# Do babies 'know' when someone is pregnant?



## shirlls

I was in the company of (an absolutely gorgeous) 2 month old baby tonight and there was a group of us. The baby took a total fascination with me and kept staring, he wouldn't take his eyes off me, so much so that people in the group commented on it.

Someone said that it might be something to do with the fact I am 16 weeks pregnant and babies can just 'tell' when a woman is pregnant.

Has anyone ever heard of this? If it is true, it is quite fascinating


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## Sunshine12

I havent heard of this before but cant say I think it would be the case TBH. x


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## overcomer79

the night my son's caregiver when into labor, all her babies slept most of the day. So strange in fact!!


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## Hi I'm Louise

My 10 month old nephew was doing that to me today. Weird!


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## kitcat

maybe it is something to do with hormones? that makes perfect sense to me especially seiing as they can't see so much at that age x


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## evoluv

Well apparently my family strongly believes that! Especially when it comes to determine gender of the unborn LO! It has been said if a toddler 2 and younger is really attached or attracted to you then you are having the opposite sex! But if the child seems to dislike you then it's the same sex as the child giving you te cold shoulder!

Lol strange but sometimes it works


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## mommy2lilmen

I beleive that infants, toddlers and children know. Its either just the sense, or scent or something. My sons are attached to me and I hope it is a girl LOL 
My toddler, 2, seen my 6 week ultrasound and said BABY DUCK *means baby stuck* I beleive they know. and now when ever I show him any ultrasound he says it duck lol


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## Twwboo

im not 100% if i believe it but my nephew said "auntie bb's baby girl!!" he keeps telling everyone its a girl... our gender scan is wed sooooo we shall see!!! he is 3!!!


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## fairyflowers

i dont beleive children know but i indeed think that dogs know.. my mums dogs are taller than me stood up and jump up everyone as soon as youre in the door but not me when im pregnant. people also say dogs can sense cancer etc. everyone has their beleifs lol


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## Rigi.kun

I noticed before I was pregnant that children and animals tended to shy away from me (I think it's because they scare me) now that I'm in my second trimester small children want to talk to me or just be around me and most animals either are really friendly to me or leave me alone.

So I think there could be something there.


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## happynewmom1

evoluv said:


> Well apparently my family strongly believes that! Especially when it comes to determine gender of the unborn LO! It has been said if a toddler 2 and younger is really attached or attracted to you then you are having the opposite sex! But if the child seems to dislike you then it's the same sex as the child giving you te cold shoulder!
> 
> Lol strange but sometimes it works

This is how it has been with my 18 month old boy. From the beginning of this pregnancy he has been coming up to me and rubbing my belly, hugging it and chattering to it. We are having a girl so maybe there is something to it...I don't know but I really think he has been able to sense my being pregnant from very early on. :)


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## Clarehc

I've heard people say that a lot but my five year old had no idea despite my large bump! She knew what a bump meant as her teacher was pregnant too but she just kept patting my tummy and saying "have you eaten too much again?" PMSL. Intuitive...


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## purple_pigeon

My DS told me I was pregnant before I knew i was, he's 3. Reckons it's a baby girl called Sophie.....shall find out in 3 weeks time!x


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## dgirllamius

When I was in Ikea last, there was a woman in front of me holding a baby who was looking over her shoulder. The baby kept looking at me and smiling. It was so cute! Don't know if it's because the baby knew or what...but still cute ^^


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## Theza

In Cambodia they believe a baby can tell the gender of an unborn baby. You dangle a young baby (e.g. 3 months) over a bump and see how many feet it puts down - 1 for a girl, 2 for a boy.

Having said this, I was predicted a girl by a friend's daughter and am having a boy. Maybe she was just having a backwards day!


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## kitabanana

evoluv said:


> Well apparently my family strongly believes that! Especially when it comes to determine gender of the unborn LO! It has been said if a toddler 2 and younger is really attached or attracted to you then you are having the opposite sex! But if the child seems to dislike you then it's the same sex as the child giving you te cold shoulder!
> 
> Lol strange but sometimes it works


I believe this also. My 1 year old nephew would always come to me. Everytime he saw me he would smile. Now, he does not want me to hold him...even if I look at him, he starts to cry. He was never like this until I got pregnant and found out I was having a boy. It is so strange.


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## 1eighty

fairyflowers said:


> i dont beleive children know but i indeed think that dogs know.

Add cats to that list. Our tiger striped cat won't leave me alone and she's usually quite aloof!


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## rockabillymom

I think my daughter knew i was pregnant cause she started sleeping on my belly more and becoming more clingy. I also have had friends say that since im pregnant I have the mommy horomones babies feel. I dunno I always have been told that your babies can feed and feel your emotions (we are a bunch of new age hippies lol) so I very much believe my daughter knew she had a little sister on the way.


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## Charlee

My niece (2 and a half) keeps rubbing my belly, cuddling me etc and my nephew is shying away from me, not very chatty with me when we were so close before I got pregnant so maybe it's true, I find out tomorrow what I'm having.
My oldest Yorkshire Terrier (14 years old) has not left me alone and he hasn't really bothered with me in the 14 years we've had him, he's more for my parents. He is actually coming into the bedroom in the morning and lying by my stomach :|


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## madmae

My 18 month old keeps pulling up my top to rub my belly...but when I say to him where's daddies baby (daddy had quite a belly) he never does that.....so I am thinking he actually knows that there's a difference between my bump and dh's belly

As for dogs...my mums dog has never really shown much interest at all until the other day when I was looking after her and had a hypo...she just stood there and looked at me until it my sugars started to rise again.


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## Faythe

1eighty said:


> fairyflowers said:
> 
> 
> i dont beleive children know but i indeed think that dogs know.
> 
> Add cats to that list. Our tiger striped cat won't leave me alone and she's usually quite aloof!Click to expand...

I agree about the cats. MIL's cat in all the years I've known her, has never ever come to me for a fuss. Now he always comes and lays down on me.

As for the dogs, they're batshit crazy and STILL jump up at me :wacko:


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## akblaze

When I was leaving the eye doc there was this little boy with his mom, maybe three, in the urgent care in the suite next door. He was hanging out by the door to outside so I didn't want to open it because I knew he'd run out there. when his mom started coming over he reached up at me for me to pick him up, literally tried crawling up my legs!! It was sooooo funny!!!! His mom was cracking up laughing saying how weird it was because he had never done that to anyone! I was maybe 12 weeks at the time. Turns out I'm having a girl! Maybe it is true! :flower:


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## Mrs_Snape

I've also noticed other people's LO's giving me a stare and smile. I thought the same thing too :)


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## Chellepot

Was the baby that stared at you breastfeeding? I know Babies scan smell milk and if you have stared producing some they might be able to sense it. My son is 12 months and no longer breastfeeding so probably wouldn't smell milk anymore and he kicks at me when I change him so if he does know I am pregnant he isn't bothered lol :)


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## Mrs_Snape

Faythe said:


> 1eighty said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> fairyflowers said:
> 
> 
> i dont beleive children know but i indeed think that dogs know.
> 
> Add cats to that list. Our tiger striped cat won't leave me alone and she's usually quite aloof!Click to expand...
> 
> I agree about the cats. MIL's cat in all the years I've known her, has never ever come to me for a fuss. Now he always comes and lays down on me.
> 
> As for the dogs, they're batshit crazy and STILL jump up at me :wacko:Click to expand...

The cat next door has been visiting us ever since I found out that I'm pregnant. It will sit outside our front door for hours and hours and ignore my husband but if I go to check the letterbox or go for a walk anywhere, he's on my heels following me.


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## LisaL79

I have a 5month old niece that always stares and smiles at me. Well not so much anymore since bright lights distract her lol, but before, she would always stare and smile. *shrugs*


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## AllyTiel

I think it could be true. The day after I found out I was pregnant, I was picking up the little boy I babysit from his daycare. As I was walking up the stairs, there was a little girl standing at the top. She stared at me and smiled,waved and pointed and kept saying "baby, baby, baby". Very weird!!!


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## mystar12

i personally think they do... I know one day i was visiting Disney world and i was getting on the train, and as i was getting on the train my aunt and uncle sat on one side and i had to sit on the other side with the other family who got on with us. there was a women holding her baby girl sitting next to me she had the most beautiful big brown eyes and by then i was about 4 months pregnant and she kept staring at me and she actually leaned over and laid her hand on my shoulder and kept staring at me the entire ride...so her mother turns to me and says wow she is really fascinated with you... i didn't know what to do when the baby was touching me but sit there and look back at her and smile...and my aunt and uncle is on the other side and shes like wow that was awkward... so since then I've been curious ever since like do babies know when a women is pregnant... because honestly i think that baby knew i had never experienced anything like that before :baby:


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## Blu10

DS told everyone at nursery that I was pregnant, he had no idea and sadly i was pregnant but then miscarried. Im not sure if it was coincidence or not but im now pregnant again and he hadnt mentioned anything until we told him at 13 weeks x


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## marigold91

I have a 4 year old. The day after we found out I was pregnant (we didn't tell her), I went to wake her up in the morning. She said "Mommy, if we have another baby that would be soooooooo nice". I was floored!!!! I asked her where that came from cause I thought maybe she overheard us talking, but she said "I just had a dream about it".

I'm not superstitious but it was really crazy!


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## jlw617

fairyflowers said:


> i dont beleive children know but i indeed think that dogs know.. my mums dogs are taller than me stood up and jump up everyone as soon as youre in the door but not me when im pregnant. people also say dogs can sense cancer etc. everyone has their beleifs lol

This! I've never felt like babies or young children really seem to know and these last 2 times I worked in church nurseries ranging in age from 2 months up to 4-5 years not to mention my 2-3 year old had no clue when I was pregnant with her sister, we told her of course but she could care less ;) my dog on the other hand seemed to "know" and though he was/is a big boy, he was always more careful around me and once my second was born he was extremely careful around her and would sleep outside of whatever room she was in and depending on whether or not he was in eyesight or not we'd often know if she was waking up before we could hear her because he would stand up and his ears would perk up, I think he must have been able to hear her stirring before she'd start crying.


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## mrs_sasquatch

jlw617 said:


> fairyflowers said:
> 
> 
> i dont beleive children know but i indeed think that dogs know.. my mums dogs are taller than me stood up and jump up everyone as soon as youre in the door but not me when im pregnant. people also say dogs can sense cancer etc. everyone has their beleifs lol
> 
> This! I've never felt like babies or young children really seem to know and these last 2 times I worked in church nurseries ranging in age from 2 months up to 4-5 years not to mention my 2-3 year old had no clue when I was pregnant with her sister, we told her of course but she could care less ;) my dog on the other hand seemed to "know" and though he was/is a big boy, he was always more careful around me and once my second was born he was extremely careful around her and would sleep outside of whatever room she was in and depending on whether or not he was in eyesight or not we'd often know if she was waking up before we could hear her because he would stand up and his ears would perk up, I think he must have been able to hear her stirring before she'd start crying.Click to expand...

Agreed! I have a HUGE lab puppy who definitely knows. He won't let the other dog anywhere near me, unless he's entirely calm. He's protecting the "puppy". :)


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## Ahughes

I have 3 dogs. My whippet mix, I think, has no idea lol. He stills jumps like crazy around me. My great dane, on the other hand, has been coming in at night to check on me. He'll just come to my bedside sniff me and then go lay back down. One night, he did it every 2 hours. Then my pitbull mix has been way more needy towards me and just recently started laying her head on my stomach. I definitely think dogs can sense these things. I read an article online (so not sure it's true lol) that said dogs can possibly hear babies crying inside the womb because their hearing range is something similar to a doppler. Crazy!


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## jlw617

Oh wow, I never thought about the hearing thing, besides the smell we emit because of hormones but that actually makes sense too! I have a big boxer baby!


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## mrs_sasquatch

Ahughes said:


> I have 3 dogs. My whippet mix, I think, has no idea lol. He stills jumps like crazy around me. My great dane, on the other hand, has been coming in at night to check on me. He'll just come to my bedside sniff me and then go lay back down. One night, he did it every 2 hours. Then my pitbull mix has been way more needy towards me and just recently started laying her head on my stomach. I definitely think dogs can sense these things. I read an article online (so not sure it's true lol) that said dogs can possibly hear babies crying inside the womb because their hearing range is something similar to a doppler. Crazy!

I think they can probably hear the heartbeat as well. Mine gets confused when one of my friends comes over (she's due just before me). He doesn't seem to know how to react to another human with an extra heartbeat. He does the head on the belly thing too, and usually forsakes DH for me now.


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## star25

I believe they do as my 9 month old niece will only come to me at the moment, even over her mum who she is so clingy with, wont go to my mum or other sisters and just keeps putting arms out to me all the time, so cute she wants to be with her future best friend all the time lol


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## dbluett

I don't know about babies or children, but i can tell you cats know. From the moment i found out, my female cat is attached to me and has to be near me when i am sitting down. She will even sit near my belly and purr. She wants nothing to do with DH.


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## RainbowDrop_x

Sorry I'm gate crashing from 1st tri but my DD is 5 years old and we haven't told her about baby yet because we want to wait until 12 weeks and she sat with me the other day, sniffing me and when I asked her what she was doing she told me she could smell a baby in my tummy, that smelt like flowers because it's a girl.

Now whether or not the flower thing is because she's always wanted a sister the smelling the baby in my tummy thing creeped me out a little!


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## BethMaassen

I can not say that I believe they sense it or that don't. I am on the fence about it. I do however firmly believe animals sense it. 
However, I would like to believe babies and toddlers can sense it. DD is in her jibbering phase and says "sista" a lot. And I would love to believe she is saying "sister", indicating a girl.


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## paintrider89

I think they just 'know' my DD frequently kisses or cuddles to sleep on my belly, and has been since first tri. We have never drawn her attention to the baby, as we figured she was to young to understand the concept of a new baby. 
She could just be following DH lead as he talks to and kisses the belly, but I think she just decided all on her own that brother was in there, and wants to show him affection.


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## bathbabe

My son drew a picture at school of our family back in Jan (before I found out I was pregnant) and on there was daddy, mummy, him and a baby! Very strange since he hates babies and never mentioned anything to me about it lol. X
eta: he was 4 at the time x


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