Getting to know you T

HERE’S nothing like the first time you feel your baby move inside you – like a little butterfly fluttering across your tummy. OK, it’s also a little bit like bubbling wind, so it’s easy to mistake it for your digestion kicking in after a meal... For first-time mums, the baby’s movements can start between 18 and 20 weeks, while for those having their second and beyond, it can be as early as 16 weeks. As your baby grows, you can start to see the outline of limbs moving across your tummy as it wriggles into a more comfortable spot – a little unnerving at first, so you might think it’s actually an alien baby. Apart from the scan pictures, these movements are often the first real sign there’s definitely a little person growing in there, and it will make you want to start BABIES are designed to keep their senses open for stimuli in the womb. From about 18 weeks, they can hear sounds from outside the womb, and may even recognise your voice when they’re born.

Recent research found they are programmed to recognise faces, turning their heads to look at lights that picked out two eyes and a nose– and ignoring random configurations of lights. “The foetus in the third trimester actively seeks out information,” says Professor Vincent Reid, a psychologist at Lancaster University and study head. “This means that other ways of interacting with the foetus can be considered. I would encourage parents to read books out loud. This can help with bonding and could be beneficial.”

Michelle Lyne, professional advisor for education at the Royal College of Midwives, agrees. “It has been shown that women who