Have you ever wondered what your baby is actually doing inside the womb? From those first tiny movements to the unmistakable kicks of the third trimester, babies are much busier before birth than you might imagine.
Long before you meet them, your baby is developing their senses, practising important skills and even becoming familiar with the world outside the womb.
Here are 11 incredible things babies can do in the womb that might surprise you.
1. They can hear your voice
Babies begin responding to sounds during pregnancy, including noises from inside your body and, later, sounds from the outside world.
As their hearing develops, familiar voices become part of their environment. By the time they're born, babies can already recognise familiar sounds, including their parent's voice.
So all those conversations you've been having with your bump haven't necessarily been one-sided!
2. They can taste flavours
Your baby's taste buds develop during pregnancy, and flavours from the foods you eat can make their way into the amniotic fluid surrounding them.
This means your baby gets some of their earliest experiences of different flavours before they've even taken their first mouthful of milk.
3. They can get hiccups
Those little repetitive movements you feel might not be kicks at all. Babies can hiccup in the womb, and some parents notice them regularly during pregnancy.
They can feel like a series of small, rhythmic jerks coming from the same area of your bump.
4. They practise swallowing
Babies swallow small amounts of amniotic fluid while they're developing. This is a normal part of pregnancy and helps them practise skills they'll need after birth.
By around 20 weeks, babies are already able to swallow, despite still having months of development ahead of them.
5. They can suck their thumb
One of the sweetest things sometimes spotted during an ultrasound scan is a baby sucking their thumb.
But it isn't simply a cute habit. Sucking in the womb helps develop the sucking reflex they'll rely on for feeding once they're born.
6. They develop their own pattern of movement
As pregnancy progresses, babies begin to establish individual patterns of activity. Some seem particularly active in the evening, while others choose the moment their parent gets into bed to start wriggling!
According to the NHS, most people begin feeling their baby move between 16 and 24 weeks of pregnancy. Movements might initially feel like swirling or fluttering before developing into more obvious kicks and jerks.
You can read more in the NHS guidance about your baby's movements.
7. They sleep and wake
Babies don't stay awake throughout pregnancy. They develop periods of sleep and activity while they're still in the womb.
Interestingly, this doesn't necessarily match your own routine. You might spend the day walking around without noticing much movement, only for your baby to become noticeably active when you lie down in the evening.
8. They can react to loud noises
As hearing develops, babies can respond to sounds from outside the womb. A sudden loud noise may cause a baby to startle, move or kick.
Later in pregnancy, they may also become familiar with frequently heard voices, music and other everyday sounds.
9. They can sense light and dark
The womb might seem like a completely dark environment, but small amounts of light can pass through.
Babies begin noticing differences between light and dark during pregnancy, and by around 28 weeks they can open their eyes.
Their eyesight still has a lot of developing to do after birth, but the foundations of vision are already being built.
10. They practise breathing movements
Your baby doesn't breathe air in the womb because oxygen is supplied through the placenta and umbilical cord.
However, babies make movements that resemble breathing. These practice movements help prepare the muscles they'll need once they take their first breath after birth.
11. They can recognise familiar sounds before they're born
Perhaps one of the most incredible parts of development in the womb is that babies are already learning.
By late pregnancy, they have spent months surrounded by the rhythms of your body and increasingly exposed to voices and sounds from outside it. Familiar sounds heard regularly during pregnancy may therefore already be recognisable after birth.
It means the process of getting to know your baby can begin long before you actually meet them.
A quick note about baby movements
While kicks, rolls and wriggles can be fascinating, movements are also an important indicator of your baby's wellbeing.
There isn't a set number of movements every baby should make each day. Instead, the NHS advises getting to know your baby's usual pattern. If your baby is moving less than usual, you cannot feel them moving, or their normal pattern changes, contact your midwife or maternity unit immediately rather than waiting until the following day.
Final thoughts
From tasting flavours and sucking their thumb to hearing familiar voices, an incredible amount of development takes place before a baby is born.
Pregnancy might sometimes feel like nine months of waiting, but for your baby it's an extraordinarily busy time.
If you know someone currently enjoying this exciting stage, you can also browse our mum-to-be gifts.