Did your baby''s activity level in utero predict his/her activity level once born?

Date: 1/26/2009 2:51:39 PM
Author:dreamer_dachsie
Just curious... did you notice a correlation between your baby''s activity level in the womb and his/her activity level when born? Or have you read anything about this correlation?

I am hoping for a ''laid back'' baby like myself and DH, and I have noticed my baby is already a little lazy He/she has been in the same position for about 6 weeks (head down facing my right side) and although baby moves a lot, it isn''t big huge shifts and kicks and things, it is more wiggles and squirms.

Anyways, just curious is you all had any comments on this issue!

Nope, Sorry DD....Amelia was a nutter inside my belly.  She''s so far the most laid back baby.

Man, just thinking about it makes me kinda miss all the belly fun!!!  I used to love to "play" with her and make her kick back.

In utero, JT was a fighting machine! He would kick and punch all day and all night. Then, he started kicking and punching to the music we listened to. After birth, he was very mellow (after the colic phase). He reached all of his gross motor milestones late (he didn''t crawl until he was 11 mo and didn''t walk until 17 mo---may have more direct correlation to his large size). He was a happy, calm, observant baby. Today (at almost 3) he''s very calm and relaxed, a great self-soother, very independent, likes to cuddle as well as rumble. Oh, and he''s quite the dancer.

Not sure about this one!  Lily was fairly mellow in utero but she is quite the opposite out in the world--very exuberant, active, energetic.  My little Lucy was extremely quiet in the womb and so far she is a really peaceful baby but she''s only 4 months old so it could change.  It''s interesting to hear people''s responses to this.  DD, you''ll be finding out soon enough!! 

My baby was a quiet one in utero. Sometimes I wasn't even sure I was preggers! No morning sickness and hardly a kick. Hiccups here and there and shifted to one side of my belly all the time but that's it. I would poke my belly like everyone else did and nothing! I think DH felt her kick once. I was always worried and my mother didn't help by constantly asking "is she kicking yet??"

Well she is still a laid back baby but kicks all the time, up down--one at a time (soccer style) or two at once for extra umph! So that's kind of amusing. But the mellow part is nice too (likes to observe and has an independent streak; cries when she needs something vs. for attention). However she is only 4 mo's, so maybe it's too early for me to make an assessment!
Oh and she still hiccups alot.

Nope, sorry!

My oldest was like a soccer player in utero.  He was a very easy baby, and is a very laid back kid.

My youngest was very quiet in utero, I would sometimes worry that she wasn''t moving enough.  She was the toughest baby of my three and is a spitfire!

So, there appears to be an inverse relationship for me.

Yeeeess.  She was a wild one in the womb & she is active to this day. 

She''s the opposite! I would worry and have low kick counts and my girl is ALWAYS on the move. She was an early crawler, walker and is fiercely independent.

Baby #1 - Rolled around and had many slow gentle movements.  When he was born he was a calm newborn, but, a wiggly older baby.  He''s always been a fairly calm child.

Baby #2 - Another calm baby in the womb.  He seemed more reactive to external noises.  He''s 13 now and is STILL super distracted by noise!   As a baby he was my sleeper.  I think he slept for the first few months only waking to eat!  Maybe all of those external noises were too much for him.

Baby #3 - SPAZZZ in the womb!  She is 6 and continues to be a spazz.  Of my three children my little girl is the only one who has had stiches. When I was pregnant, every night at 8 PM she would become very active.  Now when 8PM rolls around the party is just beginning for her!  She is a total night owl!

I''ve always wondered if fetal movement correspondes with the size of the baby.  My boys were 7 lbs. 10 ozs. and 8 lbs. 1 oz. and 22 inches long.  DD was 6 lbs. 4 oz.  and 18 inches long.  She was a peanut compared to the boys.  Maybe she had more room to groove???

I suspect baby size has a lot to do with it. My son was 9lbs.10oz. at birth. He rarely shifted or rolled, and never kicked (can''t imagine there was much room in there as I am 5''3" and weighed about 113lbs. at the start of my pregnancy).

He was an ultra laid back baby and toddler. All he did was sleep, eat, and smile.

Date: 1/26/2009 8:55:38 PM
Author: purrfectpear
I suspect baby size has a lot to do with it. My son was 9lbs.10oz. at birth. He rarely shifted or rolled, and never kicked (can''t imagine there was much room in there as I am 5''3'' and weighed about 113lbs. at the start of my pregnancy).

He was an ultra laid back baby and toddler. All he did was sleep, eat, and smile.

9 lbs. 10 oz.   I am always amazed by these gigantic babies coming out of teeny tiny mothers.  I''m 5''2" and my biggest kid at 8 lbs. 1 oz. was huge!

Re: Baby size It might be correlated sometimes, but certainly not the only explanation...my bigger guy (5' 10 oz at birth but was a twin) was crazy in there, always kicking and moving. Now he's my calm one! My little boy was much lazier in utero but now is the firecracker of the two.

Date: 1/26/2009 3:22:26 PM
Author: TravelingGal

Nope, Sorry DD....Amelia was a nutter inside my belly. She''s so far the most laid back baby.

You have no idea how relieved I am to hear that! This baby is incredibly active, I''ve been worrying that she is going to drive me BANANAS!!

I don''t know about the baby size in utero correlating with movement. My guy never slept while he was in there and came out at a healthy 10 lb 7 oz. Of course, he didn''t move very far once he experienced gravity.

She was crazy in utero and continues to be nuts at age 1. I call her my ADHD baby and her daycare providers lovingly call her "spazz."

My son was very active in my belly. I felt lots of kicks day and night. I miss those baby movements! At 4 months, he''s very active and energetic. He even moves around a lot when he''s sleeping and sometimes nursing!

My baby was only 7lbs 2oz (a week late) and she was lazy inside. I think she just wanted to throw me off guard.

She was crazy active in in utero.
I'd feel her 24/7.
She's a busy body now.

nope!

little jelly was insanely active in utero - my OB always commented on how much he moved but since being born (mind you it''s only been 2 wks ) he''s been quite a mellow, laidback little fella

Great thread!! I''ve been wondering this same thing.

Thanks for sharing everyone

Crazy boy in belly
Lazy boy outta belly

NO!

Thanks for all the responses!

I have now done a scientific analysis of all the responses, and the most accurate answer to my question based on this data is: "Yes, No, Maybe, Sometimes!"

Yes and no.

I say yes because when he is on the move, he GOES and WILL. NOT. STOP. However, i say no, because it must be on his terms if he wants to do something. When he was in utero I could just poke him and he''d be a little Michael Phelps. Now if I try to provoke him he just gives me this glare as if to say "what do you think you are doing?". BTW he''s one.
Just like his dad, stubborn to the core. The teenage years are gonna be awesome.

Nope.  Not for my 4 kids.

James was always very busy in utero and is still busy at almost 7 months old. He was particularly busy at night and would kick and punch like you wouldn''t believe. He also got hiccups all the time. Right now he rolls all over in his crib and is very interested in his hands - banging things, shaking things and using them to grab anything in his reach. He was little when he was born at 36 weeks 4 days - 6lbs, 7ozs. That is nearly a pound heavier though than most babies born during the 36th week. Add me to the tiny mama group too - I was around 115 when I became pregnant and I am 5''0".

Both my kids were/are the same in utero as they are now.  And NOW, they are 12 and 14.