Your Baby Is Getting Some Solid Rest In The Womb

Being pregnant is an odd sensation — you're aware of the growing baby inside of you, but aren't completely sure what exactly he or she is doing at all times. Surely, babies in-utero perform many of the same things a newborn baby does, but what about when it comes to sleep and waking? Do babies sleep in the womb? You might be surprised at just how much your unborn baby acts like a newborn.

According to Parents, unborn babies spend nearly all their time sleeping. By about 32 weeks, they'll spend 90 to 95 percent of the day asleep. Your movements during the day lulls your baby to sleep, which is why you probably notice an increase in movement when you (finally) lay down at night.

Additionally, evidence suggests that babies even dream in the womb. According to Science Daily, researchers at Friedrich Schiller University in Jena, Germany have discovered that the first rapid eye movements are seen in babies around the seventh month of development.

Although it's impossible to monitor exactly what is happening in an unborn baby's brain, researchers guess that these sleep cycles are very similar to what a newborn baby experiences. "Sleep does not suddenly evolve from a resting brain," the article stated. "Sleep and sleep state changes are active regulated processes." Much like the other ways your baby grows and develops in the womb, their sleep patterns develop with them.

You might be wondering if you can guess what kind of sleeper your baby will be based on their movements in the womb. According to Baby Center though, the frequency of your baby's movements isn't an accurate measuring stick for whether or not you'll have a night owl or an great sleeper. Your baby will continue to develop a sleep pattern that will change regularly after they're finally born as well.

It's mind boggling to imagine your little peanut dreaming real dreams before they're even born, but it's also the sweetest vision ever. Sleep on, little one, sleep on.