Did you know that by the twentieth week of pregnancy, the baby's hearing mechanism is fully developed to the point that she is fully aware of sounds around her? Yep, that's right, she is watching Teen Mom with you!
Doctor Sheila Woodward, chair of Musical Education at the USC Thornton School of Music, led a study with expectant moms between 32 and 42 weeks of pregnancy that proved how, besides hearing, a baby in the mother’s womb can tell the difference between voices, sounds and music.
“During the third trimester, the fetus is capable of recording a sound, relating that sound with one that it has heard previously, and interpreting its significance.”
More than focus solely on the scientific facts, let’s think about the amazing opportunity we have to share with our unborn child the music that makes us happy. As a universal language, music expresses feelings that will allow us to get close to that little special one not yet in our arms. Just like when you talk to him and tell him how much you love him, all those sounds will be familiar and he’ll immediately recognize them after he is born.
Maybe you’re far from the classical music afficionado, and instead of Mozart or Beethoven, it’s to the tunes of Maná and Alejandro Sanz that you feel happiest with. If salsa and merengue are what lead your playlist, let baby rock it too! Now, don’t complain if your kicking baby is all rhythm and dance from early on!
Do you play music to your unborn baby? What do you play?
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