Can Babies Fart in the Tummy? Pregnant women know what their little ones can perform while still unborn. From kicking to eating everything you eat to just floating around, you would be surprised by how much our precious ones are capable of inside before they are even born, which is really an amazing thing to learn. So, just imagine what else is there to come once you let them out of this world, right? No wonder, they bring so much joy to every family.
Some parents believe that babies do fart in the tummy. Some mothers swear by this because they feel bubbly inside, and they may wonder if the baby is passing gas. We know for sure that they fart quite often when they are out in the world already. But do you think they can do this while they are still in their mommy’s tummy? Here’s our take here at FamilyHype!
Do They?
If you’re wondering, the answer to the question: “do babies fart in the womb?” is no. A baby does not pass gas while still inside. Pregnant women can usually feel all bubbly and fluttery movements inside, but it is often just a woman’s own stomach’s gas, or the amniotic fluid splashing and sloshing inside her tummy.
Babies don’t have a particularly loud digestive tract like adults. It saves all its action for when the baby is born. The only thing they do is produce their first stool called meconium.
Most infants hold in their meconium and release it after birth. But about13 percent of babies may let a little bit of it out. Unfortunately, there is a possibility that they swallow it, and it’s a rare case, but it is hazardous too. It’s called meconium aspiration. And swallowing the meconium could block the baby’s airways and lead to fetal distress.
When newborns poop in the tummy, it’s usually always an emergency case, and that little person needs to get out of mommy’s tummy immediately to avoid more complications.
When your baby has its first bowel movement, you may notice the stool looks different. There are no air pockets in the tummy as well, so the baby does not fart. Once the baby is outside, then it passes some gas and shows the world what a tooter it is.
So What Are Those Bubbles?
The bubbles you feel in the tummy are the baby and the amniotic fluid moving around, as well as your digestive tract reacting to the constant and continuous growth of your belly. It gets cramped inside a pregnant woman’s body, you know. All those flutters are just soft pressure bubbles passing to adjust to the shrinking space. So no, it’s the amniotic fluid which is causing those farting sensations within it, or rather the adjustments and movement about within the amniotic fluid that are happening within the tummy. While it may feel gassy as the child does this, and you may wonder if those strange sounds are little farts, the bobble that you feel, and potentially the little sounds your stomach is making has nothing to do with farts, but instead, it actually is the movement of the digestive actions within, and in turn, it creates bubbles and the sensation of farts within.
Your baby isn’t letting one out when its in the tummy. It just isn’t fully possible at that stage or within the mom. It’s really just growing in the tummy. However, once born, the baby can fart and fart big and loud. So, to soon-to-be parents out there, make sure you have your gas masks on!
Unique Things The Baby Does In The Womb
Now that we’ve answered that question, we should talk about some unique things a baby does while inside the tummy. Because while they can’t fart in the tummy, they do other fun stuff. You might just be surprised with all the activities a baby can do to keep himself busy while he is cooking nicely inside the tummy for nine months. It’s a bit of a long wait, after all.
Babies Float
During the first week or so in the tummy, they can do a whole lot of floating around. They will be drifting around until they begin forming into an embryo. They are natural at floating. It’s innate in every baby since they go through being a small embryo before growing into a full-term sized baby. That’s why water birth is possible, and teaching young babies how to swim is much easier because they are still in tune with what they have been doing early on inside the tummy. It’s fantastic, isn’t it?
After six weeks in the tummy, a baby develops a heartbeat, which you may be able to hear through an ultrasound or doppler. But until then, they just float around and hang in the tummy
Babies Can Hear You
You probably read somewhere that a baby can already hear even while still in the tummy. You may also be wondering if that’s true or not. They can listen to outside the tummy, and inside too!
Inside the mom’s body, it’s quite noisy. From the heartbeat, the gurgling, the breathing, to every other movement a mom will make, the baby hears it all. It may all seem like white noise to the baby, but the baby can recognize his mother’s voice upon birth as a result.
If you’re expecting, you may want to avoid loud music. Loud sounds can hurt a baby’s hearing, so avoid loud machinery, concerts, and anything else until the baby is born. It may lead to permanent hearing damage if exposed to rapidly.
What you want to expose the baby to instead are soft lullabies and classical music. They start hearing these external sounds by the second trimester. And come the third trimester, you’ll be able to observe the baby responding to music with a kick or a jab or two.
Playing music is external stimuli that can help the baby further develop it’s brain while still inside the tummy. And it also relaxes the mom, so it’s another excellent bonding activity for both the mommy and baby.
They Can See Light
When you die, people say they see the light at the end of the tunnel. People who believe in reincarnation may say that the light you see is outside the tummy of your future reincarnated self. Spiritual discussion aside, a baby can detect light outside the tummy, especially if the light is bright.
During the final trimester, a baby inside the tummy can already open its eyes when he is awake. And he will be able to blink already too. You can try briefly directing a flashlight towards your tummy. You’ll see the baby respond and react to it with movements. It’s another right stimulus for the baby that can help his development.
A new study also shows that when you spend some time out in the sun while you are still pregnant, a bit of sunlight can make it through your skin and on to your baby. And when you get even just a small amount of sunshine, it can help your baby in utero develop his eyesight and avoid eye problems when he is born.
Babies Drink And Roll Around In Pee
Bear Grylls would be proud. In the first 25 weeks, babies will pee into their amniotic sac. This pee combines with the amniotic fluid, and babies then drink that mixture. Who knew that being an unborn baby was like this? Sounds super gross, right? But remember, you were once a baby inside the tummy, too, so you have done that as well.
Babies Can Taste Food
We all know that when you eat something, your baby eats it too to a degree. At around 11 weeks, a baby’s taste buds begin developing, and the baby may start tasting food. A baby may develop particular preferences depending on what the mother eats during pregnancy. If the mom is picky, the baby may be picky, and vice versa. And if the mom eats or drinks something sweet or cold, she’ll feel the baby moving actively afterward. It’s as if the baby is having his version of a sugar rush, too!
Once the baby is born, flavor molecules may show up in breast milk as well based on what the mom eats. And it’s good to know that breastfeeding can also benefit the baby by feeding the good bacteria in their gut. So moms need to make sure to have a good appetite and to eat healthy while pregnant and while breastfeeding so that the baby will follow as well.
Babies Can Feel Emotional Events From The Mom
Pregnant women’s emotional health is essential during and after pregnancy. She shares her emotional being with her baby in utero.
Any positive feelings a mom feels, the baby inside the tummy also feels it. So it’s helpful for her and for the baby to feel cared for and loved. And to feel relaxed and stress-free as the pregnancy progresses.
If a mom experiences any trauma during pregnancy, it may affect the baby. The stress hormones released into the bloodstream is partaken as well by the baby. The baby may develop PTSD later on in their lives, even if they don’t experience any traumatic events themselves. Trauma may make it harder to have a successful delivery. If a mom has a traumatic event, it could lead to more severe cases such as miscarriage or premature birth.
The Opposite Is True Too
If a mom has social support and feels good, a baby may be born happier and healthier. Again, the exact reason is a bit unknown, but if a mom has friends and family who help out, the baby may end up feeling a lot better as a result and eat and sleep more too. The less stressed the mom is, the better it is for all babies. As a pregnant woman, make sure you have a social circle of spending time with and bonding. You can even find support groups online and those that meet face-to-face to discuss the many things pregnant women go through. The sharing and relating of experiences can help pregnant women feel supported during pregnancy. It can make her feel that she is not alone in going through all the significant and rapid changes in her body and her life.
Babies May Be Able To Cry In The Womb
A baby can cry while in the tummy. It’s not loud, but the baby can still quiver, be startled, gasp, and do everything else you associate with crying. It signals an important milestone in his development in utero because to cry means the development of systems in his tiny body is synchronizing and coordinating properly.
Even outside the tummy, it’s very typical for babies to cry. It’s their most primal way of expressing themselves and communicating.
Conclusion
So we just learned a baby can do so many exciting stuff while he is still inside his mom’s tummy. But we also learned that no, a baby doesn’t fart while inside the tummy. Instead, they can pee, taste the food their mom eats, feel emotions, hear sounds, and see the light. Who knew all these enjoyable activities were happening inside a pregnant body?
FAQs
-
Where does a baby’s poop go in the womb?
It’s sporadic for a baby to poop while still inside the tummy. They usually get to hold it in until they are born. During the rare case that they do poop while even in utero, the baby’s meconium will stay within the amniotic sac, and most likely, the baby will swallow it. It could lead to meconium aspiration and become an emergency case where the baby needs to be delivered immediately to keep him away from more danger.
- How do you know if your baby is hiccupping in the womb?
A slight constant twitching or pulsing in a rhythmic pattern of the tummy could mean that your baby is having hiccups while inside the tummy.
- Can babies smell food in the womb?
All of the baby’s senses are continuously developing in utero, especially during the final month of pregnancy. This includes his sense of smell. There’s still little study on human babies being able to smell while inside the tummy, but all of them resulted in an affirming that babies can indeed smell the chemicals going through his body while floating inside his mom’s tummy.
- Do babies get bored in the womb?
There’s so much a baby can do inside the womb. He can eat, pee, do somersaults, kick and jab, listen to external sounds and watch out for flashing lights outside the womb too. A baby won’t ever get bored with all the exciting things he can as he is growing for nine months in the womb.
- Do fetuses cry? How to make my baby happy in the womb?
They can cry while inside the womb. The fetuses also take to what the mom is feeling. A baby will feed off the emotions of his mom while inside the uterus. To keep the baby happy, the mommy needs to surround herself with positive people, experiences, and activities. These should make her feel taken care of, loved, and secured.
- Can unborn babies sense their father?
An unborn baby can hear the voices of those who are talking to him or his mom. If the mom and dad are spending a lot of time talking to the baby regularly, the baby will learn to recognize his father’s voice while in the womb.
- Is a very active fetus a good sign?
Fetal activity is always a good sign. This means the baby is developing well and getting stronger each day. Activity and movement are preferred over silence and lethargy when monitoring a baby’s movements.
- Can my baby feel when I touch my belly?
The baby can feel whatever the mom is feeling. He will know when you are stroking your belly and talking to him. It will give you a great sense of love and excitement in seeing him once he is born. Your baby will feel all of that too.
- Why should you talk to your unborn baby?
A baby can hear sounds and voices even while he is still inside the womb. Exposing him to audio sensory stimuli can help strengthen his sense of hearing. It will also help him recognize your voice when he gets born.
- Can a fetus hear music through headphones?
Similarly, music is also an excellent stimulus for the baby while he is cooking inside mom’s oven. He can hear the music you are playing through the headphones if you place them on your stomach.
Here are a few helpful resources to better understand what goes on during the stages of pregnancy:
Womenshealth.gov – FaceBook – Twitter – YouTube (interesting video here)- Pinterest – Email
Livescience.com – FaceBook – Twitter – YouTube – FlipBoard – Email
Parents.com – FaceBook – Twitter – Instagram – Pinterest – Email
Plannedparenthood.org – FaceBook – Twitter – YouTube – Tumblr – Instagram
Webmd.com – FaceBook – Twitter – Pinterest
Clevelandclinic.org – Facebook – Twitter – YouTube – LinkedIn – Instagram – Pinterest – Snapchat
Last Updated on August 25, 2022 by Ryan Ballesteros
DISCLAIMER (IMPORTANT): This information (including all text, images, audio, or other formats on FamilyHype.com) is not intended to be a substitute for informed professional advice, diagnosis, endorsement or treatment. You should not take any action or avoid taking action without consulting a qualified professional. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions about medical conditions. Do not disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking advice or treatment because of something you have read here a FamilyHype.com.