Playing music while pregnant

[rkatysmith]

I'm feeling worried as I've read you shouldn't play loud music into the womb. I am 32 weeks pregnant and in order for me to monitor baby's movements I usually get home, have some dinner, and then put something on my tummy like the television remote and usually see movement (I find this is easier than tracking movement in the day - I'm a teacher and very busy in the day so it's hard to keep track of what I'm feeling/when). I also play music to baby sometimes as I've found this can help stimulate movement and that it's good for baby to hear music. However now I am worrying that I have been playing it too loudly and might have injured their hearing - I often use my iphone and turn the volume up loud and hold it to my tummy where the music comes out. I just thought that as there's skin/fat/muscle/fluid baby would need it to be louder to hear. Now I've read that you shouldn't do that so I feel worried and guilty and I'm not sure what to do. I haven't been playing music every day and when I do it's not for long (a song or two perhaps).

Any advice would be welcome x

I play music to my bump all the time - phone on loud right up against my belly. Who told you this isn't ok??

I'm no expect but I imagine that noise is drowned out by the fluid surrounding the baby and to do any real damage it would have to be a sound loud enough to also damage your hearing too.

I go to gigs still... went to see mogwai at 30 odd weeks last time. I think they are very well protected in there with all the fluid and will be fine!!

I know a lot of people who do this.
I went to a concert a month ago. It was SO loud.. like when you feel the vibrations in your blood.
It was only half way through that I suddenly ‘remembered’ I’m pregnant and then got my coat and scarf and tried to wrap them over my belly as much as possible!
The music was deafening.
I was mainly worried about the stress it would put her under especially as the music was very experimental and jarring and so it didn’t even sound like music.. more like a war zone.
I wish I had left but they were super expensive tickets bought by friends and we were all on night out. I didn’t feel I could say anything without basically ruining it.

I spoke to the sonograoher/doctor at my hospital at my next scan. They told me that I really shouldn’t worry. Any research related to damage from excessive noise is related to women working in excessively loud environments for prolonged periods of time. Ie. near aircrafts

I looked at a study that is a few years old.

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3299264/#__ffn_sectitle

Read the abstract and introduction. They did it with expectant mothers listening to an hours worth of music a day. I don’t quite understand all the scientific jargon..but the conclusion was:
“ Prenatal music exposure to mother significantly and favourably influences neonatal behaviour”.

I think if you are very worried about noise then just turn it down a wee bit. They says baby’s can recognise their mothers voice when they’re born.. so why not just play it at slightly above voice level?

When I was about 8m pregnant with ds1 we went to a christening. We are not churchgoers.

He reacted so violently to the organ we were joking his heathen Viking soul was going to claw his way out of the womb. It was quite remarkable.

I'm a professional musician and instrumental teacher. I was still playing almost up until I gave birth both times and don't seem to have had any issues. My boys all enjoy music now.