Pregnancy is as hard as it is beautiful. Nausea, cramps, body sores, joints aches and the list never ends. But amidst all this physical discomfort, there are some amazing things happening inside your womb. As the baby is growing & developing, he/she is experiencing the results of what the mother eats or could just be exploring some biological processes like peeing or hiccuping.

Here are some of the fascinating things your baby does in the uterus.

Tasting the mother’s food: The flavours of what the mother eats can be detected in the amniotic fluid. Especially something pungent, tangy and sweet. Like garlic, ginger, sweets etc. From early as week 15 the baby will show signs of preference to sweet flavours and will avoid tasting when its bitter.

Peeing: The baby starts producing urine by the end of the first trimester. Once the tasting of the flavours amniotic fluid begins, there is digestion and filtering by the kidneys back into the uterus in the form of pee. Sounds icky? Well, get used to it in a matter of nine months everything around you if not inside you will smell of pee! Ultrasound scans of this process can help identify any kind of potential problems in swallowing reflexes.

Breathing: At just 9 weeks, the baby starts perfecting this vital life skill. The umbilical cord which plays the most important role, it provides all the oxygen for the baby. The first breath the baby takes is mainly due to a sudden change in temperature. That why it’s suggested, that when it’s a water birth, the water must be at body temperature when the baby is born, this can delay the first breath until the baby is lifted out of the water.

Smiling: 4D scans & sonographers have discovered that the baby starts practising its winning smile right from week 26. That toothless smile (whenever it happens! ) which makes you feel on top of the world has been the result of weeks & months of practice!

Crying: Well, all’s not always well in the uterus world. Ultrasound technology has observed crying behaviours in the baby, like the trembling of the bottom lip. And though that may make you feel sad, don’t worry, crying is as important a skill to practice like smiling because in the first few months your baby mainly communicates any discomfort through crying.

Bonding: Waiting for your baby to be born to bond with it? Well, you don’t need to wait, your baby has already begun bonding with you. During the last 10 weeks of pregnancy, the babies actively listen to their mother’s voices, they will definitely not understand what you are saying but they’ll identify your tone and will generally associate with that tone after they are born. Just like pets,  they never actually understand the human verbal language but associate our orders to them based on the tone we use! But, of course, enjoy this simple communication with your baby for as long as you can because once they start talking, there’s no listening to you!