. This puts them to sleep faster. They tend to start feeling things around the beginning of the second trimester and respond to sensations of pain earlier than that of others. Rubbing your hand over your belly slowly can help calm them down as well. 

When your baby kicks around, respond to them gently by pushing back and seeing if they notice. Rub your belly around the area where they just kicked and see if they do it again.

Teach your baby your language!

During the late stages of pregnancy, studies have displayed that babies can appreciate language as well. They tend to have an ability to grasp the languages that they have heard before they were born much quicker than others that they are introduced to later.

It is very important to note that not every baby is the same and you cannot expect a textbook response from them all the time. Every pregnancy is unique, and you will figure out your bonding methods through trial and error mostly.