Prenatal Listening (for expectant Mums)

'For the sake of our children, let us educate them from the cradle to have a noble mind, a high sense of values and splendid ability.'​Shinichi Suzuki
Dr Suzuki told the story of Hiromi (Nurtured by Love, 2012, p.11), who had been exposed prenatally to the Vivaldi A minor violin concerto that her older sister was listening to and playing daily. From birth, she would come to every one of her sister’s lessons. At five months, Dr. Suzuki noticed that when he played Bach to her, a piece she was hearing for the first time, her eyes shone. However, when he played the Vivaldi A minor to her, she smiled, laughed and moved her body to the rhythm as if to say, ‘That’s my music!’ She clearly recognised the piece, communicating her delight and indicating the presence of a well-formed auditory memory.

Both Dr Suzuki’s story, and much subsequent research, tells us that babies are able to recognise and actually prefer a particular piece of music, a song or a story that has been played, sung or read to them every day in the womb - especially in the last few months' gestation.
The Suzuki Prenatal Listening Program encourages parents in the last trimester of pregnancy to choose one appealing piece of music, of about 5 minutes’ duration, that represents the resting heartbeat of the mother and to listen to it every day before birth. This is emphasised because we know that the ear is the first organ to be fully developed at birth, and that the sounds of the maternal heartbeat have a calming effect on the foetus, thereby improving general physical and emotional health.

Expectant mothers are also encouraged to play their chosen piece during labour if possible, and/or as soon as they can once the baby is born. This music then becomes a means of settling and fostering feelings of comfort and bonding in the months after birth.

If you are interested in finding out more about our Suzuki Prenatal Listening program, please contact us. You may be interested in visiting a Baby/Toddler Music class before baby arrives, to see if it might be something you'd like to try with your newborn as soon as possible after birth.

For women expecting a baby, and interested in finding out more about the services of a Doula and the benefits of music and song before, during, and after birth, contact:
Tamsin Johnson
Birth & Post Natal Doula Services
www.tamsinjohnsondoula.com.au
0413 355 866