u/Substantial-Key-3548

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I read somewhere that if the baby is exposed to the same song or piece of music (it could even be a jingle of a show) quite often in the womb, starting from second trimester, they would be able to recognise the music once they are born. How fun!

I've been listening a lot to Deslocado by NAPA, a Portuguese song most of us might have come across on Reels. It's a very nostalgic song, making me yearn for a place I haven't even been to.

I'd be over the moon if our baby does a little dance to this song when they are here haha :)

What have you been listening to?

Today, I learnt that babies, until 6 months, can distinguish between the sounds of every language that has been invented! Isn't that amazing? So, their ability to absorb languages is exceptionally good during this stage.

That got me thinking about how many languages my kid is already exposed to inside the womb. I speak Tamil and a bit of English at home. I speak Malayalam (my mother tongue) to my dad over phone and I'm learning Spanish via Duolingo (I practice aloud few words and phrases almost everyday).

I've never really been good at picking up new languages. I struggled to learn Hindi at school. That sort of traumatised me for life haha 😂

But, my husband knows quite a few languages. So, betting on his genes and my baby's language absorbing capabilities to do the trick :)

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I have recently taken to mandala colouring. Needless to say, it was therapeutic and helped calm my anxious mind.

During my maternity break, I have been trying to keep myself occupied with mentally stimulating and creative tasks.

• I have started solving Sudokus again. I enjoyed doing them as a teenager.
• I have been learning Spanish at an extremely slow pace via Duolingo. I fell in love with the accent after watching Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad, hence took it up.
• I’m currently reading Brain Rules for Baby by John Medina and The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. I like to balance non-fiction with some fiction :)

I am not sure if these activities can actually improve my baby's cognitive capabilities, but these are definitely helping me keep my anxious thoughts away.

I must acknowledge how privileged I am to be able to do these and I am very grateful to my husband and my mother-in-law for their support.

Would love to hear if you have taken up any new hobbies or revisited your old hobbies during your maternity break :)

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Yesterday, I read Fairy Tales to my baby in the womb. What makes this book so special is that this is the first book I ever read. As a kid, I was never enthused about reading and refused to sit down with a book. But, my elder brother didn't give up. He almost thrust this book into my hand and compelled me to read it. That's how I was introduced to the world of literature. There's no turning back since then.

While the kind of books I'm drawn to has varied vastly over the years, reading and writing are my top hobbies till day. Words have saved me time and again. They have helped me get through some of my darkest days.

Looking back, I feel a mild sense of regret tugging at my heart for not picking up a book sooner. There's no way I'm letting the same happen with my kid. So, I'm starting as early as I can, while they are in the womb!

Since this is the first book I read, I want this to be the first book they listen to. I feel so good about passing down the joy of reading. Can't wait for them to grow old enough to introduce me and their dad to great books :)

I've been reading Baby Rules for Baby by John Medina. Yesterday, I came across a very crucial piece of information - a stressed mom births a stressed baby. It was quite an eye-opener to me. We spend a lot of time researching about what kind of diet we should follow and which physical activity is ideal during pregnancy, but fail to acknowledge that our mental health is just as important.

But, remember, this isn't the usual stress that mothers go through anticipating labour, instead it's the chronic stress like long-term work stress or stress due to undesirable living conditions or stemming from any chronic illness.

This is certainly not to stress you out haha :) It's just a reminder to try and stay happy and relaxed. You are already doing a lot by carrying around the beautiful miracle of life within you, so don't you worry about things that you can't control, mama :)

On an unrelated note, do you have any recommendations for books to read during pregnancy?

Women, no matter how exhausted or frustrated they feel, are expected to put on a smile, pretend like everything’s okay and be pleasant and polite, especially to their in-laws. But on the other hand, when men feel the same way, it is totally acceptable for them to be visibly upset and it’s understandable if they sound rude or angry. It is all labelled under the umbrella term of ‘work stress’. They are shown leniency and empathy because they are under pressure from financial burdens or from too many responsibilities. However, we can’t deny that women tend to juggle more responsibilities than men in most cases. 

These double standards really frustrate me. Is this common in the place you come from? What are your thoughts on this? 

I've been feeling very socially distant for most of my pregnancy. Been finding it very difficult to socialise and it takes a lot of effort to even keep in touch with my friends. I have always had less mental energy and a low social battery. But, now it seems to have hit a new low with most of my energy being spent on anxious thoughts and fears that grip my mind. My only saving grace is that it doesn't seem to affect offline, face-to-face conversations.

Does anyone else experience this? Or has pregnancy just worsened my anxiety?