How does listening to music during pregnancy affect the baby?

Pregnant women often choose the musical repertoire they listen to very carefully. However, there is no point in overdoing it and putting on headphones listening to Mozart's sonatas. At first, the little companion in the belly is satisfied with his mother's voice - it is his (or her) favorite sound. It reaches a child naturally, differently than it does to other people. When you talk, sing or read aloud, your voice vibrates and travels inside your body, reaching - amplified - to your baby. Babies in the belly begin to hear sounds in the second trimester of pregnancy, and in the third trimester they begin to respond to them.

What music is best to listen to during pregnancy?

The rule is simple - a future mother should listen to what she likes, what relaxes her and puts her in a good mood . Because a happy, calm mother is a happy, calm child. Research from 2013 shows that children start learning in the womb . Authors of the study "Prenatal Music Exposure Induces Long-Term Neural Effects ¹ " proved that newborns respond to the sounds they hear in the womb. They recognize sounds from the environment and specific melodies , as well as the mother's voice, distinguishing it from the voices of other women. "We examined the neural connections induced by exposure to melodies in the womb via evoked potentials. " - reads a fragment of the study description. ERP - these are electrical potentials recorded from the surface of the head after the appropriate stimulus. Their analysis allows for non-invasive imaging of brain functioning.

The researchers invited pregnant women in the last trimester of pregnancy to participate in the study, asking them to listen to the well-known and popular children's lullaby "Twinkle, twinkle little star" 5 times a week . After the babies were born, it turned out that 4-month-old infants recognized the melody by reacting - which was visible in the ERP signal - to familiar notes. These children's ERP was stronger when they listened to a familiar melody than when they were played the same melody with changed notes. "Our results prove that intense exposure to music from the mother's womb triggers a neural response that lasts several months," the researchers conclude. ² . Additionally, playing music to children that they listened to in the womb has a calming effect on them.

What does a baby hear in a pregnant woman's belly?

For women who are expecting a child, it is important – naturally – to take care of their well-being . This means that you need to listen to music and do activities that bring you pleasure . Doctors say that simple, calm melodies have the best effect on both the mother and the child. Why? Well, because it's simply noisy in the womb anyway, and its inhabitant hears a lot of sounds: the mother's heartbeat, everything that's happening in the stomach, and even the whistle of air being drawn into the lungs. Plus there's my mother's voice. It's easy to create cacophony , which is why experts recommend that the volume of what you listen to should not exceed 50-60 decibels - which is as loud as a conversation in a normal voice (without whispering or shouting). So really: headphones placed on your belly are overkill . Even if they play Mozart. It is also worth avoiding loud concerts, especially after the 18th week of pregnancy.

UNICEF, the United Nations agency dealing with children and their rights, talked about this topic with Dr. Ibrahim H. Baltagi, who is a musicologist and author of several music books for children. "In the third trimester, the baby can definitely hear the music you play . Classical music, gentle sounds of lullabies, and simply nice melodies have a calming effect" - said the researcher. ³ . He added that listening to music during pregnancy has a positive effect not only on the mother, but also on the unborn child. "Around the 16-18th week, the baby hears the first sounds. When he is 24 weeks old, he begins to develop very rapidly and research shows that babies even turn their heads when hearing familiar sounds, " he said.

He also noted that music influences the way we create bonds and learn empathy, trust and cooperation . "Perhaps that is why music is so present in all cultures of the world," he added.

Bibliography:

1. Eino Partanen, Teija Kujala, Mari Tervaniemi, Minna Huotilainen, “Prenatal Music Exposure Induces Long-Term Neural Effects”, October 30, 2013, PLOS ONE.
2. As above.
3. “ How music affects your baby's brain: Mini Parenting Master Class Discover how tapping into music can benefit your child”, UNICEF. Parenting. Accessed September 2, 2022, unicef.org.