Author: Lisa Jarrett

During pregnancy, your body begins to change in preparation for bringing a new life into the world. Part of the preparation is laying the brain building blocks for your bundle of joy while the child undergoes fetal development. An article on BrillKids.comexpounds on the importance of early brain stimulation to the development of a child:

“YOUR BABY IS BORN WITH MOST OF THE BRAIN CELLS SHE WILL EVER HAVE, BUT DURING HER FIRST 12 MONTHS IN THE WORLD, HER BRAIN WILL BECOME INCREASINGLY COMPLEX. BY THE TIME SHE REACHES THE AGE OF TWO, HER BRAIN WILL ALREADY BE 75 PERCENT OF ITS ADULT WEIGHT. BY THE AGE OF THREE, IT WILL HAVE REACHED 90 PERCENT OF ITS ADULT WEIGHT.

ALMOST 50 PERCENT OF THE BRAIN CELLS YOUR BABY IS BORN WITH WILL WITHER AND DIE DURING THE FIRST FEW YEARS OF LIFE. THIS PROCESS, KNOWN AS NEURAL PRUNING, ORGANIZES THE BRAIN AND MAKES IT MORE EFFICIENT.”

The fetus’ brain starts functioning early in the pregnancy even though cognitive functions are still not complete. Neurons, or the nerve cells that comprise the brain, start coming together around a month into the pregnancy. The number of neurons accelerate their formation to around 200 billion by the time of birth, with each neuron packing dendrites that can make up to 15,000 synapses, or connections with other neurons. (Think of a synapse as the spark that arises when the ends of two electric wires are connected; the wires’ reactions enable stimulation of the entire electric circuit.)

In that sense, using a prenatal audio system like the BabyPlus can help jumpstart auditory learning and bolster brain function at various prenatal development stages.

A newborn child’s brain weighs around 12 ounces but increases to 2.2 pounds by the time he or she turns a year old. The extra weight comes from the additional brain mass which develops within 12 months to produce the neurons that will handle specific body functions and cognitive skills.

With such a large number of neural pathways, the level of activity the baby is able to participate in after birth determines which of them would become fully functioning and which would be rendered inactive. Once some of the permanently inactive neurons are severed, the brain is able to devote extra resources to keeping the more active neurons at peak capacity. The neurons that are continuously stimulated may expand into more branches.

With studies finding that early brain stimulation gives children advantage in later years in life, parents recognize the need to educate their child early on by talking to them, teaching them skills, and using prenatal programs like BabyPlus. Early and proper stimulation helps advance children’s learning capabilities.

 (Source: The Science of Early Learning, Brill Kids)

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The post Early Learning for Your Baby Begins at the Fetal Development Phase appeared first on blog.babyplus.com.

Since mothers want their babies to grow up healthy and smart, they obtain comprehensive prenatal care services for a trouble-free pregnancy. Some also play music for baby in the womb with the hope of promoting their child’s mental development. The Washington Post writer Meeri Kim reports on a research’s findings that babies in utero do recognize the music played by their expectant moms.

“THE RESEARCHERS HAD 10 EXPECTANT MOTHERS PLAY “TWINKLE TWINKLE LITTLE STAR” LOUDLY MULTIPLE TIMES PER WEEK THROUGHOUT THEIR LAST TRIMESTER OF PREGNANCY. A FEW DAYS AFTER BIRTH, THEY TOOK ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAM, OR EEG, RECORDINGS OF EACH NEWBORN’S BRAIN BY USING 12 ELECTRODES SCATTERED OVER DIFFERENT REGIONS OF THE HEAD.

UPON HEARING THE LULLABY AGAIN, THEY HAD SIGNIFICANTLY LARGER BRAIN RESPONSES THAN A CONTROL GROUP OF NEWBORNS WHO HAD NOT BEEN EXPOSED TO THE SONG. THE EXPERIMENT WAS REPEATED AFTER FOUR MONTHS WITH SIMILAR RESULTS.

STUDY CO-AUTHOR AND UNIVERSITY OF HELSINKI PSYCHOLOGIST MINNA HUOTILAINEN REFERS TO THIS PHENOMENON AS “PRECONSCIOUS LEARNING.” THE BABIES HAVE NO AWARENESS OF IT — NO “OH, THAT OLD SONG FROM MY INTRAUTERINE DAYS”—BUT SOMEHOW THEIR BRAINS CAN STILL PICK UP ON THE FACT THAT THEY HAVE HEARD IT BEFORE.”

Playing music for in-utero babies is nothing new. In fact, doing so is commonplace that even a popular media management software offers several albums designed specifically for that purpose. Moms-to-be who intend to follow this practice, however, must take into account three critical points first.

Type of Music

Most expectant mothers prefer classical music over any other type of music for their unborn baby. However, pediatric specialists say any type is suitable. A good option to add to the in-utero baby’s repertoire is natural womb music that mimics the rhythmic and comforting sound of the mom’s heartbeat.

Volume

Playing music on speakers is recommended. However, if headphones are used, moms-to-be should remember not to turn up the volume too loud as this can stress their unborn child more than soothe them. The ideal volume is below 60 decibels (an iPod or iTouch can produce up to 115 decibels). The sound level of the womb’s continuous maternal bloodpulse is 95 decibels.

Duration

Pediatricians recommend that expectant moms practice prenatal music stimulation in moderation, ideally during their rest or nap time. Overstimulation won’t cause physical harm to the unborn baby, but it could overwhelm him or her. Meanwhile, natural womb sounds can be played for as long as one hour, twice a day.

Mothers want the best for their kids, and who’s to say that they can’t start early? These days, they have the option of making their unborn child listen to music through headphones, or to womb sounds through an especially designed electronic device that is placed onto the mom’s abdomen, available from prenatal education specialists like BabyPlus.

(Source: Newborn babies in study recognized songs played to them while in the womb, washingtonpost.com)

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People generally have an ingrained ability to appreciate soothing sounds and good music, a characteristic that usually manifests from early childhood. This isn’t instinct, though; it’s more of an advanced cognitive function that sets humans apart from animals, or from their less-evolved ancestors. For this reason, many people believe that music for a baby in the wombcan actually help facilitate learning and foster development.

Prenatal Memory

The prenatal stage is a critical time in child growth and development, especially when it comes to the child’s senses. Studies in the field of fetal psychology suggest that babies still in the womb can already respond to stimulus from the environment outside, and can already hear by the end of the second trimester.

Into Childhood

Experiments have been conducted wherein prenatal sounds and music were consistently administered by the mother. By the time the babies come out into the world, they are able to recognize and, in fact, sleep more readily when the same music they were exposed to in the womb was played.

Cognitive Development

Exposure to music, in turn, could potentially lead to better cognitive development, as Adrianne Godart explains in her article in the Expectant Mothers’ Guide website:

WILFRIED GRUHN, EMERITUS PROFESSOR OF MUSIC EDUCATION AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MUSIC IN FREIBURG, GERMANY SAID IN AN ARTICLE PUBLISHED BY THE INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR MUSIC EDUCATION THAT, “MUSIC STIMULATES THE GROWTH OF BRAIN STRUCTURES AND CONNECTS MANY ACTIVATED BRAIN AREAS. LEARNING IS BASED ON THE PLASTICITY OF THE BRAIN, WHICH IS THE MOST POWERFUL IN THE EARLY YEARS; HOWEVER, IT KEEPS GOING OVER THE ENTIRE LIFE SPAN. BRAIN DEVELOPMENT IS BASICALLY DETERMINED BY ITS GENETIC DISPOSITION, BUT ITS INDIVIDUAL STRUCTURE DEPENDS ON USE. THE BRAIN DEVELOPS ACCORDING TO HOW WE USE IT. ALL EXPERIENCES ARE STORED IN THE BRAIN AND INFLUENCE ITS NEURAL STRUCTURE.”

Stress Relief

Mothers would be happy to know that prenatal music not only soothes their baby, but also relieves undue stress throughout their pregnancy. Of course, when they are stressed, their body produces hormones called glucocorticoids, which could cross over through the placenta into the baby, potentially affecting the growth of his or her heart and liver.

Prenatal rhythms from sources like BabyPlus can help make the child grow up to be the best he or she can be. With a child’s physical, mental and emotional development at stake, it’s only fair that mothers play soothing music for babies in their wombto ensure a more balanced development in their children.

(Source: The Benefits of Prenatal Music, Expectant Mothers’ Guide)

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You’ve probably also heard about the benefits of allowing your child to listen to prenatal music. You might have even made a mental note of a few places where you can buy a couple of classical music CDs to try out.

Of course, the “effectiveness” of letting your baby listen to prenatal music is highly dependent on how you go about it. If you implement this practice in the right way, the wonders it can do for your baby may be limitless. Here are a few things to keep in mind to take full advantage of prenatal music:

Volume Limit

Contrary to popular belief, you do not need to crank up the volume so your baby can hear the music better. According to experts, the fluids in the womb serve as a great sound conductor. Playing music at high volumes could lead to irritability and could even cause hearing impairment.

Timing

As to when you should start using a trusted prenatal sound system like the BabyPlus Prenatal Educational System, experts say your 18th week is the recommended time. By this time, the baby’s hearing is almost fully developed, enabling him or her to differentiate sounds.

In terms of actually listening to music, there is no right or wrong time to listen to music. However, the best time to do so would be when you are taking the time to rest as well. During this time, your baby is less exposed to cortisol (stress hormone), allowing them to associate the music with more pleasant feelings.

Variety

It is often said that “variety is the spice of life”, and that definitely holds true when it comes to playing prenatal music. According to an article by Dr. Oz, you should try playing different types of music, as well as talking to your baby:

“THIS WILL HELP STIMULATE BABY’S SENSES AND IMPROVE HIS BRAIN DEVELOPMENT. EXPOSURE TO DIFFERENT SOUNDS AND SCENES IS ESSENTIALLY WHAT HELPS ESTABLISH CONNECTIONS FROM ONE SET OF NEURONS—THE NERVE CELLS OF THE BRAIN—TO ANOTHER. THIS IS HOW WE ALL LEARN. THESE NEURAL STRUCTURES ARE SHAPED LIKE A TREE AND ROOT SYSTEM. A BABY’S BRAIN IS EXTREMELY PLASTIC, MEANING THAT IT CAN CONSTANTLY ADAPT AND MAKE NEW CONNECTIONS BETWEEN TREES.”

(Source: Should You Read to Your Unborn Baby? Oprah.com)

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Exposing your baby to certain sounds while still in the womb could lead to wonderful things after the baby’s birth. Patricia Hughes explains, for More4Kids:

“TOYS, MUSIC CDS AND OTHER MERCHANDISE DESIGNED TO PROVIDE MUSIC TO UNBORN AND NEWBORN BABIES TOUT THE POSITIVE EFFECTS OF MUSIC ON DEVELOPING BABIES. EXPECTANT PARENTS MAY WONDER IF THEY SHOULD PURCHASE THESE PRODUCTS, OR FEAR THEY ARE PUTTING THEIR BABY AT A DISADVANTAGE IF THEY DON’T LISTEN TO ENOUGH, OR THE RIGHT KIND OF MUSIC. EXPERT OPINIONS VARY REGARDING WHETHER MUSIC HAS A POSITIVE EFFECT.”

The potential for kids to have an ear (no pun intended) for music during the early stages of their lives may be due to their mothers being musically inclined while carrying them in the womb. A fetus’ ears start forming at four months and are complete by six months; your baby’s adventure with sound can begin at that point. One way you can apply aural stimulation before and during the child development stages is by using an audio system like BabyPlus.

The BabyPlus Prenatal Education System introduces patterns of sound to the fetus based on the sound he or she is most familiar with: your heartbeat. Experts noted that amniotic fluid carries sound to the fetus. It amplifies low-pitched sounds and muffles high-pitched ones.

Two of the more common sounds your child listens to are your voice talking and your heartbeat. Your child’s developed ears and sensory functions enable him or her to react to these sounds.

Hughes states that the music’s volume and manner of playing can have mixed results in the baby’s development. For instance, using headphones while listening to fast, upbeat tunes at a slightly higher volume may come across as too loud for the baby.

Using a prenatal audio system like BabyPlus right over the abdomen is meant to stimulate the brain through prerecorded natural sounds. A scientifically based program emitted from the BabyPlus system will help you create the proper scheduling, volume and timing of its use. Remember, though, that the use of the system is optimal beginning when you are halfway through your pregnancy, as your child’s ears would be almost fully developed by then.

Effective use of prenatal audio programs is seen to make a difference later during the infant development phase. Hughes says the music helps generate more stimuli in the brain from the baby’s response to gentler sounds. In turn, the increased brain stimulation could lead to better cognitive and motor skills for the baby, and to early-than-normal manifestations of language capabilities.

(Source: Pregnancy and the Effect of Music on the Fetus, More4Kids)

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