The First Sounds most Humans Hear
Many of us don’t remember much of anything from our very early childhoods, in fact, very few adults remember anything before the ripe old age of three years old. Still, even before our memories we are conscious and taking in information, learning, sensing, and absorbing the environment around us. Do you ever wonder what you may have heard before your earliest memories? How about before you were born?
At approximately 9 weeks, the indentions where the ears will start to form. 18 weeks into the pregnancy the baby will begin to hear sounds, and at 24 weeks the baby will begin to become more sensitive to the sounds they hear. Actual responses to the sounds heard stat at about 25 weeks. As it turns out being in the womb is quite loud, from the sound of food digesting to the heartbeat of the mother, there are a lot of sounds to be heard.
Cooing and chatting to your unborn baby can be good to help it become familiar with your voice. Even after birth babies grow attached to their mothers both being able to recognize and find comfort in certain aspects of them. Research shows that babies as early as 3 days old are able to recognize their mother by her sent. Skin to skin contact and infant-directed speech are both things that will aid in the development of your newborn.
If your newborn is getting fussy, or not calming down there exists sounds and tracks that simulate the sounds heard inside the womb that may help calm and relax newborn babies. These tracks may sound strange to adults because we have grown accustomed to everyday sounds and stimuli, but to a newborn, these additional stimuli and the lack of familiar stimuli can become quite stressful and overwhelming.