A Prodigy In The Womb?

Your baby’s brain development has already started much before she takes birth. M&B tells you more

My sister got pregnant for the first time when she was almost 35. One day, I walked into her sitting in a chair with her hands placed on her bump and Mozart’s Symphony No.6 in F major playing in the background. My sister, who had always said that classical music was for sissies, was listening to the music with a rapt expression on her face. Seeing my questioning look, she said, “I want this baby to be a genius! It’s unlikely that I’ll have another child, so this baby is going to get the best. If that means that I have to listen to classical music, then so be it.”

Did my nephew turn out to be a musical prodigy? Of course not! But when he was about a year old and colicky, the strains of Mozart used to calm him down like nothing else would. Did he really remember listening to Mozart when he was in the womb?

Do babies start learning in the womb? Do they absorb information from the outside world? Can mothers do something to stimulate their babies’ minds while they’re in the womb? Let’s examine some studies and research conducted in the field before we draw a conclusion.

AND LEARNING STARTS

Dr Geetanjali Shah, Mumbai-based paediatrician and M&B’s inhouse expert, is the author of a book called Garbhasanskar. This book highlights the importance of creating a nurturing, learning environment for the foetus in the womb. It is based on a combination of pre natal and neo natal research done all over the world and ancient Ayurvedic theories on pregnancy. “In an unborn foetus, learning starts by the end of the third month, when the fourth month is about to begin,” says Dr Shah.