Music and Pregnancy

In some parts of the world, a child’s birth is believed to occur even before conception when the mother first ‘conceives’ of her in her mind. The mother’s thoughts lead to the creation of a ululating song that embodies her dream of the child. Once she has sung the song, the mother teaches it to her partner, and then sings it with him as they make love.

Throughout her pregnancy, the woman continues to sing the song to her little one and during birth the midwives welcome her with what they believe is a now-familiar melody (Campbell, 2000).
 

By routinely unwinding, stimulating, and expressing yourself through music, you can counterbalance the transient anxieties of a normal pregnancy and create a supportive cosmos for your child. In order to best use music to help adjust your emotional state, it is necessary to practice with a range of musical selections to discover those that seem to work best at retuning your mind and body.
 

How does the music make you feel? Do you feel that you and your baby are in harmony while listening together? Focus on the differences in your pulse, body temperature, state of attentiveness, and overall mood that each selection creates. Be mindful that calming music is not the only type of sound that is good for you both.

Fast, allegro tempo pieces trigger the most active brain wave state, the beta state, allowing you to think, and work with maximum vitality. Compile songs and musical pieces that simply make you happy and content. Sentimental favourites such as children’s folk tunes that bring happy thoughts of motherhood to mind work beautifully. As you listen, close your eyes and envision your growing baby also listening inside of you.
 

I really enjoyed being pregnant with my first child, Laura. The experience was new, exciting, terrifying, and beautiful. I used music a lot throughout the pregnancy. Not only did I listen to a lot of classical music, AC/DC, The Who, and ABBA featured regularly on my playlists.

 I found extreme comfort in playing my piano every day. In fact, Laura loved my playing. She would let me know by her determined, forceful baby kicks that she wanted to hear some soothing melodies. I often composed, improvised and created baby music while Laura was in my tummy. She would react as if she was my little audience. Kicking, swooping, jerking, jumping, and eventual stillness brought about by the drifting melodies.

Myself and Laura often talk about my pregnancy, and her music experience as a young child. She finds it incredible that she too loves to sit quietly at our piano and play. Composing, improvising, chord sequencing. It soothes her. Calms her. Focuses her. And enthuses her. She firmly believes that being introduced to such music pre-birth has instilled a sense of love and attachment to such melodic distraction. Laura can also vividly remember the rhythmic, monotonous click clack sound of a rocking chair against her wooden floor as I sung songs to her as she was lulled to sleep.