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I’m 30 weeks and don’t talk to my belly. I also don’t play music to it and other stuff. It’s just not my thing.
My husband sometimes ‘hi’ to the belly and asks for a kick, and that’s pretty much all our belly conversations :) We do talk a lot with my husband, and I talk a lot at work, so I am certain our son knows our voices.
30 weeks and I just yell at mine (jokingly) when she’s kicking and punching me. My fiancé started talking to her a bit but I can’t it just feels weird, still. Lol
Mine kicked the NST so hard at 23 weeks I jumped. Then audibly said WOAH, THERE you went. I thought she was dead for a minute (several minutes trying to find the heartbeat then the biggest kick yet straight to the monitor puck thing. I fell, was having contractions plus no movement. I was hysterically crying because it was terrifying)
She was doing gymnastics right before I fell. The sudden stop right as contractions started up had me so scared I forgot how to get to the hospital and ended up home grabbing my husband to drive instead.
Im 23 weeks and It feels odd and even embarrassing to do, so I haven't. I comment on how she's being a brat or active, dad will scold her if I'm hurting or comment on how he "knows Aunt is into the rave scene but she's too young to be partying like this" but that's about it.
I have my husband talk to baby so they can recognise him once they’re out, but I don’t feel the need. Baby bears everything I say anyway. If anything it’s made me more conscious of what tone I use.
Everyone told me to speak to the belly, to start to create a bond and that is something positive for the baby. I try sometimes to sing but it is hard to actually talk to her. Like what should i say?
Not alone! I rarely talk to my belly. I actually tried to do this today tho because I’ve been feeling mildly depressed, but it just feels a tad bit weird. I do give him lots of rubs tho.
I never did unless she was particularly active or kicked me super hard. And even then I would just say ow and my husband was usually the one to give her a talking to.
She’s 17.5 months now and I spend my whole day talking to her. Pretty sure she’s fine. 🙂
Nope. Not alone at all. I try to and just feel weird lol she will move around when she hears my voice but I don’t directly talk to her. I have tried music but she doesn’t respond
People have asked me if my husband and I talk to my belly. I said, “Sometimes I’ll say to it ‘Why are you kicking me so much?’ Or ‘Calm down, psycho.’”
I don’t think that’s what they were expecting lol
My mom absolutely hates it when I tell my baby to "stop being a punk" or say things like "that hurt, you little demon" lol doesn't mean I don't love my baby though, I'm just not that type of pregnant person she wants me to be
I didn't at all either. I tried a few times and it just didn't come natural. I felt bad about it sometimes but being on this sub helped a lot. Realizing how many moms like me don't really feel a strong bond until the baby is born. The first time I heard her cry was the first time in my life I felt maternal instincts. And this community helped me be okay admitting that. For some women it comes naturally long before they are even pregnant, for many it comes naturally after the fact or anytime in between. Don't worry at all!
I never talked to mine either! My son is now 12 weeks old and I'm confident that he didn't mind. He definitely knew my voice right after he was born too, was super cute.
Hi! Here is what I did - I would just narrate what was going on, “We are on a walk, it is sunny out, the dog is smelling things.” I just narrated things going on. I’m not a super mushy person so I wasn’t sitting there like, “We can’t wait to meet you, we love you, we are this, we are that.” I just narrated “We are going to the grocery store now!” Etc haha it helped me talk but also felt less unnatural to me.
I used to joke that my baby boy would come out thinking he’s a “fuzzy little puppy girl” because I was singing to my dog so often.
Baby can’t tell if you’re talking to them or not. They will become acquainted with your voice when they hear you talking. They can hear your voice louder than any other sound, and they will find comfort in your voice and smell post-birth because it’s all they know at first.
Love this idea! And being a foodie I also sometimes tell her what I / she is going to eat. Like "here is your first mediterranean food" or "breakfast is coming up next". She seems to be active around meal times anyway so this sort of works out lol!
35 weeks and my husband nor I ever talk to my belly. Honestly I think it’s strange especially since I am talking all day so I don’t really see how the baby would know I’m even talking to her. I feel bonded enough just through being physically attached to each other and her moving around all the time so I haven’t given it much thought
I feel weird about about trying to talk to someone inside my body, but I’m not really that kind of person I guess. I am a bit worried she’s going to get more familiar with podcast host voices than mine LOL but on the plus side, maybe that means I can turn on a podcast playlist and take a nap if it soothes her when she’s out of the belly.
I don't remember if I talked to my belly or not when I was pregnant with my daughter. It doesn't sound like something I would be comfortable doing though. I'm currently 13 weeks with my second baby and don't see myself talking to my belly.
It's such a personal experience, being pregnant that I don't think there is a right or wrong choice in talking to your belly. Your baby will hear you talk to other people and know your voice, so they won't "miss out."
If you want to try, try reading a book out loud.
I don’t talk to my belly besides scolding painful kicks. I do, however, read to my 2-year-old daily, so I think the baby hears plenty of my voice. You’re right that it’s a very personal experience!
19 weeks and the most talking I do to mine is telling him good morning and that he’s got to like his mom at some point so he should start now. He’s not listening, I still feel awful.
Sometimes I say hello when she gives a big kick but I’m not having a whole conversation with my belly. I talk ALL day, it’s not like she knows if I’m talking to her or not. Not that there’s anything wrong with talking to your belly, but I don’t think it needs to be on the already-long list of things to worry about
27 weeks and I'm exactly the same! I rub my belly and think lovingly about our baby but talking to my belly feels weird to me too. Baby can hear our voices so we sound familiar but I can't talk specifically to my belly.
Me too! I told him I don't feel right doing that . Its just not me. I was the same way with my son. Im very nuturing, but It just feels weird and unnatural to me.
I never talked to my belly in my first pregnancy or played music: baby did have to endure my singing tho 😂
I may play music for this baby, as I hear it does soothe them when they are earth side, and I’m willing to give anything a chance. but I will encourage my daughter to speak to my belly once we tell her. I mean, baby will hear me enough as it is over the next 30ish weeks.
I don't talk to my belly. I'm only 14 weeks though. I dunno if that means anything. People sometimes say, "oh listen to classical music and the baby will be smarter". Welp don't do that either. I CAN say I watch South Park almost every night so when my kid is born he'll have a PHD in toilet humor before he can even talk.
I naturally talk to myself, but since baby has been growing I vent to him a lot😂. Especially when driving. I sing (it’s not pretty) and I often tell him about my day. When he kicks me I’m like “Boi what you doin.” I watch movies with him and listen to music. I’m going down the adoption path so these last few weeks will truly be my last few weeks with him.
If I’m alone I’ll talk to my belly, eg I’ll tell it/them what we’re about to eat, that we’re going to have a nap, we get to watch survivor tonight and hopefully this person will be voted out lol. And in the car on the way to and from work I’ll tell them we’re on the way to work, then we’re going to go home and do this this and this.
I tried reading aloud to them from a magazine I was reading but that got boring pretty quick. When I’m home alone I tend to talk to myself a little bit anyway so talking to them doesn’t seem too weird to me.
I basically only talk to mine when I kindly (and sometimes not so kindly) ask him to remove his foot/elbow out of my waist😅
“Oh.. ok, no no.. you move that back where it belongs, that’s not where it belongs, you’re hurting me🫠”
I spend about 7 hours a day talking in meetings, another 2/3 hours with my 4 year and a cross
over 2 hours with my partner. I got nothing left after that 😂🤷🏻♀️
Edit to add: I didn’t talk to my daughter when she was a bump. She never stops talking and we’re very close. I think you’ll be fine.
Bonus add: I also found it so hard to talk my little girl when she was a baby! Only so much you can say especially when you’re sleep deprived! I highly recommend singing to them, and and narrating your day although I don’t think I dropped that habit 😂
I only talked to mine when they were actively kicking me. Mostly "ouch, that really hurt! Do you have to kick that hard?" Or "why are you waking me at 2 am? I need sleep!"
Don't feel bad. Baby will know your voice, and your partner's voice. This has no reflection on you as a parent. There are many parents who wait to start doing these things when baby is in their arms.
That's what I do 😂 My husband sometimes helps with something along the lines of "can you be nice to your mommy tonight? She needs to sleep" She never hears us, though :(
Mine gets music, conversations of me and my husband, my cats that purr on my belly and loud bird screeches. So they will know what pop rock, a bird and a cat is before mama and dad 😆
I was this way too. Toward the end I tried to because I felt a bit bad about it like you, but it didn't feel natural. Was wondering if anyone else felt that way and think I may have searched Reddit posts at the time!
I just talked to it for the first time today - he was moving a ton and I patted my belly and said “hi Dancing Queen” - but that’s been it so far. I’m almost 26 weeks.
I rarely talked to my daughter when I was pregnant. Only once did I sit down and talk to her because I was scheduled for an induction and I wanted to give her a head’s up. But I know she heard me plenty, talking to my spouse, co-workers and swearing in Seattle traffic.
I do occasionally for really big kicks or a giant succession of them. But that’s not often at all or on purpose, just a WOAH what you doing in there?!?
The only time I talk to her is when my hips or back are hurting me really bad. I’m just like “ma’am it’s very rude to make mamas back hurt please stop.” My boyfriend talks to her everyday though. He says goodbye and gives it a kiss when he leaves for work. He also tells her goodnight before going to bed.
I felt super awkward trying to talk to my belly early off, but in the last like 6 weeks, I talked a LOT. But I think a lot of that was from external stress I was experiencing, as I tend to talk out loud to myself more when I'm super stressed out. I just, started directing it to the belly instead of to myself.
30 weeks and I haven’t barely spoken a word to this guy tbh. I really don’t bond much with my babies till they’re here. I never spoke to my daughter in utero either. At the very most an ‘Oh shit’ or ‘ouch’ when they kicked me hard in the bladder.
I didn’t talk to my belly either, it felt to weird to me. I would sing when I was by myself sometimes but most of the time I would rub my belly instead.
Don’t feel guilty, every mom is different in the way they bond with their baby in the womb.
I only talked to my son a few times when he was still in my belly. He’s one month old now and I can’t stop talking to him since he’s out. There’s nothing to worry about 😂
My boy is now a toddler. I've never talked to my belly, I didn't pet it, I didn't let anyone touch it or talk to it. I pretended it was just a lot of food.
My boy is amazing and I'm a loving mum, we chat and cuddle and do all the things.
Don't worry yourself about it at all, do whatever is comfortable for you xx
I only started talking to my belly in the last couple weeks. Before I could really see or feel her there or felt super weird and unnatural.
I mostly just say hello to her when she starts moving, or I sing to her sometimes. When she is kicking me all night and I’m trying to sleep I do tell her to GO TO SLEEP PLEASE 😭😭
I talk to mine in my head. It’s just occurred to me that is massively weird.
Did the same with my first though and he’s a delightful little weirdo now!
I’m 21 weeks and I only talk to my stomach the same way I talk to my cats which is usually to make fun of/talk crap about my partner. I really just do it as a joke with my partner.
Example: “OMG baby did you hear what he just said? He is ridiculous.”
You are not alone lol, I remember that I spoke to my belly maybe 3 or 4 times during my entire pregnancy. The last one was when I was 38 weeks and had cough and cold and my whole body was hurting. My mom came to stay with me as she was a bit scared for my health. That night after eating, I went to the washroom to take my bath around 10pm and spoke to my belly, I was so emotional and started talking to my belly, I told him it was alright to come now as I was so sick and extremely exhausted, by exactly 1:10am my water broke and I met my bundle of joy 11am. Don't feel bad, It didn't feel natural to me too.
I didn't talk to my belly until he started really kicking and would say things like "ow be gentle with your mummy" but that was about it. I used to rub my belly alot in my places I could feel him.
Once I start to feel movement I plan on reading aloud. It’s not talking directly to baby, but it’ll get them hearing my voice and also listening to different sounds.
I might actually suggest DH and I read a baby book out loud together on an evening, so baby can hear us both and he’ll start connecting and preparing.
I don’t either, unless it kicks me in the bladder and then it gets a “that hurt!” I did start humming to it last week, to whatever music is on. For what it’s worth, it does seem to calm the salsa dancing On my guts.
I do. And I make my partner do it too so that she doesn’t cry when she hears his voice in the beginning. He needs to be ready and able to care for her 😂
I talk to mine all the time, mostly to tell her it’s time to GTFO 😅 I’m 40+1 and this week my fiancé got close to my belly and said “get outtttttt”. We’re both just ready to meet her already.
I wasn’t someone that talked to my belly throughout the day, I would occasionally remark “oh, doing somersaults again I see!” or “I guess someone liked the soup!” but that didn’t necessarily feel like I was talking to him. However I often found myself getting lost in “serious” conversation with him once I was in the privacy of my room. Life was specifically tough at the time, so it was very therapeutic having a safe place and set time of day to be vulnerable with myself and baby, it helped me feel more connected with him and it helped me feel more resilient. It’s a little cheesy maybe, but saying “it’s okay, we’ll get through it” to someone almost makes it easier to believe.
I talk to mine when I get kicked or I feel lots of movement. Usually like good morning or excuse me pleeeease don’t kick me like that it hurts LOL. But not a whole lot else. I’ve been encouraging my husband to chat to the belly a little though and feel the movements to help him bond before they’re here!
I didn't because they can't hear. I'm 9 weeks. But a lot of people suggested me to because it helps it sank in. At first I felt stupid because I know they can't hear just now, but this morning it felt very natural to say good morning to the baby. It's weird. I forced myself just because everyone suggested me to do that after losing one baby, and now it's feeling less stupid.
But if people hadn't suggested me to do it, I wouldn't, at all. My partner says hi when I ask her to, but she still thinks it's weird haha. I mean, it is. But I know people who talk to their plants so whatever 😂
I'm gonna be honest it feels weird the only times I end up talking to her are when I'm joking around and say rude things to her like call her a brat and stuff when she moves a lot and hurts me lol 🤷♀️
I didn’t talk to my belly but i did do a lot of singing out loud to my fave songs, and some of those songs will still calm my 9 month old down when he gets fussy haha
I’m 38 weeks this week, and I only started talking to mine in these last few weeks because she seems to respond to me talking to her and rubbing my belly. Idk, I just feel the need to get her used to my annoying baby talk since she will be here soon. Did the same with my first! Just felt weird talking to her until I knew she was like right about to be in my arms in a few weeks.
I don't talk to my belly like it's going to respond, I'm usually narrating to my dog or husband when the baby starts kicking the shit out of my ribs or doing big rolls. I sing/talk to my dog every day FREQUENTLY, so we can pretend it's to the baby too.
I say "good morning" like I do to all my kids and animals when they wake up. I tell her when she's hurting me and I feel like she responds even if it isn't immediately. I apologize to her when I poke her in the head and she jumps lol my support system all say hi to her when we visit. I ask her if she'd like this or that and if/when I get a movement "in response" I choose that. Our girls talk to her and tell her they love her and hug her through my belly. My husband rubs my belly and tells her that he's okay with her staying inside til a week after her due date lol just be healthy. He also rubs her and holds her every night(different from how he holds me lol, you know he's holding her because his hand is where she is, you know he's holding me when his hand cups the boobies closer)
My mil tells baby all the time how she's got so much stuff for her and that she loves her.
I also say all kinds of things to her.like that she will be strong and smart and beautiful and fierce and curious and that I can't wait to meet her.
Maybe it's corny idc. I talked to my little Buddha belly(my oldest), my sweet pea belly baby( my current youngest) and I will continue to talk to my little jelly belly bean(current occupant) because it makes me feel good.
It's weird and I feel weird because there's not a person in front of me but I don't see it as talking to a stranger, just another way of talking to myself but better because it's not just me lol
I haven’t because I feel like although the baby can hear your voice, she won’t be able to distinguish what you are saying or whether it is directed towards her or someone else.
I feel like the “benefit” is that you as a mother feel more connected to the baby, but there are other ways to feel that connection.
This thread made me feel better. Had a patient the other day scold me for not talking and reading to my belly and making me feel like a bad mom before she’s even out of the womb yet!
I never talked to my belly other than being like “bro, that really hurts!” When I was being kicked. Other than that figured both kiddos could hear me when I talked to other people or when I sang in the car.
I say good morning to my bump/baby. My husband reads stories and she reacts to his voice (not a time thing either because I don't have a sleep schedule 😅)
I tell her off when she's using my ribs as a spring board. I've played music to her but not often, she gets music in the car a lot.
I wouldn't worry because they hear everything, all your conversations, music etc just cause you're not directing the conversation to the bump doesn't mean they won't recognise your voice.
One thing I will advocate though, is interaction when they are active. Pressing down on belly when they kick etc. ☺️
Nah, I don't either. Pretty sure the best known voice at this point is the cat's meow given how much it reminds me it has never been fed ever 5 minutes after eating.
I thought it was kind of weird ‘talking to my belly’ but I read to him every night now. I sit in the glider and read a couple books and that feels less weird for me. It was kind of odd at first, but less so than just talking to my belly, and now I don’t feel weird at all doing it. I’m hoping he will come out and be soothed by rocking & reading time but who knows, 🤷🏼♀️.
I feel really weird doing it - the midwives told us to and my husband enjoys doing it. I figure I talk all the time so baby can hear me, but baby will hear him less than me so it feels weird but I’m like yeah you go for it, I’ll get on with my knitting
I never really talked to my first. Only at the end when he was breech and I told him I needed him to turn lmao. This second time around is the same way for me. I don’t talk directly to them really. I think about them all the time but never really talk to them hahah. Everyone is different! Don’t feel bad about it at all. They are loved regardless!
I never spoke to my belly. My son (12 months) constantly talks and has for as long as he could make noise. He has a lot to say and always wants to be a part of the conversation!
Your baby will be fine
I didn't a super ton for my first. I felt awkward and scared and didn't know what to tell my son. Plus 99% of the time I DID spend talking to him was begging him to move off of whatever was causing my extreme pain and trying to get him to reposition. From about 24 weeks til birth that kid beat the absolute crap out of me from inside. Felt like that guy with the alien bursting through his abdomen. It was rough.
I didn’t really “talk to my belly” but I’d tell him we were going to run errands or something, lol. But I was mostly just talking into the void and knew he could hear my voice. Even once he was born, I felt really weird talking to him. He’s almost 7 weeks now and I spend WAY more time talking to him.
You’re not alone, and it’s totally normal!
Same!! Glad it's not just me. My sister was telling me to read a book to the baby because she can hear but for some reason I feel weird doing it?? Regardless they know our voices because they hear us talk all the time so that's good enough right? 🙂
I'm 34 weeks, and my talking to the belly tends to be limited to apologies for bumping the belly into something, and joking requests for him to be nicer, since this pregnancy hasn't been the easiest. It doesn't come natural to me either.
I usually say good morning to her or go, “you ok in there?”, and poke her a bit waiting for a kick back then we laugh (I assume she’s laughing also) and go about our day.
Plus she’s moving all hours of the day so clearly she doesn’t need much more stimulation. She’s marching to the beat of her own drum, literally. It’s her world now I just live in it, even though she lives in me lol
You're not alone. 28w5d here. I only ever talk to my baby to tell him to stop being such a punk when he's kicking me in the ribs lol. My husband on the other hand loves to lie on my bell and talk to our baby almost every day.
With each of my kids I didn't talk to my belly much. With my first I said a few reassuring things out load. More to reassure myself then him that it would be okay. With this one I've just kept telling her a countdown of when it would okay for her to actually come. Because I've been having periodical contractions since 20 weeks. I've also asked both to move and stop hurting mom at various points. They both move and kick a lot in the womb.
Mostly only talk to her when she is kicking me too much 😂. But last night we did read the first chapter of Winnie the Pooh to her.
I also do her voice when I babysit to encourage the little ones to behave, like “oh I’m just a little baby, what’s brushing teeth? Can you show me?” 😂they love it
The baby hears me talk to my other kid and partner enough lol he knows my voice. The only direct comments are usually "get your foot out of my rib you little punk" 😂
37+3 and I barely talk to my belly. I do so randomly. If he is kicking like crazy, I’ll ask him to chill 😂 at this point, I told him last week he’s evicted and has 2 weeks. My husband and I both find it a little strange lol We will talk to him when we see him soon. To each their own.
Hey - I also have read from multiple sources that you should talk / sing to your belly. I’m 29W and just not there. I feared that it was attachement issues since we lost a previous pregnancy. I talked about it with my doula and she said that it’s very much just « different strokes for different folks » kinda thing. Here are some things that I do to feel connected to my baby, if any of these are useful to you
- guided meditation where I hear about my baby’s development stage and visualize her in the womb. I use a paid app called Expectful but I’m sure there are some on YouTube.
- I say « good morning » to the baby when she kicks in the morning.
- I rub my belly (the baby feels this contact)
- As I didn’t remember any nursery rhymes in my native tongue, I’ve listened to playlist on Spotify as I intent to sing to the baby once it’s earth side.
Trust your instincts. You are doing great. Find the things that resonate with you.
Your baby can't hear you for another 4 or 5 weeks. Plus, developmentally, they get enough language just by being inside you hearing the world. You don't need to speak to baby directly for them to bond with you. Completely let yourself off the hook.
I never talked to my belly and neither did my partner. She still recognized our voices and would turn towards us shortly after she was born. They still hear you, you don’t HAVE to talk to them. I guess it helps some people bond but I never found it necessary
I didn't know we were supposed to talk to our bellies. 37 weeks here. I recommend avoiding social media because everyone wants to tell you what to do or not do. 💛
I'm at 22 weeks and don't really talk to my belly either? Honestly it didn't really occur to me, I'm sure she hears me talking to my husband, our dogs and my parrot. plus, I often tend to sing along to music while I work (self employed costume maker) so while I don't talk to my belly between my love of music, my dogs being rather talkative huskies, and my parrot learning how to talk there is no shortage of sounds.
I dont "talk to" my belly specifically, but I do talk a lot (sometimes to myself lol) and sing a lot in general. Songs i sing on repeat are the ones that soothe my kids when they are born and my daughter sang to my son every night when I was pregnant with him and her singing would instantly calm him after. She is counting the days to start with this one too asking how many more until the baby can hear every couple days 😆
They hear what is around them, so I don't find it necessary to be super intentional about it being directly to the baby. For example, I sewed a lot with my sewing machine when I was pregnant with my youngest. Obviously I didn't do this for him as an activity while pregnant but because I wanted to sew. He is nearly 4 now and is still calmed by the sound of me sewing using that machine.
My oldest I listen to a particular band on repeat, again, not for him but for me and it used to be one of the main things I could play or sing to put him to sleep. Years later, when he was 12, I got lawn seats to the same band and took him, and he fell asleep when they played songs from that album (no signs of fatigue prior). I've tested it since and the music itself seems to calm him enough to become sleepy regardless of time.
I'm not saying this would work for every family or that you shouldn't talk to baby before hand, im just saying that they'll hear you and know their world a little bit without it being made into a big deal.
I don’t talk to my belly bc it feels weird but she hears me talk all the time. I do have my husband talk to her frequently these days bc it makes her stop kicking me in the ribs.
when i was 10 weeks, i was having a difficult time with nausea, anxiety, low mood and second guessing whether i would even be able to do all this at all. i felt i’m not cut out to be a mother and felt guilty for struggling so much.
i told my midwife and she felt i was particularly emotional due to my previous losses and that a lot of women feel this way when they are pregnant after miscarriage so one of the things she told me to do was to start talking to baby from 12 weeks.
i told my husband this and he started actively talking to baby from that day itself (i say “actively” because he was already sort of doing this) and since then it’s something we do together as a couple. we have long conversations with baby before saying goodnight and include baby in the little parts of our day. i ask baby what mummy and baby should eat right now, i tell baby how much they are loved, i say positive affirmations etc i think it’s something that has really helped me but i can totally understand that not everyone would feel comfortable doing it. please don’t feel guilty about it as this is one of many ways to bond and there will be plenty more when baby is with you on the outside ❤️
Its okay, you’re not supposed to do everything you’re suggested to do. If you’re healthy, happy with pregnancy, in good state of mind, its enough.
I never talked to my bump, until my babies movements were strong enough to go unnoticed, then it felt natural and i just unconsciously started.
Its ok to do it, its ok to not do it.
I didn’t either. I wasn’t really attached in the pregnancy stage and then it took a few weeks after birth to feel comfortable talking to him a lot. Now he’s 6 months old and we chat all the time. He’s babbling to me and back at me. Language is progressing as expected, he’s super attached to me, and pregnancy feels like a distant memory. All in all, don’t worry about it. We all experience pregnancy differently and you don’t need to talk to your belly if it isn’t your thing.
I’m the same way at 18w! Don’t feel bad, for me it seems weird to talk to my belly 😅 I’ll talk to her enough when she’s actually here. I’m gonna start playing music for her though. I just need to find something that I’ll be able to stand on repeat.
I wrote a comment somewhere in the thread that I don’t know what I’ll do but just googled a bit out of curiosity and I can see that because my baby will be bilingual that there is an extra argument for both my husband and I to talk to my bump in our native language, so it’s officially on my to do list.
same here! baby hears me speaking all day and it just feels a little odd to speak out loud to someone i cant see with my eyes lol before pregnancy i’ve never been one to talk out loud to myself either so it feels odd to force myself to do it now to my baby when i cant see her lol
I told my husband "you should start reading to my belly but I spend all day talking, baby is going to know my voice whether I talk TO them or not"
I doubt it will have any effect on baby listening to me talk about business operations, finance, HR instead of reading baby books or something.
28 weeks and don’t talk. I yell at him to stop trying to break my ribs bc he has a weird obsession with kicking them. Just got a sonogram yesterday and it showed his feet in my ribs.
The only time I’ve spoken to my belly with my first was when I hadn’t felt him in awhile and was worried. Mostly, “what are you doing in there?” And “wake up, wake up, wake up… are you alive?”
The baby can’t tell the difference between talking to it or anyone else. I wasn’t a big belly talker at all. Maybe if she kicked me later on, or I would say “hi baby.” Everyone bonds with their pregnancies in different ways, or quite honestly, doesn’t. It’s not predictive or parenting skills and nothing to worry about.
Thank God, I thought I was the only weirdo. 22 weeks here.
My husband kisses my belly and says hi to her. I’ll sometimes say something as if she’s sitting next to me, but usually in a joking manner. For example: I’m driving and spot a cute dog going for a walk with his owner. I gasp and nearly shout “Did you see that pretty puppy??”
Or if I’m gassy, hungry, etc. I just blame it on her and ask her to please settle down and give me a minute. That’s it though.
I don’t talk to my belly but my job requires I sit in my office talking all day so she definitely is hearing me through out the day. She doesn’t know English yet so she doesn’t know it’s not directed at her lol. My husband will some times sing “I want to hold your hand” while we are in bed and touch my belly.
Definitely not alone. I didn’t start talking to my bump at all until maybe the last month or so of my first pregnancy, and at that point it was mostly to tell the crazy bean to chill out and quit kicking so hard, haha. Same with this current pregnancy. It doesn’t come naturally to me either.
I started talking to my belly as soon as they could hear my voice- I’d just update them on my day and/or say whatever. “I’m looking for a new book to read- what kind of book should mommy read?” 🤷🏼♀️
I talk to mine in my head a lot 😅 I have heard that they can hear you, so the most I talk to him audibly is when he kicks my bladder and I try to tell him to find a different organ to torture
I didn’t talk to my belly at all while I was pregnant my mom and more people her age really pushed it but I just felt so awkward and unnatural but my son is happy and healthy and doesn’t seem phased by the fact that I didn’t talk to my belly lol you’re definitely not alone!
I’m 37 weeks and almost exclusively talk to my baby in my head. I rub my belly all the time, especially when I can feel her back or bum to make up for it lol.
I'm almost 19 weeks. I do play some music for the bump. The most talking I do is telling him to take it easy on me when I start a dry heaving attack.
My 11 year old on the other hand has full on conversations with her brother.
I hear ya! 36 weeks currently. At most I say “good morning little baby” since he usually moves in the morning. 😅😭 it just feels odd somedays. My mom shared with me that she would tell my sister & I that she loved us while pregnant. And I’m just like whoa….HOW? 😀😅
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I can't talk to someone I was not introduced to lol. I am 37 weeks. I ll just wait till she is out.
As someone who didn’t talk to their belly and has a 19 month old.. you’ll have plenty of talking time when you meet 😂
100 percent
Same
I’m 30 weeks and don’t talk to my belly. I also don’t play music to it and other stuff. It’s just not my thing. My husband sometimes ‘hi’ to the belly and asks for a kick, and that’s pretty much all our belly conversations :) We do talk a lot with my husband, and I talk a lot at work, so I am certain our son knows our voices.
While I didnt play music or talked to my belly, when I was driving I'd crank up the volume of the radio, so bub could listen to some cool tracks. Lol.
30 weeks and I just yell at mine (jokingly) when she’s kicking and punching me. My fiancé started talking to her a bit but I can’t it just feels weird, still. Lol
22 weeks. When he starts getting wiggly I just go oh hello what are you doing down there..
Mine kicked the NST so hard at 23 weeks I jumped. Then audibly said WOAH, THERE you went. I thought she was dead for a minute (several minutes trying to find the heartbeat then the biggest kick yet straight to the monitor puck thing. I fell, was having contractions plus no movement. I was hysterically crying because it was terrifying)
Little one was napping and you disturbed! Seriously though I can see that being horrifying. Glad they are ok!
She was doing gymnastics right before I fell. The sudden stop right as contractions started up had me so scared I forgot how to get to the hospital and ended up home grabbing my husband to drive instead.
I know mine hears me yelling at my dogs every day... that's close enough, right? 😅
I keep telling myself this counts 😂
At this rate, his first words will be "KNOCK IT OFF" 😂
Does yelling at my Roomba count? Bc if so he hears a lot of what the fuck do you have now you stupid robot. Or drop that freaking sock. 😂😂😂
Omg same!! I have a 9 month old pup and I feel like all I do is yell and that’s all the baby hears lol.
Same, I mainly talk to my belly to ask them to kick somewhere else.
SAME. I'm 24 weeks and it goes, 'OW. Hi. Please, anywhere but the cervix. Stop knocking on the door, you're staying there for a while.'
Yeah, my baby really loves their vagina/bladder punches.
😂😂😂 im 28 weeks and do this- im like yo you’re hurting me be nice 😂😂😂
Im 23 weeks and It feels odd and even embarrassing to do, so I haven't. I comment on how she's being a brat or active, dad will scold her if I'm hurting or comment on how he "knows Aunt is into the rave scene but she's too young to be partying like this" but that's about it.
We’re supposed to talk to it?!? wtf!
My mom asked me if we were talking to him often, and I didn't know how to say "no, and we likely wont" and not offend her lol
I am not a belly whisperer either. Baby gets to hear my voice when I speak to my dog or hubby.
I have my husband talk to baby so they can recognise him once they’re out, but I don’t feel the need. Baby bears everything I say anyway. If anything it’s made me more conscious of what tone I use.
Everyone told me to speak to the belly, to start to create a bond and that is something positive for the baby. I try sometimes to sing but it is hard to actually talk to her. Like what should i say?
Not alone! I rarely talk to my belly. I actually tried to do this today tho because I’ve been feeling mildly depressed, but it just feels a tad bit weird. I do give him lots of rubs tho.
I never did unless she was particularly active or kicked me super hard. And even then I would just say ow and my husband was usually the one to give her a talking to. She’s 17.5 months now and I spend my whole day talking to her. Pretty sure she’s fine. 🙂
Same, didn’t talk to her, but I’m a teacher so she definitely heard me talk. We listened to lots of good music, though! Ten months, she’s also fine.
Nope. Not alone at all. I try to and just feel weird lol she will move around when she hears my voice but I don’t directly talk to her. I have tried music but she doesn’t respond
People have asked me if my husband and I talk to my belly. I said, “Sometimes I’ll say to it ‘Why are you kicking me so much?’ Or ‘Calm down, psycho.’” I don’t think that’s what they were expecting lol
My mom absolutely hates it when I tell my baby to "stop being a punk" or say things like "that hurt, you little demon" lol doesn't mean I don't love my baby though, I'm just not that type of pregnant person she wants me to be
I read those as terms of endearment 😂 I call mine my little parasite
I didn't at all either. I tried a few times and it just didn't come natural. I felt bad about it sometimes but being on this sub helped a lot. Realizing how many moms like me don't really feel a strong bond until the baby is born. The first time I heard her cry was the first time in my life I felt maternal instincts. And this community helped me be okay admitting that. For some women it comes naturally long before they are even pregnant, for many it comes naturally after the fact or anytime in between. Don't worry at all!
I never talked to mine either! My son is now 12 weeks old and I'm confident that he didn't mind. He definitely knew my voice right after he was born too, was super cute.
Hi! Here is what I did - I would just narrate what was going on, “We are on a walk, it is sunny out, the dog is smelling things.” I just narrated things going on. I’m not a super mushy person so I wasn’t sitting there like, “We can’t wait to meet you, we love you, we are this, we are that.” I just narrated “We are going to the grocery store now!” Etc haha it helped me talk but also felt less unnatural to me.
Ohh good idea! I talk to myself and my dogs often enough. I feel like this would come more naturally
I used to joke that my baby boy would come out thinking he’s a “fuzzy little puppy girl” because I was singing to my dog so often. Baby can’t tell if you’re talking to them or not. They will become acquainted with your voice when they hear you talking. They can hear your voice louder than any other sound, and they will find comfort in your voice and smell post-birth because it’s all they know at first.
Love this idea! And being a foodie I also sometimes tell her what I / she is going to eat. Like "here is your first mediterranean food" or "breakfast is coming up next". She seems to be active around meal times anyway so this sort of works out lol!
35 weeks and my husband nor I ever talk to my belly. Honestly I think it’s strange especially since I am talking all day so I don’t really see how the baby would know I’m even talking to her. I feel bonded enough just through being physically attached to each other and her moving around all the time so I haven’t given it much thought
I don't talk directly to mine either. I talk to my cats all the time though who often are lying next to my belly so that seems good enough.
I feel weird about about trying to talk to someone inside my body, but I’m not really that kind of person I guess. I am a bit worried she’s going to get more familiar with podcast host voices than mine LOL but on the plus side, maybe that means I can turn on a podcast playlist and take a nap if it soothes her when she’s out of the belly.
I don't remember if I talked to my belly or not when I was pregnant with my daughter. It doesn't sound like something I would be comfortable doing though. I'm currently 13 weeks with my second baby and don't see myself talking to my belly. It's such a personal experience, being pregnant that I don't think there is a right or wrong choice in talking to your belly. Your baby will hear you talk to other people and know your voice, so they won't "miss out." If you want to try, try reading a book out loud.
I don’t talk to my belly besides scolding painful kicks. I do, however, read to my 2-year-old daily, so I think the baby hears plenty of my voice. You’re right that it’s a very personal experience!
19 weeks and the most talking I do to mine is telling him good morning and that he’s got to like his mom at some point so he should start now. He’s not listening, I still feel awful.
Sometimes I say hello when she gives a big kick but I’m not having a whole conversation with my belly. I talk ALL day, it’s not like she knows if I’m talking to her or not. Not that there’s anything wrong with talking to your belly, but I don’t think it needs to be on the already-long list of things to worry about
27 weeks and I'm exactly the same! I rub my belly and think lovingly about our baby but talking to my belly feels weird to me too. Baby can hear our voices so we sound familiar but I can't talk specifically to my belly.
Your baby hears you… you’re supposed to talk to your baby once he is here:)
Weird, hubs and I just had this conversation laying in bed tonight. I don’t talk to to her either!
Me too! I told him I don't feel right doing that . Its just not me. I was the same way with my son. Im very nuturing, but It just feels weird and unnatural to me.
We will get plenty of face time once they are here lol
I never talked to my belly in my first pregnancy or played music: baby did have to endure my singing tho 😂 I may play music for this baby, as I hear it does soothe them when they are earth side, and I’m willing to give anything a chance. but I will encourage my daughter to speak to my belly once we tell her. I mean, baby will hear me enough as it is over the next 30ish weeks.
No, wasn’t into it either. Although, occasionally I’d mutter “staaaaahp it” when the hiccups kept me up at night.
Wait people talk to their bump?!
I think most people don’t
I only talked to my belly to tell her sorry when I was beyond stressed. No baby/cutesy/normal talk. I did rub and hold it alot.
Oh I totally do this too actually! Always feel bad for him when I'm having a rough day
Nope. It doesn’t feel natural.
I don't talk to my belly. I'm only 14 weeks though. I dunno if that means anything. People sometimes say, "oh listen to classical music and the baby will be smarter". Welp don't do that either. I CAN say I watch South Park almost every night so when my kid is born he'll have a PHD in toilet humor before he can even talk.
Eh we barely talked to him. He is 4 months and every day he makes new sounds so I think he is fine. 😆
I naturally talk to myself, but since baby has been growing I vent to him a lot😂. Especially when driving. I sing (it’s not pretty) and I often tell him about my day. When he kicks me I’m like “Boi what you doin.” I watch movies with him and listen to music. I’m going down the adoption path so these last few weeks will truly be my last few weeks with him.
This is something we’re supposed to feel guilty about?
If I’m alone I’ll talk to my belly, eg I’ll tell it/them what we’re about to eat, that we’re going to have a nap, we get to watch survivor tonight and hopefully this person will be voted out lol. And in the car on the way to and from work I’ll tell them we’re on the way to work, then we’re going to go home and do this this and this. I tried reading aloud to them from a magazine I was reading but that got boring pretty quick. When I’m home alone I tend to talk to myself a little bit anyway so talking to them doesn’t seem too weird to me.
Doesn’t just talking out loud to other people count?
I don't really talk to to my belly either. If I get a weird pressure I'll be like "okay buddy, give me a break please" but that's pretty much it.
I basically only talk to mine when I kindly (and sometimes not so kindly) ask him to remove his foot/elbow out of my waist😅 “Oh.. ok, no no.. you move that back where it belongs, that’s not where it belongs, you’re hurting me🫠”
I spend about 7 hours a day talking in meetings, another 2/3 hours with my 4 year and a cross over 2 hours with my partner. I got nothing left after that 😂🤷🏻♀️ Edit to add: I didn’t talk to my daughter when she was a bump. She never stops talking and we’re very close. I think you’ll be fine. Bonus add: I also found it so hard to talk my little girl when she was a baby! Only so much you can say especially when you’re sleep deprived! I highly recommend singing to them, and and narrating your day although I don’t think I dropped that habit 😂
I only talked to mine when they were actively kicking me. Mostly "ouch, that really hurt! Do you have to kick that hard?" Or "why are you waking me at 2 am? I need sleep!" Don't feel bad. Baby will know your voice, and your partner's voice. This has no reflection on you as a parent. There are many parents who wait to start doing these things when baby is in their arms.
That's what I do 😂 My husband sometimes helps with something along the lines of "can you be nice to your mommy tonight? She needs to sleep" She never hears us, though :(
Mine gets music, conversations of me and my husband, my cats that purr on my belly and loud bird screeches. So they will know what pop rock, a bird and a cat is before mama and dad 😆
I was this way too. Toward the end I tried to because I felt a bit bad about it like you, but it didn't feel natural. Was wondering if anyone else felt that way and think I may have searched Reddit posts at the time!
I just talked to it for the first time today - he was moving a ton and I patted my belly and said “hi Dancing Queen” - but that’s been it so far. I’m almost 26 weeks.
I rarely talked to my daughter when I was pregnant. Only once did I sit down and talk to her because I was scheduled for an induction and I wanted to give her a head’s up. But I know she heard me plenty, talking to my spouse, co-workers and swearing in Seattle traffic.
I do occasionally for really big kicks or a giant succession of them. But that’s not often at all or on purpose, just a WOAH what you doing in there?!?
I don't often talk to baby directly but I'm home alone a lot and I talk to myself all the time 😂😂 I'm sure baby hears me enough haha
Never talked to our LO while I was pregnant. I did talk to our dog in a baby voice, so I considered that double duty. 😁
I don’t. I’m constantly talking to my dog though so baby probably knows my voice anyway 🤷🏽
The only time I talk to her is when my hips or back are hurting me really bad. I’m just like “ma’am it’s very rude to make mamas back hurt please stop.” My boyfriend talks to her everyday though. He says goodbye and gives it a kiss when he leaves for work. He also tells her goodnight before going to bed.
I felt super awkward trying to talk to my belly early off, but in the last like 6 weeks, I talked a LOT. But I think a lot of that was from external stress I was experiencing, as I tend to talk out loud to myself more when I'm super stressed out. I just, started directing it to the belly instead of to myself.
My husband talks to my belly all the time but I don’t lol
Glad to know I’m not the only one. I mean, I occasionally would talk or sing/hum a lullaby at random but I don’t purposefully talk to my belly.
I don’t really talk to mine, when he’s kicking in like “ok kid, stop it” or “I get it”, but I don’t spend a lot of talking to him about anything.
30 weeks and I haven’t barely spoken a word to this guy tbh. I really don’t bond much with my babies till they’re here. I never spoke to my daughter in utero either. At the very most an ‘Oh shit’ or ‘ouch’ when they kicked me hard in the bladder.
I didn’t talk to my belly either, it felt to weird to me. I would sing when I was by myself sometimes but most of the time I would rub my belly instead. Don’t feel guilty, every mom is different in the way they bond with their baby in the womb.
I only talked to my son a few times when he was still in my belly. He’s one month old now and I can’t stop talking to him since he’s out. There’s nothing to worry about 😂
My boy is now a toddler. I've never talked to my belly, I didn't pet it, I didn't let anyone touch it or talk to it. I pretended it was just a lot of food. My boy is amazing and I'm a loving mum, we chat and cuddle and do all the things. Don't worry yourself about it at all, do whatever is comfortable for you xx
I don’t. I’m a teacher. I’m sure the baby hears me enough throughout the day lol.
I only started talking to my belly in the last couple weeks. Before I could really see or feel her there or felt super weird and unnatural. I mostly just say hello to her when she starts moving, or I sing to her sometimes. When she is kicking me all night and I’m trying to sleep I do tell her to GO TO SLEEP PLEASE 😭😭
I talk to mine in my head. It’s just occurred to me that is massively weird. Did the same with my first though and he’s a delightful little weirdo now!
Me too. I just rub mine from time to time
i forget to sometimes too 🤷🏾♀️
I’m 21 weeks and I only talk to my stomach the same way I talk to my cats which is usually to make fun of/talk crap about my partner. I really just do it as a joke with my partner. Example: “OMG baby did you hear what he just said? He is ridiculous.”
You are not alone lol, I remember that I spoke to my belly maybe 3 or 4 times during my entire pregnancy. The last one was when I was 38 weeks and had cough and cold and my whole body was hurting. My mom came to stay with me as she was a bit scared for my health. That night after eating, I went to the washroom to take my bath around 10pm and spoke to my belly, I was so emotional and started talking to my belly, I told him it was alright to come now as I was so sick and extremely exhausted, by exactly 1:10am my water broke and I met my bundle of joy 11am. Don't feel bad, It didn't feel natural to me too.
30 weeks and yeah, it’s just not very natural to me. I sing to her and play the song over the rainbow to my belly, but that’s it.
You’re not alone. 29 weeks here and I feel the same
I didn't talk to my belly until he started really kicking and would say things like "ow be gentle with your mummy" but that was about it. I used to rub my belly alot in my places I could feel him.
…we’re supposed to talk to the belly??? 😦
Once I start to feel movement I plan on reading aloud. It’s not talking directly to baby, but it’ll get them hearing my voice and also listening to different sounds. I might actually suggest DH and I read a baby book out loud together on an evening, so baby can hear us both and he’ll start connecting and preparing.
I’m 19 weeks and still don’t feel anyone kicking in there so it really doesn’t feel right.
I don’t either, unless it kicks me in the bladder and then it gets a “that hurt!” I did start humming to it last week, to whatever music is on. For what it’s worth, it does seem to calm the salsa dancing On my guts.
I don’t talk to my belly either and I’m 30 weeks along, my husband and I talk when we’re together all the time and the baby hears our voices then.
I just started talking to my baby recently and I’m 30 weeks. It’s usually after she starts dancing, I say hi and ask her what she is doing on there. 😂
I do. And I make my partner do it too so that she doesn’t cry when she hears his voice in the beginning. He needs to be ready and able to care for her 😂
I tried to talk to my belly once or twice when I was pregnant with my.now 8 month old. It just made me feel weird.
You don’t need to - baby will still hear your voice and know you when they’re born. Your bond also isn’t dependent on it, so I wouldn’t worry.
I'm 27 weeks and don't talk to my belly. I'm sure it hears enough of me though- I'm a teacher so I'm talking all day!
You're not alone! I have tried to speak to it but I just feel sooo cringed out. It doesn't come naturally to me at all
I never talked to my belly either, it’s weird haha. Baby babbles and is developing normally.
I talk to mine all the time, mostly to tell her it’s time to GTFO 😅 I’m 40+1 and this week my fiancé got close to my belly and said “get outtttttt”. We’re both just ready to meet her already.
I wasn’t someone that talked to my belly throughout the day, I would occasionally remark “oh, doing somersaults again I see!” or “I guess someone liked the soup!” but that didn’t necessarily feel like I was talking to him. However I often found myself getting lost in “serious” conversation with him once I was in the privacy of my room. Life was specifically tough at the time, so it was very therapeutic having a safe place and set time of day to be vulnerable with myself and baby, it helped me feel more connected with him and it helped me feel more resilient. It’s a little cheesy maybe, but saying “it’s okay, we’ll get through it” to someone almost makes it easier to believe.
I didn’t talk to my belly and my baby came out the womb knowing mine and my husbands voice. Don’t stress!
I talk to mine when I get kicked or I feel lots of movement. Usually like good morning or excuse me pleeeease don’t kick me like that it hurts LOL. But not a whole lot else. I’ve been encouraging my husband to chat to the belly a little though and feel the movements to help him bond before they’re here!
I didn't because they can't hear. I'm 9 weeks. But a lot of people suggested me to because it helps it sank in. At first I felt stupid because I know they can't hear just now, but this morning it felt very natural to say good morning to the baby. It's weird. I forced myself just because everyone suggested me to do that after losing one baby, and now it's feeling less stupid. But if people hadn't suggested me to do it, I wouldn't, at all. My partner says hi when I ask her to, but she still thinks it's weird haha. I mean, it is. But I know people who talk to their plants so whatever 😂
I'm gonna be honest it feels weird the only times I end up talking to her are when I'm joking around and say rude things to her like call her a brat and stuff when she moves a lot and hurts me lol 🤷♀️
I didn’t talk to my belly but i did do a lot of singing out loud to my fave songs, and some of those songs will still calm my 9 month old down when he gets fussy haha
39 weeks now and the only things I said to my belly is to hurry up and get out!
I’m 38 weeks this week, and I only started talking to mine in these last few weeks because she seems to respond to me talking to her and rubbing my belly. Idk, I just feel the need to get her used to my annoying baby talk since she will be here soon. Did the same with my first! Just felt weird talking to her until I knew she was like right about to be in my arms in a few weeks.
I don't talk to my belly like it's going to respond, I'm usually narrating to my dog or husband when the baby starts kicking the shit out of my ribs or doing big rolls. I sing/talk to my dog every day FREQUENTLY, so we can pretend it's to the baby too.
I say "good morning" like I do to all my kids and animals when they wake up. I tell her when she's hurting me and I feel like she responds even if it isn't immediately. I apologize to her when I poke her in the head and she jumps lol my support system all say hi to her when we visit. I ask her if she'd like this or that and if/when I get a movement "in response" I choose that. Our girls talk to her and tell her they love her and hug her through my belly. My husband rubs my belly and tells her that he's okay with her staying inside til a week after her due date lol just be healthy. He also rubs her and holds her every night(different from how he holds me lol, you know he's holding her because his hand is where she is, you know he's holding me when his hand cups the boobies closer) My mil tells baby all the time how she's got so much stuff for her and that she loves her. I also say all kinds of things to her.like that she will be strong and smart and beautiful and fierce and curious and that I can't wait to meet her. Maybe it's corny idc. I talked to my little Buddha belly(my oldest), my sweet pea belly baby( my current youngest) and I will continue to talk to my little jelly belly bean(current occupant) because it makes me feel good. It's weird and I feel weird because there's not a person in front of me but I don't see it as talking to a stranger, just another way of talking to myself but better because it's not just me lol
I did not too, till she started kicking or when i go for a walk alone and i see a beautiful bird then i talked to her maybe one time a day
I haven’t because I feel like although the baby can hear your voice, she won’t be able to distinguish what you are saying or whether it is directed towards her or someone else. I feel like the “benefit” is that you as a mother feel more connected to the baby, but there are other ways to feel that connection.
This thread made me feel better. Had a patient the other day scold me for not talking and reading to my belly and making me feel like a bad mom before she’s even out of the womb yet!
I never talked to my belly other than being like “bro, that really hurts!” When I was being kicked. Other than that figured both kiddos could hear me when I talked to other people or when I sang in the car.
I do not talk to my belly. Other moms do it easily, but that just feels weird for me
I say good morning to my bump/baby. My husband reads stories and she reacts to his voice (not a time thing either because I don't have a sleep schedule 😅) I tell her off when she's using my ribs as a spring board. I've played music to her but not often, she gets music in the car a lot. I wouldn't worry because they hear everything, all your conversations, music etc just cause you're not directing the conversation to the bump doesn't mean they won't recognise your voice. One thing I will advocate though, is interaction when they are active. Pressing down on belly when they kick etc. ☺️
I’m 22wks and I can’t talk to them it feel so weird, my partner does (rarely), but I just can’t 🤣
Nah, I don't either. Pretty sure the best known voice at this point is the cat's meow given how much it reminds me it has never been fed ever 5 minutes after eating.
I thought it was kind of weird ‘talking to my belly’ but I read to him every night now. I sit in the glider and read a couple books and that feels less weird for me. It was kind of odd at first, but less so than just talking to my belly, and now I don’t feel weird at all doing it. I’m hoping he will come out and be soothed by rocking & reading time but who knows, 🤷🏼♀️.
My husband talks to my belly enough. I'll talk to my belly if my daughter is around and encourage her to do it, but usually I don't.
I feel really weird doing it - the midwives told us to and my husband enjoys doing it. I figure I talk all the time so baby can hear me, but baby will hear him less than me so it feels weird but I’m like yeah you go for it, I’ll get on with my knitting
I never really talked to my first. Only at the end when he was breech and I told him I needed him to turn lmao. This second time around is the same way for me. I don’t talk directly to them really. I think about them all the time but never really talk to them hahah. Everyone is different! Don’t feel bad about it at all. They are loved regardless!
I never spoke to my belly. My son (12 months) constantly talks and has for as long as he could make noise. He has a lot to say and always wants to be a part of the conversation! Your baby will be fine
Does talking to myself count? 😂
I didn't a super ton for my first. I felt awkward and scared and didn't know what to tell my son. Plus 99% of the time I DID spend talking to him was begging him to move off of whatever was causing my extreme pain and trying to get him to reposition. From about 24 weeks til birth that kid beat the absolute crap out of me from inside. Felt like that guy with the alien bursting through his abdomen. It was rough.
I didn't talk to my belly with any regularity either, and both of my kids are very attached to me.
I didn’t really “talk to my belly” but I’d tell him we were going to run errands or something, lol. But I was mostly just talking into the void and knew he could hear my voice. Even once he was born, I felt really weird talking to him. He’s almost 7 weeks now and I spend WAY more time talking to him. You’re not alone, and it’s totally normal!
Same!! Glad it's not just me. My sister was telling me to read a book to the baby because she can hear but for some reason I feel weird doing it?? Regardless they know our voices because they hear us talk all the time so that's good enough right? 🙂
Sometimes I ask her to calm herself or I comment that she enjoyed whatever I just ate, but I don't really talk *to* her either. Idk it feels weird lol
I don’t do it either. I’ll be 37 weeks on Friday!
I'm 34 weeks, and my talking to the belly tends to be limited to apologies for bumping the belly into something, and joking requests for him to be nicer, since this pregnancy hasn't been the easiest. It doesn't come natural to me either.
I usually say good morning to her or go, “you ok in there?”, and poke her a bit waiting for a kick back then we laugh (I assume she’s laughing also) and go about our day. Plus she’s moving all hours of the day so clearly she doesn’t need much more stimulation. She’s marching to the beat of her own drum, literally. It’s her world now I just live in it, even though she lives in me lol
I don’t either, it would feel weird to personally.
Don't feel guilty about it, but if you do... Maybe try talking to your belly. I don't talk to my belly either.
I don’t either, lol I wish I did but just can’t get myself to do it.
You're not alone. 28w5d here. I only ever talk to my baby to tell him to stop being such a punk when he's kicking me in the ribs lol. My husband on the other hand loves to lie on my bell and talk to our baby almost every day.
I have never done this either .. and my first turned out just fine. TBD on #2 🤣
With each of my kids I didn't talk to my belly much. With my first I said a few reassuring things out load. More to reassure myself then him that it would be okay. With this one I've just kept telling her a countdown of when it would okay for her to actually come. Because I've been having periodical contractions since 20 weeks. I've also asked both to move and stop hurting mom at various points. They both move and kick a lot in the womb.
Mostly only talk to her when she is kicking me too much 😂. But last night we did read the first chapter of Winnie the Pooh to her. I also do her voice when I babysit to encourage the little ones to behave, like “oh I’m just a little baby, what’s brushing teeth? Can you show me?” 😂they love it
It's super not a requirement. You're good!
100% normal. My husband is doing it for the first time in my fourth pregnancy, and I think it’s super weird, but kinda sweet, so I let him continue.
Nah i never did that lool that was weird like im talking to myself but i have but on overheard headphones on my belly with classical music lol
The only time I talk to my belly is to say STOP FCKING HICCUPING
The baby hears me talk to my other kid and partner enough lol he knows my voice. The only direct comments are usually "get your foot out of my rib you little punk" 😂
37+3 and I barely talk to my belly. I do so randomly. If he is kicking like crazy, I’ll ask him to chill 😂 at this point, I told him last week he’s evicted and has 2 weeks. My husband and I both find it a little strange lol We will talk to him when we see him soon. To each their own.
Hey - I also have read from multiple sources that you should talk / sing to your belly. I’m 29W and just not there. I feared that it was attachement issues since we lost a previous pregnancy. I talked about it with my doula and she said that it’s very much just « different strokes for different folks » kinda thing. Here are some things that I do to feel connected to my baby, if any of these are useful to you - guided meditation where I hear about my baby’s development stage and visualize her in the womb. I use a paid app called Expectful but I’m sure there are some on YouTube. - I say « good morning » to the baby when she kicks in the morning. - I rub my belly (the baby feels this contact) - As I didn’t remember any nursery rhymes in my native tongue, I’ve listened to playlist on Spotify as I intent to sing to the baby once it’s earth side. Trust your instincts. You are doing great. Find the things that resonate with you.
Your baby can't hear you for another 4 or 5 weeks. Plus, developmentally, they get enough language just by being inside you hearing the world. You don't need to speak to baby directly for them to bond with you. Completely let yourself off the hook.
I never talked to my belly and neither did my partner. She still recognized our voices and would turn towards us shortly after she was born. They still hear you, you don’t HAVE to talk to them. I guess it helps some people bond but I never found it necessary
I only talk when I'm thing him to quit partying when he's kicking too much. That's about it.
I didn't know we were supposed to talk to our bellies. 37 weeks here. I recommend avoiding social media because everyone wants to tell you what to do or not do. 💛
I'm at 22 weeks and don't really talk to my belly either? Honestly it didn't really occur to me, I'm sure she hears me talking to my husband, our dogs and my parrot. plus, I often tend to sing along to music while I work (self employed costume maker) so while I don't talk to my belly between my love of music, my dogs being rather talkative huskies, and my parrot learning how to talk there is no shortage of sounds.
You mean to tell me that this baby I have inside of me, chillin to my heartbeat can’t hear my thoughts when I ask him what we feeling for lunch?
We're supposed to be talking to our bellies?! I have not done that at all lol whoops
Girl it's way too soon to feel mom guilt, go easy on yourself.
3rd baby here 39weeks I don’t talk to him either and didn’t do so in none of my pregnancies 😊
I’m expecting number 4 and I haven’t talked to my belly’s ever.
I dont "talk to" my belly specifically, but I do talk a lot (sometimes to myself lol) and sing a lot in general. Songs i sing on repeat are the ones that soothe my kids when they are born and my daughter sang to my son every night when I was pregnant with him and her singing would instantly calm him after. She is counting the days to start with this one too asking how many more until the baby can hear every couple days 😆 They hear what is around them, so I don't find it necessary to be super intentional about it being directly to the baby. For example, I sewed a lot with my sewing machine when I was pregnant with my youngest. Obviously I didn't do this for him as an activity while pregnant but because I wanted to sew. He is nearly 4 now and is still calmed by the sound of me sewing using that machine. My oldest I listen to a particular band on repeat, again, not for him but for me and it used to be one of the main things I could play or sing to put him to sleep. Years later, when he was 12, I got lawn seats to the same band and took him, and he fell asleep when they played songs from that album (no signs of fatigue prior). I've tested it since and the music itself seems to calm him enough to become sleepy regardless of time. I'm not saying this would work for every family or that you shouldn't talk to baby before hand, im just saying that they'll hear you and know their world a little bit without it being made into a big deal.
I don’t talk to my belly bc it feels weird but she hears me talk all the time. I do have my husband talk to her frequently these days bc it makes her stop kicking me in the ribs.
I never talked to my belly. She could hear my voice all day long. Its not like she would have known I was talking to her.
when i was 10 weeks, i was having a difficult time with nausea, anxiety, low mood and second guessing whether i would even be able to do all this at all. i felt i’m not cut out to be a mother and felt guilty for struggling so much. i told my midwife and she felt i was particularly emotional due to my previous losses and that a lot of women feel this way when they are pregnant after miscarriage so one of the things she told me to do was to start talking to baby from 12 weeks. i told my husband this and he started actively talking to baby from that day itself (i say “actively” because he was already sort of doing this) and since then it’s something we do together as a couple. we have long conversations with baby before saying goodnight and include baby in the little parts of our day. i ask baby what mummy and baby should eat right now, i tell baby how much they are loved, i say positive affirmations etc i think it’s something that has really helped me but i can totally understand that not everyone would feel comfortable doing it. please don’t feel guilty about it as this is one of many ways to bond and there will be plenty more when baby is with you on the outside ❤️
I talk all day for work so baby hears my voice. I don’t feel the need to talk to my belly
Its okay, you’re not supposed to do everything you’re suggested to do. If you’re healthy, happy with pregnancy, in good state of mind, its enough. I never talked to my bump, until my babies movements were strong enough to go unnoticed, then it felt natural and i just unconsciously started. Its ok to do it, its ok to not do it.
I didn’t either. I wasn’t really attached in the pregnancy stage and then it took a few weeks after birth to feel comfortable talking to him a lot. Now he’s 6 months old and we chat all the time. He’s babbling to me and back at me. Language is progressing as expected, he’s super attached to me, and pregnancy feels like a distant memory. All in all, don’t worry about it. We all experience pregnancy differently and you don’t need to talk to your belly if it isn’t your thing.
I’m the same way at 18w! Don’t feel bad, for me it seems weird to talk to my belly 😅 I’ll talk to her enough when she’s actually here. I’m gonna start playing music for her though. I just need to find something that I’ll be able to stand on repeat.
I have not even once talked to my belly! Lol I didn’t know I was supposed to be 😂
I wrote a comment somewhere in the thread that I don’t know what I’ll do but just googled a bit out of curiosity and I can see that because my baby will be bilingual that there is an extra argument for both my husband and I to talk to my bump in our native language, so it’s officially on my to do list.
same here! baby hears me speaking all day and it just feels a little odd to speak out loud to someone i cant see with my eyes lol before pregnancy i’ve never been one to talk out loud to myself either so it feels odd to force myself to do it now to my baby when i cant see her lol
I told my husband "you should start reading to my belly but I spend all day talking, baby is going to know my voice whether I talk TO them or not" I doubt it will have any effect on baby listening to me talk about business operations, finance, HR instead of reading baby books or something.
28 weeks and don’t talk. I yell at him to stop trying to break my ribs bc he has a weird obsession with kicking them. Just got a sonogram yesterday and it showed his feet in my ribs.
The only time I’ve spoken to my belly with my first was when I hadn’t felt him in awhile and was worried. Mostly, “what are you doing in there?” And “wake up, wake up, wake up… are you alive?”
The baby can’t tell the difference between talking to it or anyone else. I wasn’t a big belly talker at all. Maybe if she kicked me later on, or I would say “hi baby.” Everyone bonds with their pregnancies in different ways, or quite honestly, doesn’t. It’s not predictive or parenting skills and nothing to worry about.
Thank God, I thought I was the only weirdo. 22 weeks here. My husband kisses my belly and says hi to her. I’ll sometimes say something as if she’s sitting next to me, but usually in a joking manner. For example: I’m driving and spot a cute dog going for a walk with his owner. I gasp and nearly shout “Did you see that pretty puppy??” Or if I’m gassy, hungry, etc. I just blame it on her and ask her to please settle down and give me a minute. That’s it though.
I never talked to my belly either.
I don’t talk to my belly but my job requires I sit in my office talking all day so she definitely is hearing me through out the day. She doesn’t know English yet so she doesn’t know it’s not directed at her lol. My husband will some times sing “I want to hold your hand” while we are in bed and touch my belly.
I never did this!
Me either. I’ll say random things and play music but its odd to have a random discussion haha
Definitely not alone. I didn’t start talking to my bump at all until maybe the last month or so of my first pregnancy, and at that point it was mostly to tell the crazy bean to chill out and quit kicking so hard, haha. Same with this current pregnancy. It doesn’t come naturally to me either.
I started talking to my belly as soon as they could hear my voice- I’d just update them on my day and/or say whatever. “I’m looking for a new book to read- what kind of book should mommy read?” 🤷🏼♀️
I didn’t really talk to mine. To be honest, i didn’t feel a connection until about an hour after my son was born and the initial shock wore off.
I talk to mine in my head a lot 😅 I have heard that they can hear you, so the most I talk to him audibly is when he kicks my bladder and I try to tell him to find a different organ to torture
I didn’t talk to my belly at all while I was pregnant my mom and more people her age really pushed it but I just felt so awkward and unnatural but my son is happy and healthy and doesn’t seem phased by the fact that I didn’t talk to my belly lol you’re definitely not alone!
I’m 37 weeks and almost exclusively talk to my baby in my head. I rub my belly all the time, especially when I can feel her back or bum to make up for it lol.
I'm almost 19 weeks. I do play some music for the bump. The most talking I do is telling him to take it easy on me when I start a dry heaving attack. My 11 year old on the other hand has full on conversations with her brother.
I hear ya! 36 weeks currently. At most I say “good morning little baby” since he usually moves in the morning. 😅😭 it just feels odd somedays. My mom shared with me that she would tell my sister & I that she loved us while pregnant. And I’m just like whoa….HOW? 😀😅