Can sugar/sweets cause baby to move around too much?

[ButteryJam]

Hi,

Last night I had half packet of skittles (this is very unlike me) whilst watching telly. I was going to have one or two, and before I knew it half of it was finished.

Anyhow, I don't know if that's the direct cause but I had the more restless night. I'm 29 weeks and baby was moving around all night and I just couldn't get comfy. Could the sweets be the cause? I'm not going any where near them anymore!

Also is there anything you can do to encourage the baby to sleep at night instead of playing at night?

The most restless night*

Maybe, mine definitely moves about more after sugary food or drinks.

Yes it can - as can cold drinks, milky drinks and any number of things. You'll feel the movements more when lying down as you're not doing anything else.

Sadly nothing you can do to encourage the baby to sleep at night as they have no concept of night and day (in utero and even once they are out!). You just have to make yourself as comfortable as possible and try to just tune out the movements.

Yes! When I was pregnant with DS1 I really wanted a sherbet dip, so I got one and devoured it in minutes. I spent the next 12 hours with a baby doing loop the loops and kicking. I've never had one since and DS1 hasn't either.

Babies wake of a night because you're still, when you walking or moving in the day it helps them sleep. So unless you can be nocturnal there's not much that can be done to help them 'sleep' of a night.

I feel your pain OP!

On a side note, if you eat too much sugary or sweet things, can you make them hyperactive in utero?!

At both my scans the sonographer has commented on it being a 'very wriggly baby' and indeed, when it gets going I can feel it all over my tummy in a matter of minutes. I have been having lots of fruit and more sweets (though not an excessive amount and as part of a balanced-ish diet) than usual since 12 weeks but do worry that I'm adversely affecting it?

With my first I was given lots of Easter eggs and I found when I ate chocolate she would wriggle loads. I never found cold drinks effected her that much. As with the night question I cannot help as I worked nights so I put her activity at night down to that! Xx

I had a whole pack of Skittles about a month ago and baby went mental for hours!! Have been laying off the E numbers since then...

I have a very active night time baby so do sympathise with the insomnia and discomfort but like others have said, it's the fact that you're lying down doing nowt that means the baby has no movement to rock him/her to sleep. But try to remember movement is good- much better the sleeplessness than the worry about too few movements!

Yes, cutting out quick-release energies before bed will help. Snack on low gi stuff in the evening if poss- yoghurt, slice of wholemeal toast, raw veg, little bit of dried fruit, etc.

Now I want skittles!!!
My bump definitely likes chocolate, but doesn't move at all when I'm in the car so he must find it soothing?

My baby is a right wriggler at night and seems to be worse if I have a high-fibre dinner. I wonder if my bowels chugging away irritate it?! I do find it reassuring if a little annoying. Up until last week I was mainly sleeping on my back, which also seems to make baby more wriggly, but now I'm managing to go to sleep on my side AND wake up (several times in the night) on my side (I'm currently 39+5) and the wriggling marathons seem to be a bit shorter.

I remember my bump going bonkers after sherbet lemons!

Lemonade makes mine go crazy. I find too that if I eat chocolate or sweets before bed baby moves around a lot at night.

With my dc1 I had to go back for a scan three times as she was so lazy and wouldn't move. Second time, the sonographer told me to eat some sweets and have a sugary drink before coming so the baby would move around a bit. I woke up the morning of the scan and ate a small bag of fizzy cola bottles and drank half a can of fanta. When I went, dd wouldn't stop moving around!