The development of hearing: from the belly to the first year of life

When do you start feeling a fetus in your belly? The sounds that come from the outside come in a very muffled way while those of the mother’s internal organs are very strong.

During pregnancy the first of the 5 senses to develop is hearing. This ability begins to develop as early as the 22nd day of pregnancy, very early!

Sounds arrive inside the belly differently from the ones we hear. But that doesn’t mean they can’t scare him. From ultrasound scans it has been seen that the 3-4 month old fetus covers its ears in case of very loud noises and heart beats slow down if it hears an unusual noise, as if it wanted to calm down and listen to understand what it is.

At 5 months, very loud sounds as well as making him jump can make his heart rate increase. In this phase it is not a fully developed sense, on the contrary, before the 6 months of pregnancy the sounds are mostly perceived as vibrations and therefore “heard” by tactile means.

After 6 months things change.

The fetus begins to hear sounds well but not only can it also remember them.

The sounds that come from the outside arrive in a very muffled way while those of the mother’s internal organs are very strong . For example, the heartbeat of the mother’s heart is perceived with an intensity of 70 decibels.

Even if it is a loud noise, the rhythmic beat has a relaxing effect on the baby, as does the mother’s voice that gets to know each other during pregnancy. The sound of the mother’s voice reaches him both from the outside and from the inside in the form of vibrations.

Mother’s singing is probably the sound that relaxes him the most . For this reason, mothers are advised to read aloud, sing and talk to the baby during pregnancy.

Hearing in the first year of life

A newborn baby is exposed to many new noises, some he recognizes, others are completely new and unexpected. He listens to them and reacts to them.

We can notice this because he rolls his eyes towards the origin of the sound and if this is strong and sudden he starts spreading his arms and fluttering his eyelids.

If he hears the noise while you are breastfeeding him, you will notice that he stops for a moment as if he were concentrating on listening and then returning to sucking.

According to the intensity of the sounds, therefore, the reactions are very different. When he hears the human voice (which is about 50 db) his heartbeat changes rhythm. If it’s a voice that knows the heartbeat well, it slows down, because it’s reassured by its presence. If it’s a new voice, the heartbeat accelerates. If she hears a truck go by that makes 100 decibels, she moves her arms and legs.

Then there are repetitive, moderate and familiar sounds that have a calming effect. For this reason, lullabies that are soft and repetitive soothe babies.

Children’s reactions to sound according to age

• at 3 months he turns his head and eyes towards the source of the sound
• at 5 months he turns his head and lowers it if the sound source comes from below
• at 6 months he turns his head and lifts it if sound comes from above him
• at 8 months, looks towards the source of the sound

In this way, he gradually first learns to understand where the sound comes from and to recognize it verbally, then he understands and elaborates the type of sound and reproduces it more in language.