Life
The world from inside a uterus must be a very different place, right? I mean, think about it; It's dark; You're practically swimming; You're all bunched up in a little ball with no room to go anywhere and you can hear these strange things all around you. I mean, when you stop and think about it you can't help but wonder what your baby is thinking when you're pregnant, right? Like, you guys, this just can't be me. There's no way I was the only woman in the world wondering what was going on in her baby's head while my bladder was being pushed on.
I wish there was a way to remember what it was like inside the womb. I think a developing baby's thoughts would be nothing if not interesting. Think about it, babies have never been exposed to the outside world. They don't know what light and dark are, what hot and cold are, what people are or what animals are. I really think it would be incredible to know what they were thinking before being exposed to everything.
OK, OK, there's no way to know what my baby, or any baby, is thinking when they're inside the womb. However, my fiancé never missed an opportunity to narrate our daughter's experience from inside my belly when I was pregnant. Some of his narrations would even make me laugh so hard I almost peed. Every baby has different "experiences" based on what his/her parents expose them to, of course, and my partner's narrations were just hilarious conjecture, but here are a few things I'd like to think my daughter was thinking when I was pregnant:
"This Must Be The World's Smallest Swimming Pool!"
We don't normally think of a uterus as a tiny swimming pool, but really, isn't that basically and exactly what it is? Our baby is just chillin' in some liquid and kicking and doing flips and, well, basically knows how to swim. No wonder so many babies enjoy getting in the pool after they're born.
"Oh, That Weird Muffled Noise Is Nice. Maybe."
"Oh what a beautiful sound! Wait. Um. Maybe not. What is that?" Many people sing to their babies, whether they have a professional singing voice or not. Sometimes the sound might be pleasant but, well, other times maybe not so much.
Now, that's not to say that singing to your child is ever a bad thing. There is a great debate as to whether introducing your child to music before birth ensures a smarter child. However, many parents have found that it's good to expose your child to music of all types (musical instruments, singing, your favorite '90s CD) regardless of the quality of music, because it can help soothe them while in the womb. Not so confident in your musical ability? Don't worry about it. Your baby won't care in the least. Remember, they don't know what professionals sound like yet!
"Whoever Is Rubbing That Belly I'm In Better Be Prepared To Give Me Back Rubs When I Get Out!"
Now, this might be pretty specific and, therefore, not applicable to every baby, but it's definitely true for both myself and my daughter. My dad used to pat my mom's belly when she was pregnant with me, and my fiancé did the same when I was pregnant with our daughter. Both my daughter and I love having our backs rubbed (even to this very day) and I have no doubt that this very specific kind of early spoiling has something to do with it.
"Is This An Earthquake? Is That Why Things Are Wobbly?"
This was my fiancé's favorite thing to say any time I laughed because my belly looked like Santa Clause's bowl full of jelly, bouncing up and down and all around. Of course, saying this would only make me laugh harder, which shook my belly more and probably made another mini-earthquake for my daughter to enjoy. It's easy to understand why all this shaking could make a baby dizzy and make him/her wonder what in the world is going on out there!
"Whoa This Super Secret RolIer Coaster Is So Fun!"
So truthfully, this may not apply to everyone, but it may apply to some. It definitely was something I, personally, experienced. I wasn't aware of my pregnancy until close to eight weeks. As a result, I followed through with personal plans to visit Walt Disney World and ride all my favorite rides: Space Mountain, Expedition Everest, Big Thunder Mountain, I mean, you name it and I went on it. I have no doubt that this is partially why my daughter loves to always be on the move and to be thrown up in the air and anything else that simulates the motion of a roller coaster.
"A Stranger! From The Outside! Oooooh!"
Lots of people talk to babies during their pregnancy, right? However, they don't do it every hour of every day. I can't imagine how odd it must be to suddenly hear a muffled voice from "the outside." In fact, I picture the the little green alien men from Toy Story when a new toy is introduced to them. To your baby, it may only sound like a muffled noise, but when he/she is born, it may be a noise that they recognize if they heard it a lot. By recognizing the noise, your baby may tend to pay more attention to the person with that voice and be more soothed by him/her.
"All That Food I'm Getting Now? Yeah, I Want More Of That, Please."
Ever have something to eat and then a little later, your baby kicks and moves around a lot until you eat more of it? Well, my daughter did that. Like, a lot. I guess that was her way of saying, "Mom, I liked that food! I want more of it! Don't give me anything else once I'm out of this cave." Too bad she couldn't have any of it for about a year or more after she was born.
"Mom, Make More Room For Me!"
When your baby is in the first trimester, or even two, this probably isn't much of a problem because they do still have space to stretch out and they're not that large in size. However, as you near the end of your pregnancy, you probably have reached the maximum space your body can stretch, and your baby isn't done growing yet! I know my daughter definitely was yelling at me to make her more room so she wasn't so bunched up. Her way of telling me this? Climb up in my rib cage to stretch out and not move. I swear I have a permanent bruise on the inside of my ribs where she pushed against me constantly.
"What Is This Strange Noise Escaping Me?"
Ever feel your baby get the hiccups? It's a strange feeling, isn't it? I don't know my daughter's reaction before she was born, but I assume it would be something of confusion and either laughter or anger. I can say that after she was born and was tired of getting them, it was definitely anger. Why not the same reaction inside the womb? After all, it is a strange, unusual noise and sensation, even for adults.
"Oh No, I'm Cousin Itt!"
Some babies are born with lots of hair, some with a little hair, and some completely bald. Nothing is wrong with having a lot, little, or no hair, but what do you think your baby is thinking when all of a sudden this tiny strand of something starts falling down around their face, their ears, their neck, or even just forming on their body? I freak out when I find a strand hair somewhere on my person, so I can only imagine a baby is somewhat taken aback.
"Is That Noise A Drum?"
"Thump thump, thump thump, thump thump." The sound of your heart. The sound only your baby knows, and a special thing only the two of you can share. What is that noise to your baby, though? It could be anything: a drum, a heartbeat, thunder, a bunny rabbit stomping its foot. They don't realize it yet, but that's the heartbeat of their loving mother. It might be muffled, yes, but studies show that the baby's heartbeat slows when he/she hears their mother speaking, a sign that they recognize their mother's voice and are calmed by it.
"I Don't Know You Yet, But I Love You"
The sweetest thing I could always feel from my daughter was a special message that didn't take any particular motion or any particular poking for me to feel it. It was my daughter saying, "I love you Mom." No explanation necessary. Somehow, you just know that this is what they're saying, through all the hiccups, all the pushing on your sides and all the kicks to your bladder, you know this is what they are saying.
