Listening to music in the womb is a fun way for parents to connect with their unborn children, but does it actually help with brain development?
While various studies have been conducted on the topic, there is still no clear cut answer on whether or not it works.
For first time mother Lisa Sanders, she first learnt about listening to music in womb from listening to different podcasts about pregnancy.
“They were telling me how good it is to connect with your baby and give them music,” she said.
However Miss Sanders was sceptical on whether it actually helps with brain development, believing it might be a “placebo for the parents”.
Although research suggests that may not be the case.
According to Dr Anna Mlynek-Kalman from Music Works Magic, when the baby’s in the womb at 16 weeks they begin to grow ears and from 22 to 24 weeks the baby develops musical memory.
When the baby is born sounds they heard in the womb become familiar.
Babies are startled when they hear something new, but when the baby is soothed by music they have heard before this means they are recognising music from their musical memory.
This is similar to when a baby recognises voices to those close around them, especially during the last trimester.
Although babies can hear noise as early as 16 weeks, they don’t start responding to sound until the final trimester.
Their heart rates increase and decrease along with their motor responses, depending on type of sounds they’re hearing.
Babies tend to move around and kick more in response to music.
Dr Anna Mlynek-Kalman said that when she attended the orchestra while pregnant, her child would kick when the drums came in.
Parents should be aware that the womb is noisy for the baby, as they can hear your stomach gurgling and your heart beating.
The volume of outside sounds should be kept to around 50 to 60 decibels, or about the same loudness of a normal conversation.
Headphones on the belly should be avoided as the sounds from them will be very loud by the time it reaches the baby.
A mum’s voice would be far more effective as when she talks, sings and reads, her voice vibrates and amplifies inside the body.
Loud high exposure concerts should be avoided, especially after 18 weeks as the baby’s ears begin to develop more.
So what music should you be playing for your child?
Loud heavy metal music would not be suitable as it could damage the ears of a child in utero.
Although it is important to play something you enjoy, soft calm music would be best as you can use it to soothe the baby after they’re born.
Music can create pathways that develop a sense of rhythm and beat that can help you read and your reading capacity will be much better if you’ve been read and sung to.
But does this mean that listening to music in the womb actually works?
Not necessarily, although evidence suggests it there’s no way to prove that it works.
However this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t play music as it still allows you to connect with your child in the womb.
Watch a video explainer on this story here.
