Music During and After Pregnancy
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It’s no secret that babies can hear their mama’s voices while they are still in the womb.
Sound waves reverberate from mama’s mouth, through her bones and tissues, and into the womb.
This has been suspected by doctors for some time and was confirmed in a 2013 study supported by the Academy of Finland. They found that when they played a group of babies Twinkle Twinkle Little Star five times a week, four months after birth, those same babies had an adverse reaction to missed notes in the melody, whereas babies not exposed to the song did not.
It’s safe to say, your baby is listening in on you. Many mamas think that they should play music to their babies during pregnancy. While music is helpful, the best thing for your baby to listen to is the sound of mama’s voice.
In this post, we will discuss what your little eavesdropper can hear while you are pregnant and how to decide what types of sound to expose your baby too.
What Types of Sound are Best for Your Baby?
Babies start hearing sounds in the second trimester and begin to respond to sound during the third trimester.
Babies become familiar with the sounds they hear in the womb, and when those same sounds are played back to them after birth, they noticeably relax.
While it’s true that babies can learn to recognize sounds and melodies while still in the womb, don’t think that playing your baby Mozart will make them a genius before their first birthday. Most of your baby’s brain development happens outside of the womb after birth.
Still, music that relaxes mama will also relax her baby. Experts recommend that you play simple tunes to your baby. Anything overly complex will just be random noise to their developing brain. Anything mama enjoys should be prioritized, as that is likely the same music that will be played after your baby is born.
If you are curious about songs that other moms have played their growing babies, there are hundreds of different “womb tunes” playlists out there for you to peruse.
It doesn’t have to stop with music. Meditation and storybooks read aloud can also relax your baby. Anything you can do to talk to your baby will go a long way towards helping them identify your voice.
Most importantly, when you do play music or other sounds for your baby, keep the volume to a minimum. Anything over 60 decibels will be too loud for you baby. Play music as you would listen to it normally, there is no need to buy specialty devices to play music for your baby. They can hear what you hear.
Music and Your Baby
After your baby is born, you must make sound and music an important part of their lives.
Music is a great way to relax a fussy baby and giving your child a simple instrument (like a woodblock or a xylophone) to play with is a great way for them to express themselves.
Additionally, playing music early helps your child learn to socialize.
Music is a great way to relax your baby and help them with their brain development. Giving your child a sense of familiarity before they are born will make their transition to the outside world all the easier.
If you are looking for someone to help guide you and your baby through the journey of pregnancy, reach out to Tamara at Stork Helpers. Tamara has helped dozens of mamas find the right pregnancy path for them, all without pressuring them one way or another.
