From early on, babies in the womb can start hearing sounds from the outside world. While they are mostly hearing their mother's bodily sounds such as heartbeat and digestion, they also hear mommy's voice and recognize her voice by at least 30 weeks. They can also learn daddy's voice and their native language by around the same time. Furthermore, babies remember sounds and patterns that they've heard in the womb after they are born. One older study showed that babies could remember hearing The Cat in the Hat, read to them by their mothers several times a week during the latter part of pregnancy, after birth and would prefer hearing that over other stories or language sounds (DeCasper & Spence, 1986). The babies were given pacifiers to suck on, that measured and recorded their rate of "sucking," and then learned that whenever they sucked at a certain rate, The Cat in the Hat was played for them, while other stories/readings were played in response to other rates of sucking. Once babies figured out the system, they would only suck at the rate that cued the familiar story to be played for them.
Hearing familiar sounds after birth, or anything that mimics the womb environment, can have a calming and comforting effect on young infants. So, to take a more proactive approach, my husband and I have come up with a playlist for Baby Penelope to hear us sing along to during pregnancy. If we sing them to her throughout the next 4 months, then when we sing them to her after she is born, they should be familiar and provide a way for us to calm and soothe her during those trying times of her adjusting to life outside the womb. I've made a separate post of "Penelope's Playlist" to share the songs we've decided on, with much helpful input and suggestions from family and friends, to sing to her now and after she is born. Enjoy! I'm hoping it really works!
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