LISTENING TO MUSIC WHILE PREGNANT:
A REAL BENEFIT FOR RELAXING BABY?
In utero, your baby hears sounds from only 16 weeks onwards, isn't that amazing? Even if the sounds are distorted by the wall of the womb and the amniotic fluid, from 4 or 5 months the embryo reacts to different sounds. In fact, it is often said that listening to music during pregnancy has many benefits, such as relaxing the baby. We tell you more in this article !
Does baby hear sounds and music during pregnancy?
Did you know that as early as the 7th week, long before the formation of his auditory system, your baby can already hear all kinds of sounds?
At first, your baby hears mainly the heartbeat and breathing of his mother. By the 7th month, his hearing is close to that of an infant, allowing him to recognise his parents' voices. By 36 weeks, he will be able to distinguish between high and low pitched sounds and 2 different musical notes.
Even though in the womb external sounds are muffled by the amniotic fluid, this allows babies to have a first contact with the outside world. They hear voices as well as all the other sounds in the world around them, such as music.
All these sounds will form a unique music, a melody that your newborn will remember, like a kind of language.
Does music during pregnancy have a relaxing effect on the unborn baby?
Are you used to listening to music with your unborn baby? Keep it up! It has been proven that music helps the baby to relax, unwind and feel good. As a baby perceives the vibrations of sounds very early in the pregnancy, music will make him react: his heart rate speeds up or decreases, he moves, he turns or on the contrary he becomes very calm.
More than the music itself, it is the emotions that the mother feels when listening to music that the baby will also feel. Indeed, the foetus is like a sponge that feels all the emotions of its mother: if the heart rate of the mother-to-be drops while she is listening to music, so does that of the baby. If the music gives you pleasure, your baby will feel it too, as you are one with him at that moment.
Listening to music while pregnant is a great way to bond with your baby.
When the mother-to-be listens to a song that she enjoys and that makes her feel good, her body secretes hormones that will have a positive effect on the baby, making her feel good. You will certainly notice this, as your baby will show her pleasure by making more intense movements in your belly!
And if you like to sing, don't deprive yourself of this: your voice really helps baby to relax. When he hears you change, all his emotions are multiplied tenfold!
What music to listen to during pregnancy to relax your baby?
The ideal is to choose music that is calm, soft, soothing and above all that you like, so that your baby feels the benefits!
Generally speaking, low-frequency music is recommended for soothing and relaxing a baby. It is often said that they are particularly sensitive to classical music, especially Mozart. Traditional music such as Christmas carols, Japanese music or African drums also have positive effects on the foetus.
Pop and rock music, on the other hand, do not seem to cause any reaction in babies. But once again, the most important thing is to listen to music that makes you feel good and relieves tension: if a song has a positive effect on you, it will also have a positive effect on your baby!
If you have a bola, don't hesitate to wear it early in your pregnancy: the little tinkling sound it makes will bring calm and serenity to your baby.
After birth, your baby will remember the music he or she listened to in your womb. There is therefore a good chance that a lullaby that he heard during pregnancy will help him to calm down and fall asleep more easily.
