Babies cry in the womb, and 18 other surprising facts I learned when I became a dad

First came the awe and elation at my wife's pregnancy. We were finally starting a family!

In the next moment, an oh s**t-level panic sunk in.

To counter the fear of becoming new parents we both read. And read and read and read.

We rounded up about a dozen science-backed books, scanned countless research studies, downloaded pregnancy apps, and shared hundreds of articles with each other over the following months.

During that flood of information, a handful of surprising facts floated above the rest, and I've collected them here.

What follows may not surprise an obstetrician, or even seasoned parents, yet nonetheless highlights the extraordinary human journey that is pregnancy.