Did your baby's movements in the womb match their personality when they arrived?

[ladycarlotta]

Maybe this is a weird question, and it's just for fun, but this is my second pregnancy that's made it to the point of feeling baby's movements. I remember my first baby was really active on scans, generally flinging herself about while she had the space to do so. She looked like a little acrobat. In the third trimester she got hiccups a lot. Not unusual at all but she was very refluxy when she was born and hiccupped a lot earthside too. She's always been a physically daring child who loves to run and climb.

My current pregnancy I've had a lot of scans, and every single time without fail, baby has been snuggled up face down, reluctant to move much and difficult to get all the images of.

I'm just wondering if this is any kind of indication that she will be a more chill, cuddly baby? Obviously the data is so limited to how a baby is behaving during the few minutes it's scanned, or what movements can be felt by the mother/from the outside but I have a vague sense of a different personality in there than my first child and was interested to know others' experiences.

Was your baby just like they were in utero? Or were they even the opposite?

I only have one. He was lively in utero to the point where he once kicked over a cup of coffee I'd balanced on my bump, and liked loud music. He's now 12 and hasn't changed in either respect.

Not really - dc1 moved a lot more than dc2, and dc1 also hiccuped loads whereas dc2 didn’t.

They are both active kids now (normal levels!) and neither hiccup much!

not really. i had very low movement with my daughter (mainly due to the placenta placement) but in the scans she was always quite busy although sometimes snuggled up the placenta. From the moment she was born (at 34 weeks) she has not stopped moving - she busted out of her swaddled at 4 days old, at a week learnt how to push off the changing table, rolls around tonnes in her sleep so no idea

My son was a very chill baby in the womb, seemed to sleep a lot and when he did kick always felt like he couldn’t really be bothered. He’s now 2 and extremely active!

Yes for both including way they sleep - first one was always kicking me in the ribs on both sides turns out she loves to sleep in frog position and it were her feet or knees 🤣 roughly activity levels including 4am wake up continue after birth for second one too so far

Yes for me with both. Dd very wriggly and hiccups. Now non stop and had reflux. Ds much less wriggly and so it is in real life!

Movement less so but DS was a nightmare birth, he's almost 13 now but knowing him as I do, I'm not a tiny bit surprised!

His sister was an ELCS as a result, but had I gone for another vaginal birth, I suspect she would have been a dream!

Yes for me. DS1 barely moved in utero, was a still as anything on scans, and now a teen still barely moves. However he is not as has never been cuddly , the opposite in fact.

DS2 moved much more (I was shocked to discover that 12 week olds moved on scans!) and as a teen still does.

It's a good job they had that birth order as it happens or I would have been very worried about the lack of movement from DS1 when I was pregnant.

DS didn't stop kicking on the inside, then came out and didn't stop kicking either!

He also used to play/prod with my hip bone whilst he was in the womb - it used to go through me. When he was born, for a good few weeks after he used to lay in his sleep with his hand up, moving it like he was still playing with my hip bone. It's one thing I'll never forget!

Yes and I'm talking about twins!

Yes (twins) - DD literally shoved her brother out of the way to get out first. They're toddlers and they haven't changed.

Mostly yes.

DD would have periods of high intensity movement, then settle down and be calm for a few hours. Best part of 5 years later, she needs to run and jump around like a crazy thing for a little bit, then can spend hours colouring in quite happily. She was also incredibly hiccupy in utero, and is still the same now! Wasn't refluxy though, which was good. She hated being monitored and would squirm away or kick any probe that tried. Meant she wound up with a clip on her head while I was in labour with her. Not true now, as she loves having photos and videos taken of her. However, other than the clip, that labour went perfectly, despite all the odds saying it would almost certainly end in a Caesarean section. She's very much a people pleaser.

DS would have constant BIG movements, and loved to kick. He's learnt how to calm down a bit since, but loves nothing more than scooting around in his scooter, and (trying) to play football. I thought his sister was bad at scans. At the 12/20/second attempt at 20 week scan he was curled up into an obstinate little ball. At the 36 week scan he was breech. He might be a toddler, but he is as stubborn as they come, likes things his way, and can have a bit of a contrary streak now and then. He was also back to back and tipped his head back during labour, then got stuck, resulting in me having a C-section. He's not the most coordinated boy, regularly tripping over his own feet.

When I was pregnant with DD she would go ballistic if I played loud music in the car. I always joked she was dancing. Now 17 and her favourite pastime is attending concerts and she has to be right in the mosh pit.

No, the complete opposite. My hyperactive in-utero baby is a complete couch potato, and their laidback sibling rarely sits still for a moment.

So far, yes. DS1 was super active. Always moving. Responded to music. Always had the hiccups. Even at my 12 week scan he was super wriggly which amazed me as I didn’t a fetus to move that much. When he was born, he was a very high needs baby and is now very active. He also loves music.

DS2 is only 6 months old but he didn’t move much at all - only active for 5 mins late at night and that was it. He was super miserable in the first 3 months but since then, has been a chill baby.

As babies, yes. Dc2 gave me lots of worry in pg, I was in for reduced movements several times. When they were born I realised they were just the most chill baby! It didn’t last into toddler hood though.

Yes! Absolutely. DC1 hardly moved at all in utero and now is usually to be found curled up with a book.

DC2 never stopped moving, both in utero, and all through childhood into teenage years. She just never sits still.

My DS would always be moving his arms and legs around during my scans, but he would never move his head so the sonographer couldn't get his head measurements during my growth scans. We were also back to back and he was super stubborn and wouldn't move himself to a more comfortable position for me 🙈
When he was being monitored during my labour, the midwives used to say I must've eaten too many e numbers as he was wild, always bashing on my belly and the monitor would crackle with his movements.
Now he's almost 4 weeks old and he hasn't changed. I swaddle him for sleeps and he hates it, will always manage to get his arms free and wave them around. His little legs are constantly on the go so dressing him is a nightmare. His head still manages to stay still too 😂😂

My first moved about quite abit in the womb. She was an active child and even now as a tween doesn’t really sit still, she loves moving about and dancing and stuff. In the womb she was in the right positions during scans and is also very sensible now.

My second is still a baby, was way more active in the womb and wiggled so much during scans it took twice as long to get through them. As a baby he is so wiggly, super active and already started holding his head up or away from my chest when lying on my stomach after about 6 weeks. I always wonder if he will be very stubborn haha.

One of my colleagues said he expected DD to burst out of me like in the Alien film as she spun and kicked so much. She came out the usual way but has always been super active.

My bro however was super chill inside. Chaos outside though! But he does like his sleep.

Not really their personalities but I went into labour two months early because my little girl twin booted my little boy twin in the head and in doing so popped her waters. They’re now ten and have been booting each other in the head ever since 🙄🤪

I’d say more for me when I went for my 1st scan with DD 1, was sent out 3 times as she wouldn’t keep still for them to get measurements- needless to say she has always been so energetic and lively.
DD2 just laid with her hands up, we got told we had a “chilled baby”, she’s not 5 and such a laid back chilled little girl.

Not really. The exceptionally tall one acted like he didn't have enough leg room, though. So there's that.

We always had issues at scans, dating scan I had to have 2, anatomy scan again we had to have 2 because he was always scrunched up. He loved it when music was played he'd be kicking away and was always very active from when I was about 22/23 weeks when I could really feel the movements. He's 2 now and never stops jumping, climbing, will dance to any music, runs barely walks, always wants to be on his scooter, skateboard or bike. Hates swimming though

DS was a super active, hiccupy fetus. In the third trimester I went in for monitoring a couple of times after he didn’t move at all for about 24 hours. As a baby he was exactly the same - always moving, constant hiccups, poor at sleeping and then every now and then would crash and pretty much sleep straight for 24 hours.

Now at eight he’s super active, rarely still. Will often go through phases of poor sleep and then make up for it by sleeping loads (though that might just be coincidence of course). It’s so interesting how much of their personality and habits seem hard wired from birth. I think having kids tends to change most people’s perception of the importance of nature vs nurture in who someone is, certainly has for me!