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Does pregnancy music affect fetal development?
No one knows for sure. There are studies indicating that fetuses
can hear and react to sound by moving. But no one really knows
what those movements mean, since experts can't observe an unborn
baby as easily as they could one who is out of the womb, explains
Gordon Shaw, a neuroscientist at the University of California
at Irvine. The baby's reaction may be discomfort, he argues.
"There are no studies on the effects of stimulation before
birth on intelligence, creativity, or later development," says
Janet DiPietro, a developmental psychologist who studies at Johns
Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.
Can playing music for my baby while she's in the womb make her
smarter?
No research supports this conclusion. You may have heard that exposure
to music makes kids of all ages smarter in math, but Gordon Shaw,
who pioneered this type of research, says these studies focused
on older children, not fetuses. For example, piano lessons may
enhance children's spatial reasoning skills (the ability to understand
three-dimensional space), but researchers only tested 3- and 4-year-olds
(see our article on. Some experts surmise that if music has this
profound effect on older kids, babies and even fetuses may benefit
from it the same way. Not necessarily so, says Shaw.
Others say newborns can recognize music their parents played for
them when they were in the womb and even perk up or fall asleep
when they hear a familiar song. But DiPietro of Johns Hopkins says
these conclusions are purely anecdotal, and aren't based on true
research.
Some also say that fetuses breathe in time to music they enjoy.
California obstetrician Rene Van de Carr says he's observed a 33-week-old
fetus pattern his breathing to the beat of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony.
Van de Carr, who wrote While You're Expecting...Your Own Prenatal
Classroom and teaches parents how to stimulate their unborn babies
through music and other exercises at his Prenatal University in
Hayward, California, says because the fetus followed the rhythm
of the symphony, it's obvious he learned something about the rhythm
and enjoyed it. "What reason do we have to think that breathing
in time to music is a good thing?" says DiPietro. How do I
play music for my unborn child?
You have two options. You can go state of the art and buy a complete
kit from www.buyasonic.com [ Bellysonic ] you get a mini MP3 player,
with earphones, speaker pouch and selected music that is custom
for your baby’s development) or casual (play some music on
the stereo as you go about your day). You should limit use to no
more than an hour a day, since the music is up close and may over
stimulate the baby. Some experts, such as DiPietro, say you should
avoid this method altogether. "People tend to turn up the
sounds because they think it needs to be loud to penetrate the
abdomen," she explains. "Amniotic fluid is actually a
good conductor of sound." (Actually, one study has found that
amniotic fluid amplifies low-pitched sounds, like a bass guitar,
by a very minimal amount, about 3.7 decibels. But as the pitch
gets higher, the fluid dampens the sound.)
If you choose the stereo, don't pump up the volume higher than
70 decibels — about as loud as background music at the store — because
that may hurt or startle the baby, says Rosalie Pratt, a professor
of music medicine at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. She
also recommends classical music. Mozart's symphonies are excellent,
says Pratt, because they have the right mix of new sounds and repetition,
which she believes babies may enjoy. But, she adds, most anything
will do, as long as the music isn't discordant like some of the
rap, grunge, or hard rock songs played on today's pop stations.
Animal studies show that constant exposure to chaotic, discordant
music negatively alters the brain's structure, says Dr. Pratt.
Even plants seem to abhor this type of music. Ivy growing on a
home where classical music was played all day long flourished better
than that on a house where occupants blasted hard rock.
The bottom line
Because research on this topic is in its infancy and experts can't
seem to agree on whether music is enjoyable or bothersome to
fetuses, proceed cautiously. If you decide to try it, remember
that moderation is key. Even Van de Carr, a proponent of fetal
stimulation, agrees. "You shouldn't go out of your way to
create a musical genius," he says. That attitude can cause
you to push hard and set a standard that your child may never
meet.
Play music because you enjoy it, not because you're trying to
make your unborn baby smarter. Music can help you relax, fall asleep,
or perk you up if you have the. "When a woman relaxes, that's
good for the fetus and that's an indirect effect of music on the
fetus," says DiPietro. You can put on some tunes, kick up
your heels, or dance around and have fun.
If, after listening to music all throughout your pregnancy, you
happen to give birth to the next Count Basie, so much the better.
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