To tap/clap my tummy when pregnant?

[honeytea]

I am 20 weeks pregnant and my bump is starting to show properly.

When in the privacy of my own home i tap my hand on my tummy a couple of times a day, it makes a sort of clapping sound. I say hi to the baby and chat to him a little.

My DP has seen me do this and was really upset saying I will be frightening the baby, he actually said it's like a fish in a fish tank you mustn't tap on the glass!

I have since taped my tummy out of habit and he has said how mean I am.

Aibu to tap my tummy, anyone else done the same in pregnancy?

[HSMM]

I did a lot of gentle tapping or rubbing. My teenager seems fairly well adjusted :)

[DanyTargaryen]

Tell your DP not to be so stupid. Baby won't even notice.

[MrsMangoBiscuit]

So you're a goldfish tank now? Nice!

I've never heard that you shouldn't, and I tapped my bump throughout pregnancy, it was just a habit. DD is very noisy, but otherwise no side effects. I do remember when I was at a bus stop, about 7 months gone, and a bus rolled over and popped a bottle, making a very loud bang. Must've scared the crap out of DD because I felt her jump! She kicked me so hard I doubled over. Poor bus driver, he very kindly stopped to make sure I was ok.

[honeytea]

It does feel a little like he has started to think of me as a fish tank, a our unborn son as a fish.

I travel on the underground everyday I think the train noise is loader than a little tummy tapping!

Glad to here some tummy tapping mums have had unaffected chidren.

[JeSuisBanane]

I read somewhere that what you do to your belly in pregnancy can soothe the baby after it's born. So if you pat your belly then patting the baby will calm it because it's familiar, same with if you rubbed your belly. No idea if it's true or not though.

I broke a glass when I was pregnant and felt the baby jump, that must have scared her but the patting and rubbing doesn't seem to have done her any harm.

[squeakytoy]

Well you need to tell him no more sex, as that would be like someone putting a fishing rod in the tank and would scare the fish!

[honeytea]

Well you need to tell him no more sex, as that would be like someone putting a fishing rod in the tank and would scare the fish!

I'm going to tell him this! don't want to scare the fish!

[two2blackcats]

just please don't use it as a drum in public :)

[booksandchoc]

I used to pat my bump all the time, right where DD's bum was. From the day she was born I've patted her bum to get her to sleep.

[EarnestDullard]

Anything the baby hears is well muffled by the amniotic fluid and your own muscle and body tissue. And I think - could be wrong though - the baby's ears don't start working until a few weeks later anyway. By which point they're usually moving enough that you can sometimes feel them startle when there's a really loud noise next to you.

I'm sure a bit of gentle tapping will have no adverse effect :)

[honeytea]

I will try to continue the tapping after he is born and see if he likes it. I havn't felt any extra movements when I have been tapping so maybe his ears don't work yet.

I promise no tummy drumming in in public!

[Ericmonicahaiden]

Patting your tummy acrually is a way of communicating with my baby. He kicks whenever I pat my tummy.

[KayTee87]

Your stomach do what you like. I hate the view that a woman's stomach somehow becomes this alien object when she's pregnant I think that's why people think it's ok to touch pregnant women's stomachs without invitation too.
I'm 33+ weeks now and have rubbed, tapped and poked my tummy since I started to feel baby move.
At a 30 week growth scan the sonographer had to be quite rough with my stomach to get the baby to move into position - don't think she'd be doing that if it actually bothered the baby.

[blueturtle6]

Whatever the mummy to be does to bond with baby is good for it. I had a stressful.job when pregnant and would waffle of to the loo rather often for a tummy pat and chat. When she couldn't sleep after birth id tap her dummy lightly to send her to sleep.

[MajesticSeaFlapFlap]

Awww we played the tum drum all the time when pregnant with ds1, he's 13 now and normal-ish

[RatherSheepish]

YABU to use the word "tummy" after the age of six!

[Absofrigginlootly]

As long as you're not jabbing the baby hard it won't hurt them as they have plenty of fluid and space at the moment.

Towards the end when they run out of room and might not appreciate being jabbed, but as far as I'm aware studies show that stroking your baby and gently rubbing/poking them strengthens bonds especially if you talk to them while you do it.

I used to sing DD a specific lullaby everyday during pregnancy and now when she's struggling to sleep (19 months old) if I start singing it she immediately calms down and relaxes.

[whois]

My DP has seen me do this and was really upset saying I will be frightening the baby, he actually said it's like a fish in a fish tank you mustn't tap on the glass!

I think this is cute!

[Wellthen]

I agree its sweet but he is imagining the fetus to be far more mentally developed than she is or even than she will be when born! He is assuming that the baby will see noise as a threat, as if someone is invading her home. She has no concept of threat, self or territory yet. And as pps have said, she probably can't even really hear it yet.

Wait till he sees how hard the midwife presses to feel the head!

I'm 37 weeks and DH gets upset when she has hiccups. He rubs my bump saying 'poor baby, its ok baby' mournfully. I agree that hiccups do feel surprisingly violent!

[LiviaDrusillaAugusta]

ZOMBIE THREAD - it's four years old!!

FFS!

[smilingthroughgrittedteeth]

I used to tap my bump all the time, DS is 14 months and still finds me patting his bum soothing, he is perfectly normal so I don't think it harmed him

[Serz88]

wow this thread is 8 years old!
@honeytea how did you child turn out? I am currently studying part time for my degree while working and find myself patting my tummy along with the beat of whatever song is on.