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Pregnant? Talk to Your Baby

The emotional bond between a mother and her child is believed to be the greatest and strongest love ever.

It is a divine relation that Allah has made as a secret attachment between a mother and child in all creatures. However, mothers can play a role in this regard. They can help in creating and strengthening this bond with their babies even before they are born.

Moms-to-be are always excited about the tiny, beautiful, and miraculous creature they are carrying inside their wombs. They spend much time thinking about their would-be babies: How he or she will look like? Which name is better for him or her? Expecting mothers even wonder if they are going to be ideal for their babies or not; they start planning for labor and the different lifestyle they will adopt after becoming mothers. They will also prepare the shopping list for the baby stuff and begin designing and decorating a special room for the long-awaited newcomer!

All these thoughts are common and normal for pregnant women, but they care about the baby as a newborn, i.e., it has to do with the afterbirth period. What about the period before? What about pregnancy?

When Can He Hear Me?

Therefore, talking to your baby who is still inside your womb will create and strengthen the mother-baby bond from the very beginning. Your voice soothes your baby, and he or she will like to hear it continuously.Researchers suggest that babies can hear from as early as 18 or 19 weeks. What and when they hear will determine how they respond.

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For example, typically,if the baby hears anything repeatedly before six months of pregnancy,it learns to sleep through this noise. Repeated sounds after the seventh month will draw attention, as the hearing is developing. So, if you have been reading the baby a bedtime story or dad has been talking to the baby during this period of pregnancy, chances are great that the baby will want to hear it again, and these reactions will be amazing to you when you notice them after birth!

It is better to avoid noise and very loud voices, because they will bother your baby. Talk to him in a gentle way and a soft voice. The baby will be able to recognize your voice from the first few moments he or she will come to the world.

No matter what you say, just speak about your excitement at his or her imminent arrival, how much you love him or her, and how longing you are to see him or her. Sing a song for your baby, and make him or her get familiar with the rhythm. You may also play soft music to lull the baby.

Studies have shown that babies prefer classical music (Mozart and Vivaldi are good standbys) or any music that mimics the mother’s heart rate of 60 beats per minute.

It Is All About Your Voice

You may also encourage your spouse to share you in this experience. It will give you joy and excitement to feel together and even strengthen the bond between you as a couple!In another recent study, 60 women were divided into two groups.

Fetal heart rates were measured before, during, and after a recorded two-minute poem was played through a speaker held above the mother’s abdomen. In the first group,the heart rate increased about five beats a minute in 21 of the 30 fetuses who heard recordings of their mothers’ voices. Heart rates slowed about four beats a minute in 21 of the 30 fetuses of the second group who heard a recording of a stranger’s voice.

This was an exciting discovery for the researchers, who felt it is providing evidence of attention, memory, and learning by the fetus. This experience of talking to the baby is of great benefit to you. It will give you space to express your feelings and emotions to your precious baby. After repeating this talk every day, you will enjoy your communication with the baby, especially if he or she starts reacting by kicking or changing positions.

Moreover, if this is not your first child and you already have other children, it is great to engage them in the nice talk with the baby, especially if they are young.They will enjoy it too, and it will make them also attach with the baby and wait for he or she, rather than being jealous and skeptic about his or her coming to life.

So, do not be shy about talking to your baby. Read to him, sing to him, and talk to him. It will not matter what you talk about—he or she cannot understand words yet anyway. It is the sound of your voice that excites him.

About Hasnaa Hasan
Hasnaa Hasan is the managing editor of Aboutislam's Family & Society. She holds a B.A. in English literature from the Faculty of Arts, Cairo University and is currently a post graduate student at the American University in Cairo. Hasnaa is interested in family and social issues, especially those related to youth, marriage and children.You can reach her at: [email protected]