Babies in the womb react to mom’s voice

Babies in the womb react to mom’s voice

FPJ BureauUpdated: Saturday, June 01, 2019, 08:32 PM IST
article-image

Melbourne :  Babies in the womb respond to their mothers’ voice, even paying attention when they’re read a story, a new study has found, according to PTI.

Researchers from Johns Hopkins University in US asked 74 women who were 36 weeks pregnant to read for two minutes while their babies’ heart rate and movements were monitored.

They found babies stopped moving and lowered their heart rate when their mother started reading aloud to them, study lead author Kristin Voegtline said. “It is quite fascinating how the foetus learns to recognise and react to the mother’s voice before prior to birth – here, we showed that they can detect onset of maternal voice and differences in maternal voice,” she said.

“Some women were napping prior to asking them to read aloud from a passage – these foetuses showed a brief startle to onset of maternal voice,” she said.

Voegtline said the heart rate of foetuses lowered and movement stopped when mothers switched from chatting to reading aloud, the ‘Herald Sun’ reported. “The near-term foetus has a mature auditory system that reliably detects and responds to sound,” she said.

The researchers concluded a mother’s voice “shapes auditory learning in utero with implications for postnatal recognition of, and preference for, the maternal voice”. The study was published in the Infant Behaviour and Development journal.

RECENT STORIES

4 Reasons Why Hing Should Be Included In Your Food

4 Reasons Why Hing Should Be Included In Your Food

Mumbai Medical Miracle: Stem Cell Therapy Helps 17-Year-Old Overcome PCOS, Hormonal Imbalance

Mumbai Medical Miracle: Stem Cell Therapy Helps 17-Year-Old Overcome PCOS, Hormonal Imbalance

In The Heat Of Motherhood: How India’s Pregnant Women Struggled Through Rising Temperatures

In The Heat Of Motherhood: How India’s Pregnant Women Struggled Through Rising Temperatures

Mumbai Monsoon: Brain-Infecting Tapeworm On The Rise; Know Symptoms, Prevention Tips

Mumbai Monsoon: Brain-Infecting Tapeworm On The Rise; Know Symptoms, Prevention Tips

World Hepatitis Day 2025: All You Need To Know About Viral Hepatitis Disease

World Hepatitis Day 2025: All You Need To Know About Viral Hepatitis Disease