Music for pregnancy, labor music,
birth music and baby music 

Music for pregnancy

Playing music during pregnancy has a profound, long-term effect on the child.
The unborn child reacts physically, emotionally and mentally to the sounds it perceives.
Thus, by means of sound and music you can both support the child's development, prevent prematernal stress and prepare a safe environment for birth and early childhood.

Let's take a look at how you can contribute to a happy pregnancy for your child - and yourself! 

Singing for your unborn baby

Please sing for your unborn child! Lullabies are great, either some you know or some you invent spontaneously. Sing them during your pregnancy and they will work great after the child is born as well. 
You don't have to be "good" at singing - it doesn't really matter. It only matters that it's YOU singing for your child.

Singing is a great way for the father to connect to the unborn child. Because of the early singing, the child will recognize the father's voice after the birth, and his singing will help the child connect to him, relax and feel safe.

I've got to tell you a story that shows this very strongly:

It is  about Deva Premal, a German singer. From the very day she was conceived, every day her father sang a particular Indian chant for her, called Gayatri. He continued to sing it for her daily after she was born. 
Then naturally, as soon as she was old enough, she started chanting it with him. I don't know when that stopped. But she does it again now, as a mature woman - at her concerts and on her CDs. And thousands of people sing it with her. 
And it all started with her father singing for the unborn child!...

Which doesn't mean that your singing necesserily will make your child a singer :-)). It just means that with your singing you build a "good place" for your child and you. A place of peace and...

Relaxation 

Although we know that it is important to create a relaxed environment for the unborn baby, in our sophisticated world it might be tempting to overlook that need.
I suppose that most women today both work and take care of their family while being pregnant. And many of you work under circumstances that are far from relaxed.
It is so easy to forget about yourself and your needs... 

That's why I'm saying it again :-)):
Please remember to take some time for relaxation every day.

Just lie down and listen to some peaceful and positive music you like. 
 

Here in Scandinavia thousands of pregnant women have enjoyed relaxing to a CD called Inner Harvest.  Click here to see what it meant to their children.

Not only will relaxation help you during the pregnancy as such. By doing it every day you will have built a foundation for the birth itself: When you listen to this music during the birth, both you and your child will relax almost automatically. 

But you can also make a more direct preparation for birth through music:

Visualization of the perfect birth

Choose the kind of music you will love to listen to during the birth. Music that is relaxing and loving without putting you to sleep. 

One Fine Morning - listen to samples here

Now, while relaxing and listening to the music, visualize yourself giving the perfect birth at the perfect time. 

If you do this several times during the course of the pregnancy, you will have opened up for the perfect birth and created an association to it through this specific music.
Then, when you listen to this music during the birth itself, it will not only help you relax but also reinforce your vision of a perfect birth, thus supporting the process.

Mostly, when we talk about music for pregnancy, we expect it to be very peaceful, but may people wonder:

Is loud music during pregnancy harming the child?

Many parents ask themselves if it's OK to play loud music during pregnancy?

There's no doubt loud music will influence  your child: four-month-old fetuses can respond in very specific ways to sound and if exposed to loud music their heart beat will accelerate. 

But, just like you don't need to be relaxed all the time, so it is OK for your child to experience different rhythms and sounds, including loud music. 

You just have to be careful: do it moderately and be attentive to the baby's reaction. Do it if it feels right to both mother and child - but stop as soon as it doesn't.  

How to choose the right music for pregnancy, birth music and baby music

Here are some hints:

• Choose melodies and rhythms that are fairly simple. That's what your child needs at this early stage of its development, as it reacts physically to the sounds it hears.
  

• Choose music that does have some rhythm to it. A steady peaceful rhythm creates a feeling of  continuity. The unborn child reacts positively to rhythm, as (s)he already is familiar with rhythms, such as the heartbeat, the breathing of the mother and her walk.
  Recent research shows that unborn children react very positively to slow music that has a tempo resembling our own heartbeat at rest. But how do you measure that? 
  If you're not a musician don't bother. Just feel it, that's much better. Does the pace of the music feel really relaxed? Good!
  (If you are a musician you might want to choose something with a tempo close to 60 beats on your metronome. But even then, make sure it feels good. In this case your feeling is the best metronome of all :-))
  

• Also, research shows that the unborn children and babies prefer music that is quiet and  harmonious (consonant, not dissonant). We're not surprised, are we? :-))
  

• The soothing sounds of the ocean and water are probably reminiscent of the fluid environment in which we began life, which is why you might want to choose relaxation music that blends with water sounds. 
  

• All that being said, the most important factor when choosing the music is not that it is theoretically right, but that it feels right, both to the mother and the baby.

Since 1986 we have received much feedback showing that Pushkar's music is a great remedy for the baby and those around it.

• His music has been used by thousands of parents and children, both during pregnancy, birth and childhood. 

• Inner Harvest is standard equipment in many Danish maternal wards, nurseries and day care centers

Maybe it is due to the fact that, while composing Inner Harvest, Pushkar was "guided" by his own baby son: 
"When Arun, our son, was just a little baby, I had to play this kind of music for him. I used the soft bamboo tones that babies love. And I trusted him. When his eyes were sparkling I knew the music was right."

By pure intuition, Pushkar must have known what babies need. His music has all the qualities that researchers recommend for pregnancy, birth and baby music: 

• it has a beautiful simplicity to it

• it is harmonious

• it is relaxed, with a peaceful rhythm to it

• it has water sounds here and there

• babies love it!

Listen to samples from Inner Harvest here

If you have any questions or comments regarding music for pregnancy, labor music, birth music or baby music, feel free to contact me.

Here are a few other resources:

If you would like to learn more about relaxation read this article on relaxation with music, as well as the article on deep relaxation.

If you'd like to learn more about prenatal sound and music, do visit Birthpsychology.com. There's a whole section there with interesting articles.

Wishing you and your child a beautiful journey ...

Visit the author at The Busting Loose site