Personality in the womb?

[AppleBlossom]

I read a debate a while ago about whether you can tell parts of a baby's personality in the womb. One argument was that they won't develop a personality until outside the womb (nurture) while others believed that although you can't tell what their whole personality is from in the womb, you can tell aspects of it such as whether they will be sympathetic, energetic, loving etc (nature)

I'm not entirely sure about this. Any opinions?

All I know is if now is anything to go by, my LO is going to be a mischevious little madam!

 

[brownhairedmom]

I think we are all born with a set personality but the way in which it develops is helped by nuturing. For example...if a person is born with a bad temper, no amount of nuturing is going to make it go away. But...nuturing can help him/her learn to keep it under control

 

[mBLACK]

I believe that what s/he endures in the womb will begin to form his/her personality. Lets say baby Johnny is in his moms tummy and she undergoes some form of serious stress and attempts to abort him - By hitting herself in the stomach, starving herself, taking hot hot baths, etc. I think he will get very upset and put it away in the back of his mind and it will subconsciously affect him for the rest of his life. I believe we all have a set personality but things that happen to us in the womb we remember.

 

[Angelmouse]

Our personalities equal the sum of our experiences and since babies begin to feel sensations and hear noises, feel emotions and recognise stress elevation pattens in Mummy voice, then it is sure to have an affect on thier personality in thier womby environment.

Surely this is why, if you play a piece of music to baby which induced calm during pregnancy then the same piece of music induces calm in baby.

 

[Blob]

I dont know i think they get some before the birth, otherwise how are some people in the family shy and the others arent? Meh i believe a bit of both, i know that my OH parents say that with my OH brother Blair he used to kick back harder and harder everytime tummy was pressed, but my OH didnt really kick back at all. It kinda sums up their personalities really. Ha ha ha!!

 

[dizzy65]

hum i dont no, i dont think you can tell, maybe thou that is a hard one

 

[jolyn]

I'm convinced that they already have a personality. When PG with DS he was constantly moving and would 'play' when I poked or put something on my bump. He was also stubborn and wouldn't budge for scans and even wouldn't come out during birth - he was hanging on for dear life - this sums him up exactly as he is now and has been since he was born. Always on the go, constantly playing and being mischievous and very very stubborn! Hoping this one is gonna be the quiet one

 

[Shri]

I believe they do have some personality of their own in utero. I felt my first baby's personality quite strongly. He seemed really strong willed somehow.

 

[Chellebelle]

I believe they have some sort of personality in there... I was talking to a colleague a few days ago about regression and he was telling me that some people when regressed remember being in the womb... so I think certain things that happen to them whilst being in the womb can help develop their personality.

I think it all depends on people's beliefs though. xxx

 

[ryder]

I think they do develope some sort of personality before birth... But our way of being brought up and raised, amoung many other things, shapes our personalities.

 

[polo_princess]

I think we are all born with a set personality but the way in which it develops is helped by nuturing

I agree .... couldnt think of a way to word it though lol

 

[leedsforever]

Arrr the good ole nature vs nuture debate!!!

I think ryder and rae has it spot on

 

[cuddles314]

I believe that what s/he endures in the womb will begin to form his/her personality. Lets say baby Johnny is in his moms tummy and she undergoes some form of serious stress and attempts to abort him - By hitting herself in the stomach, starving herself, taking hot hot baths, etc. I think he will get very upset and put it away in the back of his mind and it will subconsciously affect him for the rest of his life. I believe we all have a set personality but things that happen to us in the womb we remember.

I would agree with this, as my cousin's ex girlfriend has some severe mental health issues relating to depression, and when she was pregnant with my cousin's little boy, she self harmed repeatedly, took a near-fatal overdose of medication, drank 2 bottles of vodka in one go, and several other terrible things. The baby, who is a gorgeous little boy of 2 now, ( and lives with his Grandma, not his Mother) is lovely but very, very quiet and withdrawn, unusually so, and I think the reason for this could be what he went through whilst in the womb. I really believe that he is a special person, and to survive all that he did, he truly must have a special purpose in life.
xx

 

[Gabi]

Good topic!

I'm convinced my little one has a personality already! I wouldn't know if she does. I think it just helps me think of her as a real person more if I imagine her with a personality.

I've heard many women say that their babies had personalities from before birth and that those personalities stayed through and after the birth. Say for instance a shy baby not posing for a scan being shy after birth. Or an active, hard headed baby being rthe same after birth.

They must develope some personality in the womb but like what's been said. How they're raised plays a big part too.

 

[Blah11]

I think they have the starting of a personality in the womb. Like some babies are really energetic and kick lots and some are lazy babies. I have an energetic one methinks

 

[PeanutBean]

For sure babies have a personality from the start, genes account for a whole lot. And the nurturing, or environmental impacts, starts from within the womb too. There is evidence now that if a mother has a stressful pregnancy (e.g. with pre-eclampsia) then the baby (and grown-up person they become) will generally be more anxious. The explanation is that the experience of the mother's stress shows the baby that the world they are going into is a more stressful place so their body sets their baseline for stress hormones at a baseline level in order to be prepared.

My personal experience certainly ties in with this. My Mum had pre-eclamspia very badly with me and I am always really stressed over tiny things. Always got those hormones whooshing about!

But I think people would have to be mad to think that it is all nature and no nurture (and vice versa really!).

 

[brownhairedmom]

For sure babies have a personality from the start, genes account for a whole lot. And the nurturing, or environmental impacts, starts from within the womb too. There is evidence now that if a mother has a stressful pregnancy (e.g. with pre-eclampsia) then the baby (and grown-up person they become) will generally be more anxious. The explanation is that the experience of the mother's stress shows the baby that the world they are going into is a more stressful place so their body sets their baseline for stress hormones at a baseline level in order to be prepared.

My little girl is going to be having 24/7 anxiety attacks, if that is the case

 

[mBLACK]

My little girl is going to be having 24/7 anxiety attacks, if that is the case

I think if that's the case, the mothers natural need to protect her child kicks in aswell. Lets say a mother does have a stressful pregnancy; obviously some of it goes to the baby, but I think the mother can alter how much and/or how little goes to him. I believe that she has the ability to block the transmitting process at least a bit, so to shield her infant from receiving all the negative feelings she may or may not have at that time.

 

[PeanutBean]

I think if that's the case, the mothers natural need to protect her child kicks in aswell. Lets say a mother does have a stressful pregnancy; obviously some of it goes to the baby, but I think the mother can alter how much and/or how little goes to him. I believe that she has the ability to block the transmitting process at least a bit, so to shield her infant from receiving all the negative feelings she may or may not have at that time.

When I say stress, I mean physical stress with all the associated hormonal stuff, like being seriously ill for example. Not so much the emotional. The emotional stuff I'm sure can be buffered by a loving and nurturing environment. Don't panic Rae!

 

[PeanutBean]

Edit: Sorry for some reason it posted twice...