If you are expecting a baby, you may have heard that you can play music during pregnancy.
In this post we will resolve some of the recurring doubts, such as the development of the sense of hearing by the embryo or what are the best musical styles and pieces to play for that little life that grows inside you.
In general, opting to introduce music into your routine can imply a substantial improvement in your mental, cognitive, psychomotor, sensory, psychological and emotional development.
From what week of gestation can a baby listen to music?
From the medical website Healthline they detail the progression of the fetus's evolution . Many women sing lullabies, read stories, talk or play music to the baby as pregnancy progresses, but they do not know exactly the development of hearing. This is the fundamental chronology that you should know:- Weeks 4-5 : In this early formative stage, the embryo's cells begin to organize to form the baby's face, brain, nose, ears, and eyes.
- Week 9: grooves or small indentations appear on the embryo's neck where the baby's ears will grow.
- Week 16 : The baby begins to hear whisper-like sound waves through the amniotic fluid.
- Week 18 : the baby begins to hear the first sounds, the beginning of the fascinating adventure of hearing. You can hear your heartbeat, the air entering your lungs, your stomach growling, or the sounds of blood in the umbilical cord.
- Week 24 : the baby is increasingly sensitive to sounds.
- Weeks 25-26 : Baby responds to noises/voices in the womb. It is from week 29 onwards that you begin to distinguish higher-pitched sounds, such as a car alarm or a child crying.
Several studies have shown that babies react to sound stimuli : research from the Institut Marqués de Barcelona published in the journal Ultrasound of the British Medical Ultrasound Society (BMUS) reveals that 7 out of 10 fetuses move their mouths when receiving the sound of a human voice.
87% also move their tongue if the sound is music. It should be noted that the calculation is that it reaches about 20 decibels less than what happens outside. Another interesting study from the University of Helsinki suggests that the baby is able to recognize months after birth a lullaby that it has heard in the womb , which could stimulate the subsequent ability to speak.
Benefits of your baby listening to music during pregnancy
- Improves the reflexes of the fetus: several studies suggest that musical vibrations stimulate movement, reflexes, responses and general mobility.
- It refines your auditory sense: it is a way of early sensory stimulation. Playing music will improve your hearing, attention and concentration skills.
- It is good for pregnant women : music therapy is supported by science to improve sleep quality, improve prenatal anxiety, reduce blood pressure in women with hypertension, reduce stress during childbirth, relieve prenatal depression and reduce the risk of postpartum depression, by stimulating the production of endorphins.
- Helps brain development : some studies suggest that, since musical education improves brain plasticity and neuronal connections, it can help the brain structure of the fetus to develop optimally.
What is a myth is the Mozart effect, which proposes that exposing babies to classical music makes them more intelligent or raises their IQ: this is the misinterpretation of an experiment carried out in 1993 by psychologist Francis Rauscher. who found that college students performed better on spatial thinking tests after listening to a Mozart sonata.
Classical music can help improve brain development and reduce stress , heart rate or breathing, but it will not suddenly make a child smarter. Furthermore, there are multiple intelligences and each of them depends on multiple factors that cannot be reduced to this habit.
What music can I play for the baby if I am pregnant?
If you're wondering about the when, the how and the what, pay attention. The best option is to play music at a moderate volume , about the level of a normal conversation, while you continue with your daily routine. You can also sing songs to him or hum melodies yourself.
The recommended limit is 65 decibels. It is not advisable to place the headphones directly on the belly, as the sound will be amplified when reaching the baby through the amniotic fluid and could be harmful.
You should also avoid events that are too loud. You also don't need to buy any devices like musical belts. Any music you like is suitable, relaxing and with a repetitive cadence, such as soundtracks, sounds of nature or, especially, classical music.
Several researchers have concluded that the musical compositions of Mozart and Bach, with piano and organ pieces, are some of the most relaxing for babies. Soft ballads, especially instrumental ones, are fantastic, as are lullabies, composed or designed exclusively for them. Here are some ideas:
If music tames beasts, imagine what it does with something as adorable and tiny as your baby!
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