Can a baby remember from the womb?

Question

I believe they can. Anyone agree? I had a fave song when I was pregnant with my first and I played and sang it many times (I can't stop this feeling - Ally McBeal soundtrack) After baby was born then it was a song he responded to immediately. If he was crying or unsettled, he only had to hear the first few beats and he settled immediately. It was quite a soothing song.I don't know if a rowdier song would have had the same soothing effect. Anyone else had a simlilar experience or am I just imaging it?

And no comments about my taste in music, please!!

And I never got a chance to try it out with the next two as I didn't have the came peace and quiet to focus on a song so it was a one off for me.

I don't mean to mislead - it was when he was born, not still 7 years on. It lasted for the best part of 10 months. And I didn't mean him remembering his birth either.

Answer 1

i believe that they can remember!! same is true about my second daughter. i would always listen to Sara Evans song.. "AND I COULD NOT ASK FOR MORE" when i was pregnant with her, and still to this day, when she lays down and night and she is having a hard time getting to sleep, i play it and she is out by the time the song is over!! she just turned 3 on sept. 16..

Answer 2

When I was pregnant I watched Doctors every afternoon. Now, this isn't the kind of programme a child usually gets into, but after she was born she *loved* it. At the age of 2 or 3 she was asking to watch it, and got in a serious sulk when, on the last day before she started school, someone came round and disturbed her last viewing of it!

Also, because I was sick all the time during pregnancy, I ate a lot of mints and hence don't really like 'em anymore. My daughter has always had a GREAT passion for minty things. At 10 months old and after a really bad stomach bug, she managed to liberate a box of After Eights from off the table, which was no mean feat considering she was tiny and the box was waaay out of reach...

When I find my Savage Garden CD I'll try that out on her. I listened to a lot of SG at the time. I was very depressed. LOL

Answer 3

Honestly, I have never heard that they can remember from the womb. I would assume they can't remember because their brains are still developing as fetuses and the long term memory part of their brain is not working properly until they are 3-5 years old. Hence why a 6 year old can't remember when he was 2. But maybe their short term memory works functionally and if you played the song right before birth, he may remember it immediately after birth.

Answer 4

There actually was a study into this, and also the effects of music on an unborn child. In this mothers who were 5 months or more pregnant were asked to sit for half-an-hour listening to a favourite song. After the births the babies were then played similar types of song to the one their mothers listened to, matched for length, style and tempo. The babies showed more response at a week old to the similar songs than to non-similar songs of the same artist and style.
So it is likely your song choice has had an effect somehow.

Answer 5

They can recognize sounds like music and voices that they heard repeatedly throughout pregnancy. I saw a program once on TLC about it. There has been tons of research that proves exactly what you are saying. It is mostly the rythm that they recognize. That is why a baby knows its mothers voice so well. They have heard it since before they were born and remember the rythm of it. You're not crazy - you're right!

Answer 6

Babies can remember certain things that they have heard while they were in the womb like the sound of their mother/father, i also believe that means that they can remember music that has been played over and over again while you were pregnant.

When i was pregnant with my son i had a couple of songs that i used to play to him all the time and when he was born and irrate and i used to play the songs to him it wouldnt instantly calm him.
A friend of mine also tried this with a musical jewellery box while she was pregnant and it had the same effect

Answer 7

Have found this info!!!!

Unborn babies can hear clearly at about 20 weeks of pregnancy and research suggests they will remember the music you have played up to the age of 12 months.

The Sheepdrove Trust, based in Berkshire, said a study of premature infants found they were soothed by music: "These babies were clearly distressed, and showed it in their behaviour, their facial expressions of pain and an increase in their heart rate.

They quickly regained their normal facial expression and behaviour more quickly, and their heart rate returned to normal more quickly, if music was played to them."

Answer 8

Maybe they don't exactly remember where or when they've heard it (no one thinks "oh! i remember this from the time i was in my mom's womb, great song!", but it surely isn't forgotten. It's like you know you're familiar with it, but can't figure out why.

lol, cute comment you made about no commenting about your taste in music... who cares if people judge anyway, whatever makes you happy is all that matters ;)

Answer 9

I bet they can because they remember your voice and sometimes the fathers voice. That's awesome, I am now 5-6 weeks pregnant and am going to do that with my baby♥

Answer 10

i watched something on tlc not long ago about unborn babies in the womb. and they can hear inside the womb that is how they know your voice, and when they hear it shortly after birth they calm down. maybe the same goes with music too. maybe they heard it so much that it is as natural to them as your own voice. i don't know but i know i played alot of barney music when i was pregnant with my 2nd one. ( 1st one love barney ) and when we came home my oldest wanted to watch barney and the baby was cranky but as soon as i put barney in she went quite and i guess you'd say listen to him and was peaceful. i really don't think anyone will know for sure. but it sound kinda right to me.