Sunday, June 10, 2012

Why you need to Listen to Music During Pregnancy

Various studies conducted over the past two decades have demonstrated the ability of the fetus to hear sound. The inner ear is fully developed in last trimester of pregnancy. By 26 weeks, most respond with an increase in heart rate to sound stimulation. Many studies have pointed to the change in heart rate as a positive sign that the baby is stimulated by the music.


Most of what the fetus hears is the mother's voice and internal sounds of the mother's body, such as breathing, movements and other sounds. There have been many studies that suggest the mother's voice is the preferred sound of newborns, who appear to recognize their mother's voice at birth. Singing along with music makes sense because it gives baby the opportunity to hear your voice and music.

It makes sense that stimulation of the brain with music would have a positive effect. It is when the baby is growing in the mother's body that the majority of brain development occurs. The idea behind research into music exposure during the pregnancy is designed to enhance the development of the brain with appropriate stimuli. Research continues into this subject and determining which music has the most positive effect.

Listening to music can enhance a babyÂ's life in the womb by stimulating the ear, brain, and body. Music is an important form of communication which prepares the baby for later learning in life. A foundation for sound and language comprehension is laid. Listening to music and singing is a healthy and wonderful way to stimulate a babyÂ's development.

Babies develop prenatal memories, and they recognize and prefer music and songs that they have heard in the womb. The sense of familiarity has a soothing effect, and it may help to calm a crying newborn. Familiar music might make a newborn baby suck more intensively, or move their body more. The sound of oceans and water may also have a calming effect since they resemble the sounds in the womb.

The mothers' reaction and mood may influence a baby more than certain style of music. The emotional qualities are communicated to the baby, and a baby will pick up the happy, relaxed and calm state. Research suggests that the prenatal musical memory is the same for different types of music. There is no evidence to suggest that playing classical music is more beneficial, and a babyÂ's memory for R&B is as strong as for the memory Vivaldi or Bach.

The pace of the music seems to be more important than the music style, and the music does not have to be slow. But beats that are random rather than rhythmic and sudden shifts in volume may startle a baby. Try playing different kinds of music and see how your baby reacts. Does your baby kick faster when you play quicker music? Does your baby calm down when you play certain music?

It's important to note that there are no long term studies that demonstrate listening to music in the womb will influence the baby's intelligence or translate into success in learning later. However, this idea is based on anecdotal evidence that classical music stimulates different areas of the brain, which is thought to stimulate better connections in the brain. The hypothesis is that the increase in connectors will result in enhanced memory and information processing functions of the brain later. This theory has yet to be proven with research, and may or may not turn out to be the case.



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Whether or not exposure to music will make baby smarter, there is some evidence to suggest soft music, such as quiet classical music and nature sounds have a calming effect on the baby. This often continues after birth. Many babies are soothed by the same soft music they heard during the pregnancy and recognize the rhythm. Several studies have demonstrated the newborn's ability to recognize certain music selections that were played during pregnancy.

Music benefits mom by helping to her to relax or lifting a low mood. That is good for the baby because research has demonstrated that baby is affected by mom's emotions. So, choose music that you find relaxing and not too loud. Loud music is not good, as it can startle the baby. A general rule of thumb is to keep the music to the level that is played in stores.

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