Research - The Benefits of Prenatal Music

Just like you, we’ve been on a journey of discovery. How can we bond with our developing son or daughter? What is this new life actually capable of? How do we know what’s beneficial and healthy at which stages?

BellyBuds was born when we followed our intuition to create a safe way to play prenatal music and sound to our own baby-to-be. We were curious, of course, what science had to say about it all, and did quite a bit of research along the way.

We weren’t surprised to learn that a large percentage of the research studies we encountered support what we suspected all along: sharing audio at the safe levels we created helps stimulate the baby’s development in positive ways, and helps create sound and voice recognition patterns, even before birth. That made us even more excited about sharing this technology with other parents-to-be.

We encourage you to look around on your own so that you, too, can make decisions for your developing baby that you feel good about. Below are some studies we found useful and also our Blog is a great resource of relevant pregnancy articles.

Prenatal Music Exposure Induces Long-Term Neural Effects

Partanen E, Kujala T, Tervaniemi M, Huotilainen M (2013) PLoS ONE 8(10): e78946. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0078946

A new study suggests that babies can learn a melody they hear while still in the womb, and recognize it after they are born.

Music During Pregnancy 

by B. Arabin, Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol 2002

An opinion piece that is an overview of the state of scientific studies as they pertain to prenatal music.

Aspects of Fetal Learning and Memory

This study suggests the presence of both short-term memory (10 minutes) and long-term memory (4 weeks) are present as early as 30 weeks gestational age.

Newborn Infants Detect the Beat in Music

by I. Winkler et al, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 2009.

This study suggests that the fetus recognizes and anticipates the rhythm and beat in music.

Maturation of Fetal Responses to Music

by B.S. Kisilevsky et al, Developmental Science 2004.

This study suggests that a fetus responds increasingly to complex auditory stimulation as it matures and therefore provides evidence that a higher order of auditory perception begins before birth. 

Developmental Change in Fetal Response to Repeated Low-Intensity Sound 

by S. Morokuma et al, Developmental Science 2008.

This study suggests that the fetus responds with increasing speeds of habituation, leading them to believe that the baby is learning in utero.

Fetal Learning: A Prospective Randomized Controlled Study

by D. K. James et al, Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol 2002.

This study suggests that a simple form of fetal programming or learning occurs in the womb.

Fetal Discrimination of Low Pitched Musical Notes

by J.P. Lecanuet et al, Dev Psychobiol 2000.

Study suggests that the fetus can differentiate between varying musical notes transmitted to the womb in varying intensities. 

Development of Fetal Hearing

by Peter G. Hepper and B. Sara Shahidullah, Archives of Disease in Childhood 1994.

This study suggests that a fetus starts to react to a bell tone at an average of 19 weeks gestational age. It also suggests that it takes a higher wavelength to stimutethem when they are younger then when they are more mature.