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Can my baby learn in the womb (uterus)?Your womb is a sensory playground for your baby. From about 10 weeks, she’s already wriggling and stretching her tiny limbs.
Once she reaches 23 weeks, she'll be able to hear your voice and other sounds, and may even respond to what she hears by moving around more. She may also develop a taste for the food you eat, and respond when you touch your bump. It's through these experiences that your baby prepares for life after birth.
You can certainly help your baby’s natural cognitive development by interacting with her, and this includes singing and talking. By reading stories, playing music, or even just talking to your baby, you can let her experience a simple form of learning in the womb, according to a number of studies (James DK. et al. 2002).
However, some experts say that we can't rule out the possibility that learning happens after birth, rather than before it (James DK. 2010 ). Also, even if teaching your unborn baby is possible, there's little proof that it has any long-lasting, beneficial effect (James DK. et al. 2002, James DK. 2010).
What can my baby learn in the womb?Experts say that your baby will probably be able to remember certain sounds and tastes from the womb after she's born.
Towards the end of the second trimester, your baby starts to hear. While her main soundtrack is your heartbeat, breathing, voice, pumping of blood and gurgles of digestion, she can also hear muffled noises from outside your body. While a daily dose of Mozart during pregnancy won’t make your baby a musical prodigy, she may recognise and be soothed by it when she hears it again as a newborn.
There's no evidence that playing your baby classical music will make her more intelligent. However, listening to music is a lovely way for you both to unwind. So do pop on anything calm and soothing, and enjoy the music together.
When you play music to your baby in the womb, her heart rate may increase and she may move more (James DK. et al. 2002). Shortly after birth, she may respond to particular pieces of music that she heard regularly in the womb, by becoming more wriggly and alert (James DK. et al. 2002).
In the same way, your baby may also show that she recalls and is comforted by other noises heard while in the womb. These could be the theme tune of your favourite TV programme (Hepper PG. 1988 ) or a story frequently read out loud to her (DeCasper AJ. et al. 1980). She may also prefer your voice to others, and pay extra attention when you speak (DeCasper AJ. et al. 1980).
One study found that if music was played while mums-to-be relaxed, the same music would soothe their newborns. They ceased to cry, opened their eyes, and made fewer jerky movements (Feijoo J. 1981). So it looks like babies may associate their experiences in the womb with whatever their mother is feeling at the time.
It’s not only the sounds your baby hears in the womb that she's likely to remember later. What you eat while you're pregnant affects the flavour of your amniotic fluid, and it's thought that your baby may also be able to remember the different tastes that she experiences.
Some experts believe that this familiarity with flavours can help to establish breastfeeding, as your diet also affects the flavor of your breastmilk. Your baby may even prefer these familiar-tasting foods during weaning (Mennella JA. et al. 2001).
One study showed that babies whose mums drank a lot of carrot juice during the last trimester preferred carrot-flavoured cereal rather than plain (Mennella JA. et al. 2001). This highlights the important of a varied diet while you are pregnant, as it may help your baby to enjoy a wider range of different foods.
How does my baby learn in the womb?There are three main ways that babies are thought to learn in the womb:
- Learning by experiences. Babies recognise familiar voices and music they heard in the womb, and are soothed by them after birth. They're also soothed by rocking and noises like car engines, which may remind them of the movement and sounds of your body.
- Learning by repetition. For instance, if you frequently play an alarming noise to your baby in the womb, she may not be startled by it as a newborn (Damstra-Wijmenga SM. 1991).
- Learning by association. Your baby may learn to connect certain experiences to the way you are feeling at the time. For instance, if you often listen to a certain piece of music while relaxing, the same music may soothe her after birth.
Is there anything I can do to help my baby learn in the womb?There's no evidence that you can increase your baby’s intelligence by playing music or reading stories. However, hearing your voice may help your baby to recognise and bond with you after birth (Hepper PG. 1996, Greenspan & Lewis. 2000). Interacting with your bump may also help you to relax, reduce stress and deepen your own feelings for your baby.
Don’t worry if you’re not comfortable with singing and chatting to your bump. The natural stimulation your baby receives from everyday conversations and activities is more than enough to prepare her for the outside world.
What is the approach to fetal learning in other countries?In Korea, many pregnant women practise Taegyo each day, with the belief that it will help the development of their babies’ talents, personality and intelligence. This traditional prenatal education, dating back to 1392, incorporates many ideas that Westerners would find familiar. For example, parents may play music, read stories and talk to their babies, and/or practise yoga themselves.
Under Taegyo, pregnant women are also expected to restrict their behaviour, thoughts and actions to create the best environment for their babies. This includes maintaining a peaceful and joyful mind, and only eating foods of the finest quality (Change S. et al. 2004).
In France, Haptonomy is widely practised. Developed by Dutch scientist Frans Veldman, Haptonomy is a technique which focuses primarily on touch. It's designed to help parents bond with their baby both before and after birth.
By communicating through touch and feel, it is believed that you can let your baby know that she is important, loved and part of the family.
Haptonomy practitioners claim that it can also assist mothers preparing for childbirth by helping them understand their baby’s position and movements.
However, there's very little evidence that either Taegyo or Haptonomy can benefit your baby or help her to learn. Your natural, everyday movements are likely to teach her far more about the world she's about to inhabit.
For a great way to help you and your baby bond before the birth, why not try massaging your bump?
Last reviewed: December 2014
Change S. et al. 2004. Effect of Taegyo-focused prenatal education on maternal-fetal attachment and self-efficacy related to childbirth. Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing. 34:8.
Damstra-Wijmenga SM. 1991. The memory of the new-born baby. i>Midwives Chronicle. 104:66-69.
DeCasper AJ. et al. 1980. Of human bonding: newborns prefer their mothers' voices. Science. 208:1174-1175.
DeCasper AJ. et al. 1986. Prenatal maternal speech influences newborns’ perception of speech and sound. Infant Behavior and Development. 9:133-150.
Feijoo J. 1981. Le foetus Pierre et le loup...ou une approche originale de l’audition prenatale humaine. In: E. Herbinet, & M.-C. Busnel (Eds.), L’aube des sens. 192–209.
Greenspan S and Lewis N. 2000. Building healthy minds: The six experiences that create intelligence and emotional growth in babies and young children. New York. Da Capo Press.
Hepper PG. 1988. Foetal soap addiction. Lancet. 1:1347-1348.
Hepper PG. 1996. Fetal memory: does it exist? what does it do? Acta Paediatrica Supplement. 416: 16-20.
James DK. et al. 2002. Fetal learning: a prospective randomized controlled study. Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol. 20:431-438.
James DK. 2010. Fetal learning: a critical review. Infant and Child Development. 19:45-54.
Mennella JA. et al. 2001. Prenatal and postnatal favor learning by human infants. Pediatrics. 107;e88.