Unborn baby hearing
When can a baby start hearing in the womb?
Very early in pregnancy, at around 9 weeks of pregnancy, little buds on the side of the fetus’s neck and what will become tis head. What will become your bay’s ears are developing on both the inside and the outside. Later, these buds will start moving upward and develop into your baby’s ears.
About 18 weeks into your pregnancy, your baby will hear its very first sounds. It will not be a sound like we are used to. Imagine that your baby’s head in immersed in water like when someone is talking to you while you are underwater in a pool. Furthermore, your baby’s ears being not fully developed, we can only guess what kind of noise his ears are capturing.
By 24 weeks, those little ears are rapidly developing. Again, keep in mind, that your baby is surrounded and immersed in water so what you hear is definitely not what he hears. Your baby’s sensitivity to sound will improve even more as the weeks pass.
Your baby also has a privileged seat inside of your body and has front row to such noise as your digestion and heartbeat! Think of that for a moment. Many relaxation recordings are reproducing the mother’s heartbeat as many think this is the sound that comforts the baby for the entire pregnancy.
It is then no wonder that many babies will calm down when held close to your heart as they recapture this very reassuring sound…or maybe it is because they are close to their mother’s wonderful milk!
Should I read to my baby in the womb?
Absolutely! especially after 20 weeks of pregnancy. At the very least, if you find reading to your belly kind of silly, having soft music playing is a sure way to keep you calm and happy and your baby might also benefit from his underwater concert!
