Prenatal Stimulation Helps You Have A Smarter Baby

Important benefits to you and your baby

Studies have shown that prenatal stimulated babies showed better visual, linguistic, and motor development than those who were not. In many instances these babies were also calmer and the mothers had easier deliveries. One thing, however, appears to be certain - stimulating your unborn baby will help her realize her fullest potential as a child and as an adult.

The development of your baby's brain

By the fifth month of your pregnancy the number of brain cells your baby will have for the rest of her life is determined. From that point forward the brain will continue to grow only through the increase in size and complexity of these cells. A brain cell is divided into three parts as follows:

1. Dendrites - receive messages from the body
2. Cell body - decides whether to send the message received from the dendrite or to store it
3. Axon - transmits messages received from the cell body

As the cells get larger, the axons grow longer and the dendrites become an increasingly complex system of multiple connections like branches of a tree. The more stimulation the cells receive, the more complex these dendrites become, resulting in a larger and more developed brain.

When to begin prenatal stimulation

At the end of your 20th week your baby's brain enters its period of major growth as the cells increase in size and the dendrites increase in complexity. There is also reason to believe that your unborn baby can hear and see during the second half of your pregnancy so now is the time to start prenatal stimulation.

Use different forms of stimulation

You can stimulate your baby in many ways. You can play music, talk, and sing to her, or simply rub your stomach.
Research has shown that playing classical music is an excellent form of stimulation. You may ask whether or not it has to be classical music. The answer actually is yes, it should be classical music. Fetuses apparently do not respond to the monotonous beat more commonly associated with other forms of music and seem to prefer the more melodic tones of classical music.

Babies recognize voices heard in the womb

Although your womb is a very noisy place, there is every reason to believe your baby can recognize not only your voice which she hears all the time, but also her father's voice. A newborn often turns to the sound of her father's voice if it was regularly heard in the womb. Talking and singing to your baby are also excellent forms of prenatal stimulation.

The best time to stimulate your baby.

Your baby is most active during the evening hours. You'll know when she's active because by now you can feel her kicking. Play music for about 10 minutes a couple of times each night. You may also want to do this at other times during the day. Adjust the volume so it is a little louder than your normal speaking voice.

The evening is also a good time for you and your baby's father to talk and bond with her. This really helps bring the father closer to his baby because he knows his child is hearing his voice.

Prenatal Stimulation is endorsed by doctors.

"In-utero fetal acoustic stimulation has been shown to improve pregnancy outcomes as well as benefit the growing fetus," says Dr. Norman A. Ravski of Yale Children's Hospital and of Yale University School of Medicine, Dept. of Obstetrics and Gynecology. And Dr. Henry B. Mann, Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist states that for those children "...there appears to be a very strong correlation between the development of a sense of rhythm and the development of motor planning abilities."