Can you hear me?

Every night before we go to bed, David goes underneath the covers, kisses my belly, tells the baby "I love you.  You must love Jesus," gives him/her a daily lesson and comes out panting for breath.  It's a sweet gesture that often makes me wonder, can the baby actually hear him?

Obviously the womb is a pretty noisy place.  Much of the noise that reaches a fetus is its mother's own voice, movement, breathing and digestive processes.  Fetuses don't "hear" as much with their ears because their ears are filled with fluid.  Therefore, much of the noise is transmitted to their inner ears through vibrations in their skulls.  Studies have shown that sounds have a surprising impact on the fetal heart rate.  A five second stimulus can cause changes in heart rate and movement which can last up to an hour! 

I've debated whether I should purchase the belly headphones or even tape my earbuds to my stomach. 

Not only is it a bit ridiculous looking, but I really wonder if it's good for your baby?  It also begs the question, how loud is too loud?  And is classical music better than rap music?  You would think that since the music has to penetrate the abdomen, the volume would have to be pretty loud.  But it turns out, amniotic fluid is actually a good conductor of sound and it amplifies low-pitched sounds (like a bass guitar) by a minimal amount of about 3.7 decibels! 

Doing a quick Google search shows there's much debate on the topic.  Several early childhood researchers believe there is no direct concrete evidence that supports the theory that music stimulation prior to birth means a child has a higher intelligence in the future.  Other specialists say just the opposite.  They argue that there are direct studies showing once they are born, babies have the innate ability to recognize their mother's voices and may be further able to respond to familiar music.  

"Prenatal stimulation through music heard regularly while in the womb might provide some babies with a sense of confidence and relaxation after they're born.  While in the womb, babies learn to recognize and respond to different stimuli, which leads to encouragement of physical, mental and sensory development.  Stimulation exercises will allow Baby to communicate with you and your spouse through movement in the womb, establish relationship between specific stimuli (such as voices) and, most importantly, help develop memory."

Hmmm... what to do?