talking to the bump?

[CatFaceCrayola]

Do any of you lot talk/sing to your bump? I feel so silly doing it. It's lovely when DH does is as he can get right up close, but obviously I can't get my face very close to bump.

Will she not just hear my voice all day everyday anyway or should I specifically be talking to her?

You should do whatever you like. You're right that the baby will be familiar with your voice through you just speaking aloud each day, and it won't know whether you're talking to it, the cat or the postman. You might, however, feel like you're building more of a relationship with the baby when you talk to him/her. I tended to talk to mine in my head - so he didn't have the first clue! - but it felt like a nice thing to do.

I sometimes catch myself saying "d'you fancy a cup of tea and a cake, Bean?"
One kick for yes, two kicks for yes but make it a hot chocolate hahaha!

I love shopping with a silent second opinion. Much more fun than DH and his undue focus on good taste and sensible purchases!

Do what feels right to you

Your dc will know your voice through your day-to-day interactions, so you don't need to speak die rely to your bump. I mostly talked in my head, but occasionally out loud. Did lots of stroking, though.

I loved it when ds spoke to my bump

I never spoke to DD as a bump and haven't for this one either. Tbh it just hadn't occurred to me, and like you I'd have felt silly doing it - it's something for me that would feel forced rather than natural. The baby will hear your voice throughout the day anyway and already recognise it by the time s/he's born.

Home alone a lot now I'm on maternity leave and the bump keeps me company: "right then, shall we go have a shower/go for a walk/buy some chocolate?" Etc. and I like playing music and singing along with it too. Sometimes if I get a new book I'll read it aloud "to the bump". But you're right, it can feel a bit silly sometimes!

When I was at antenatal classes in recent months I was very annoyed to be told that I was being neglectful if I didn't talk to my bump ('It encourages brain development in the foetus'). I was told to sing and chat all day, but I soon came to realise it was more bullshit advice from quangos to reduce the number of mothers who spend all day once baby has arrived texting their mates and ignoring the baby.

This thread makes me feel a bit guilty - the only things I tend to say to my bump are things like - Argh get your foot out my ribs or stop nutting my bladder.

I do a lot of patting and stroking though and thinking nice thoughts at him!

Pistol that is utter bollocks. Babies learn equally from hearing your interaction with other adults when in the womb: without non verbal signals like facial expressions, how can they tell? And what about deaf parents? It's utter nonsense. Facial expressions and proximity are needed (possibly more than speaking) to help children learn relationships.
I went to 3 sets of ante natal classes and this wasn't mentioned in any of them.
If it were, I would have spoken up (as someone with training in this area).

I do have conversations in my head with her.

Need to get more singalong tunes on.

and try and say more to her than "stop jiggly, I want to sleep" and "you've made me need to wee again"

I do when I'm on my own. Not in public!

DH apparently 'read it somewhere' that he should talk to the bump. That felt really really odd.

No I didn't. Baby hears your voice anyway when you talk, and it won't be able to distinguish between you talking to it or talking to other people.

Precisely. Impressing the importance of talking to your bump is yet more fodder for feeling guilty. S'all bullshit, innit.

I talked to my bump all of the time when pregnant with DD, so did my DP. DP told her to come out on the Friday (38 weeks) so I couldn't go and get my hair done. Coincidence or what... my waters broke on the Wednesday and she arrived on the Friday!!! She was obviously listening.

OH and I did, just because it felt natural and normal. We both sing a lot anyway so singing to the bump was just an extension of that would never judge anyone who didn't (as long as they didn't judge me for doing it).

Lol I did, I even read to it obviously a total waste of time though, but I suppose it's a nice bonding thing to do!

I couldn't bring myself to utter a single word direct to my bump. I'm the chattiest person in the world but I just couldn't do it. It felt silly, awkward, wrong, maybe I was superstitious too but I just could not do it.

Since the day she was born 17m ago I have Not. Stopped. Talking to her.

Poor little thing, she's probably sick of the sound of my voice.

It felt natural to talk to her even when she was teeny tiny and couldn't even understand, let alone respond, but I just couldn't bring myself to say so much as a single syllable 'to' her when she was just a bump.

Do what feels right for you, OP. I felt a bit bad that I wasn't talking/playing music but it doesn't seem to have made the slightest bit of difference one way or the other.

I do, I talk to him lots and stroke him.

DH talks to him in bed and cuddled up on the settee and strokes him.

No but now I'm 37 weeks I keep telling him to hurry up and he can come out now.

DH hasn't spoken to bump at all but I do. Mainly "PLEASE stop using my bladder as a trampoline".