Should You Talk to Your Baby in the Womb?
Should you talk to your baby in the womb? All specialists agree with this statement. The benefits are multiple, not only to stimulate the neural formation of the fetus but also because, from the first months of development, you can begin to create an emotional bond between you and your child.
Intuitively, women have always felt the need to talk to the baby they carry in their womb, perhaps in response to an emotional impulse. However, with the advances in medicine, it’s already been demonstrated that, after six months of pregnancy, this action is one of the most beneficial.
For this reason, we’ll explain each of the advantages of communicating with your child when they’re in the womb.
Should you talk to your baby in the womb?
As we pointed out previously, specialists agree that there are several advantages of talking to your baby in the womb. These are the main ones:
Bonding
Between six and seven months of gestation, a baby’s hearing almost completes its formation. When this happens, they begin to pay attention to the sounds closest to them. Logically, these are their mother’s voice and their heartbeat.
Of course, they don’t hear these sounds clearly, as they’re submerged in the amniotic fluid. But continually listening to them creates a sense of familiarity, protection, and bonding.
So much so that, from the age of six months, the fetus is aware of the external habitat. Moreover, they can move with pleasant sounds or even become startled by intense noises; a fact that’s been evidenced by doctors evaluating heartbeats.
Therefore, having the mother, father, and other family members constantly talking to a baby will stimulate the baby to bond with the voices that’ll accompany them during their growth. Therefore, it’ll awaken the love and tenderness of the parents towards the unborn baby.
Benefits for their formation
Specialists believe that talking to your baby in the womb, as well as singing or playing music for them, can serve as a good stimulus for their neuronal development.
These external stimuli will induce in the child a particular interest in listening. In fact, it can move in the direction of the sound stimulus it perceives, whether it’s the mother’s heartbeat or the sounds of her own intestinal transit, among others.
When babies hear pleasant noises or sounds, they tend to move as a sign of joy. As a sign of this, they move their arms and legs and turn their heads; some mothers also report that they feel kicks or taps from the movement.
All of these actions contribute to the cognitive development of the fetus. They also help to soothe the baby from the immanent stress they feel from their anatomical development or even from the pressure exerted by the uterus on their body in the last weeks of gestation.
“Babies listening to their parents creates in them a sense of familiarity, protection and bonding.”
How should you speak to your baby in the womb?
The voices of the mother, father, and siblings create a bond with the unborn baby. They can hear them quite clearly, especially the mother’s voice.
When speaking to your unborn baby, experts recommended speaking in a regular tone of voice, without shouting. Parents and siblings can approach the mother’s belly to make their voice more noticeable.
The most recommended times of the day to talk to them are during the afternoons and evenings, as experts believe that this is when activity increases and they’re more alert.
Classical music
In addition to talking to the baby, many parents also play music. Children can listen to it, but it shouldn’t be at a high volume, as it can create discomfort for your little one.
At the same time, it’s also been suggested that classical music can stimulate children, making them more intelligent. Unfortunately, this assertion is controversial, as there are many more studies that are inconclusive regarding this idea.
In any case, it won’t do any harm; many mothers claim that, after birth, the child recognizes the melodies that were played to them when they were in the womb and that listening to it helps them to sleep more easily.
In short, mom and dad, begin building the bond with your beloved baby through dialogue. As an added bonus, accompany your voice with warm caresses on the belly.
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
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- Garrido-Rojas, L. (2006). Apego, emoción y regulación emocional. Implicaciones para la salud. Revista latinoamericana de psicología, 38(3), 493-507. https://www.redalyc.org/pdf/805/80538304.pdf
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