Pregnancy is rough on a woman. Between the changes to her system, the changes to her hormones, and the side effects she experiences, it can all be very uncomfortable at times. As the baby grows though, the feeling of being uncomfortable intensifies. The bigger the baby gets; the more unpleasant mom feels.

Mom isn’t the only one who gets uncomfortable, though. Babies go through a lot while in their mother’s bumps. From the start of their development, to the very end before birth, they are learning and experiencing new things while growing inside their mother’s belly. Over the years with new technology, doctors have been able to monitor and observe unborn babies in different situations. From light, to sound, to even how a baby will react when the mother’s belly is touched.

They have even found out through ultrasounds that babies can even cry while in there. Not like normal crying babies who are born do, but their own version. They do not make sounds. More like they make all the facial expressions we do when we cry. From the squinting of the eyes, to the opening of the mouth, to even the quivering of the lips. There are a lot of things that a mom can do that can make a baby uncomfortable. Some things don’t even have to be from the mother, they can just be from her surroundings.

Laughing, what she eats, how she feels, loud noise, bright lights, all these and more are just some of the things that can make an unborn baby uncomfortable while inside its cozy home. Here are 20 things that may make an unborn baby uncomfortable.

20 Icky Foods: the baby can tell

When a mom-to-be eats, the flavor molecules from the food travels through her blood, into the placenta and into the baby’s amniotic fluid. Meaning: Babies can taste and smell the food mum eats in the womb.

According to independent.co.uk, a baby’s taste buds will start to develop around 11 weeks old, this is when they will start opening their mouth.

From that point on, a woman’s unborn baby will be able to start to taste whatever mom eats.

His or her senses get even strong around 28-29 weeks, when their taste buds are fully matured. If mom eats something icky, the baby will taste it and they will not be to happy with it.

19 When Mommy Laughs

When someone laughs, I mean really laughs, it is common for their body to shake. When a woman has a big olé belly hanging in front of her, her belly is one thing that is defiantly going to jiggle like a bowl of jelly. Now imagine how baby must feel inside when that is going on.

One could image the experience as an earth quake.

Everything just starts shaking. It is something that would make anyone uncomfortable. According to babygaga.com, for an unborn baby who doesn’t understand what is going on, this experience can defiantly be a scary and uncomfortable one.

This doesn’t mean a mom-to-be can’t laugh though just know that the unborn baby inside may either be having the time of their life, or be miserable and want the ride to end.

18 When Mom Is Tossing And Turning To Much

So being pregnant is uncomfortable for a woman. It is hard to find a good position to sleep at night that is comfy for not only mom, but also baby. The bigger the baby gets though, the more difficult it is.

According to babygaga.com, when a mom-to-be finds herself tossing and turning at night, she is making not only herself go insane, but her unborn child.

They are not comfortable inside that little space and being tossed into the room walls while trying to sleep themselves.

One could picture it being like an earthquake, or even being on a water bed and having one’s partner tossing and turning next to them. Its not comfortable and its very annoying.

17 Too much Light

Like their hearing, baby’s eyes start to develop around 16 weeks gestation. It is around this time that they can start to see light, according to independent.co.uk, even though their eyes have yet to open. In fact, their eyes won’t open until they are about 26 to 28 weeks.

Just imagine looking up to the light with your eyes closed. We can still see the light from the sun even though they are closed. That is what it’s like for them.

Unborn babies have different moods. There are times when they will enjoy the light and the mom can feel them responding to it with kicks and sudden movements, but then there are times when they want nothing to do with it and will try and move away or turn to avoid it.

16 Bumpy Car Rides

According to babygaga.com, one thing that a lot of moms-to-be like to do to jump start labor when they are overdue or just plain sick of being pregnant, is find the bumpiest road they can and go flying down it full force.

Unfortunately for baby, at this stage of life there is not a lot of room to move around and hitting those bumps is not a fun experience.

While mom is bouncing around on the outside, so is baby on the inside and it can be an uncomfortable experience for them being slammed into their homes wall, just so mom can get them out faster. They may even get sick while in the womb.

15 Not Enough Space

The bigger a baby gets while in his/her mother’s womb, the less room they have to move around.

Which can start to make them terribly uncomfortable.

For an example, image waking up in the morning to a stiff neck, back, or even one’s arm or legs in pain, its obvious that the pain comes from sleeping wrong throughout the night. Same goes for an unborn baby. Less room means they are forced into some uncomfortable positions that can cause them pain.

What makes matters worst is that according to verywellfamily.com, babies can actually cry in the womb when they are uncomfortable. How sad is that?

14 When Mom Doesn’t Stretch

As babies grown inside their mother’s tummies, the luxurious space they once had becomes smaller and smaller. Something they do not like and can become uncomfortable with.

According to babygaga.com, it is good for both mom and baby if mom stretches every now and again to relax and open up her body a little bit, giving baby a little extra space to move around and get comfortable.

Sitting on the couch all hunched over or curled up into the corner is cutting off extra space for the baby, making it hard to move. Their walls are literally closing in on them.

13 Loud Noises

An unborn baby is constantly growing and developing new things while in their mother’s stomach. According to independent.co.uk, at week 16 of the gestation period, an unborn baby starts to develop their hearing. Once that occurs, the womb can be quite noisy.

Mom’s heartbeat, mom eating, breathing, walking, talking, even burping and her digesting her food all becomes easily heard. Therefore, a mom-to-be must be careful as to what she does.

Babies do not like loud noises, and what is worst, these noises can damage the babies hearing.

Chainsaws, loud machinery, gunfire, jet engines, blaring music, concerts and so forth are all stuff to avoid while pregnant.

12 Having To Share A Womb

One rare phenomenon that can happen is called Superfetation. Typically, when a woman becomes pregnant, she stops ovulating, but there have been occurrences when a woman drops another egg during her pregnancy and that egg can become fertilized if she has sex around the time it drops, which is call Superfetation.

Most of the time this event takes place around the first trimester, according to babygaga.com though, there have been occasions when this has happened to a woman in her third trimester.

Now imagine how the already growing baby must feel.

There is already barely any room for them and they are uncomfortable most the time.

Now they have to share their limited space with another growing human being?

11 Sudden Movements, Sounds, Or Actions From Mom

No one likes to be startled. It is annoying and just all around not a fun experience. Though for adults we just get mad or upset, kids on the other hand are different. They are known to start crying after being startled.

Same goes for unborn babies. According to medpagetoday.com, babies do not know how to react when startled in the womb, so all they do is cry when it happens.

Any sudden movements sound or sudden actions by mom or the outside world can startle them and make them uncomfortable.

Which when one thinks about it, is bound to happen a lot. Just getting up off the couch could be a sudden movement that startles them. Poor babies.

10 When They Hurt Themselves

While a baby is growing inside of their mother, they are constantly learning to do new things. Open their mouths, move their arms or feet, sucks on a finger and the list goes on and on.

According to lifenews.com, thanks to scientific evidence, we now know that babies can feel pain up to 20 weeks of pregnancy. There are times that they like to repeat certain actions over and over once they learn how they did it in the first place. Which can cause them pain.

Poking themselves in the eye, hitting themselves in the face accidently, or sucking on their fingers to much are just some of these actions that can make them uncomfortable.

9 To0 Much Spicy Food

It is been proven time and time again that spicy food will not harm an unborn baby. In fact, some women even use it to jump start labor. But, just because something isn't harmful to a person, doesn't mean it cant make them uncomfortable.

It is in the first trimester that babies start to taste the foods their mom has eaten. Now one thing to take into consideration while pregnant is that if mom’s mouth is on fire from the spicy food, there is a high possibility that the baby’s mouth is too. The effects from eating spicy food can make an unborn baby very uncomfortable. People do not like burning mouths or heartburn, why would an unborn child?

8 A Sad Mommy

Remember that saying, “try not to stress, its not good for the baby,” that everyone likes to say when a woman is pregnant? Well it is true not just for stress, but also for a woman who is sad.

When a woman is pregnant, her body is pumping with all different hormones. Some that not only affect her, but also affect her child. When she is sad, the baby can feel it and will become sad themselves. There is even evidence that an unborn baby will become uncomfortable and even start to cry in its mother womb when its upset. Chronic sadness can also have an everlasting effect on them after they are born.

According to independent.co.uk, kids born to parents with PTSD for example are at higher risk to develop it themselves at some point in their lives. How crazy is that? There has also been a study that has shown 23% of women go into premature labor during huge times of sadness in their lives. For example, when they lose a family member.

7 When Mom Doesn’t Eat

It is a common thing for people to skip a mean now and again, especially when they are busy. When a woman becomes pregnant though, this is something she cannot do anymore. She is eating for two, and baby gets very uncomfortable when she doesn’t eat.

An unborn child is helpless, they rely on their moms to get their nutrition. When mom doesn’t eat, she is not only harming herself, but also her unborn child.

Also, pregnancy takes a strain on a woman’s body. She needs all the nutrition, vitamins and supplements she can get to help her body create the tiny human that is growing inside of her. So, to all the moms-to-be, please remember to eat at least six small meals a day. You are eating for two now.

6 Bedroom Time

Many women experience sexual desire differently while pregnant. Some women are turned off by how they look or how they feel and can go the whole nine months without having sexual relations, while other women are more turned on due to the rise in their hormones and will want it more often.

When mom is going through relations with her partner, she is having a good ole’ time, but according to babygaga.com, during the act she tends to tighten her abdominal muscles, which in turn causes the already limited space the baby has to become even smaller.

One could think of it as the walls closing in on them. It would make anyone angry and uncomfortable.

5 When Their Home Is Being Poked To Much

No one likes when their home is messed with. Same goes for unborn babies. Poking a pregnant woman’s belly to much can make them uncomfortable and try to get away or even cry, according to medpagetoday.com.

According to medpagetoday.com, one thing a lot of doctors have noticed is that babies hate when mom gets an ultrasound. With all the touching, poking, and bright lights, who wouldn’t be uncomfortable.

One could think of it as this, if a baby or child doesn’t get a nap because of too much stimulation, they get cranky and uncomfortable. Same goes for an unborn baby. Too much outside stimulation can make them uncomfortable.

4 When Mommy Is Stressed

Women who become pregnant most likely hear this saying a lot, “Do not stress yourself out. It is bad for the baby.” Well ladies, that saying is true.

According to babygaga.com, when mom is emotional, be it good or bad, her emotions get passed on to her unborn baby due to all the hormones that she is producing that the baby is also experiencing.

One thing an unborn baby likes though is stress. It can make them uncomfortable and not like their environment. As hard as it may be, the best thing for a mom to do is to try and relax as much as she can and just breathe when stressful moments arise.

3 An Unhealthy Mommy

When a woman gets pregnant, her body goes through a lot of changes. Some of those changes are not good for her and her physical health becomes not so great, which in turn can be bad for her unborn child.

According to livescience.com, if mom is not healthy, then baby will be affected and that can make baby become uncomfortable and not like its environment. Some babies have even been known to cry when they become uncomfortable with their environment.

No one should hate their home. It is supposed to be a safe and comfortable space. Therefore, it is best for moms-to-be to take their vitamins, visit the doctor regularly, exercise and eat healthy foods. Stay away from the fast food and junk food.

2 When Mom Is In An Uncomfortable Position

The last few months of pregnancy can be torture on a woman. It is a challenge just to find a comfortable position to lay or sit in. Most of the time moms-to-be lay on their side with a pillow between their legs, but even that can become uncomfortable after some time.

According to verywellfamily.com, a woman’s unborn baby can also be uncomfortable the last few months of pregnancy. If mom is having a hard time finding a comfortable spot to lay or sit, then most likely the baby is too. The bigger he or she gets, the less room they have to move, making life inside mom very uncomfortable the last few weeks before delivery.

1 Moms Who Have Bad Habits

Everyone knows already that when a woman becomes pregnant she needs to stop smoking, drinking, doing illicit substances, and taking certain medicines. Some women find it too hard and will continue to do these types of substances.

According to webmd.com, moms who continue to fall into bad habits while pregnant are hurting their baby more than they think. Think of it this way, when someone who is a smoker doesn’t smoke for a while, they become irritable, uncomfortable, and stressed, same thing goes for a baby inside a mother’s womb. They become uncomfortable, stressed and will even start crying while inside their mother’s belly.

References: verywellfamily.com, independent.co.uk, medpagetoday.com, livescience.com, WebMD.com