Can I listen to music while pregnant?
In general, listening to music during pregnancy can provide various benefits for pregnant women. Besides being able to relieve anxiety, listening to music also makes pregnant women more relaxed and calm during pregnancy. The rhythm of music is known to affect the thoughts and moods of everyone who listens to it, including pregnant women. Hormonal changes experienced by pregnant women during pregnancy cause various complaints, including anxiety and unstable moods. Not even a few people think that listening to music during pregnancy is good for fetal development. In fact, it is not uncommon to think that one particular type of music can make the fetus smarter in the future. But until now, experts have not been able to prove that listening to music on the fetus can make it smarter/smarter. However, listening to music during pregnancy can provide various benefits for pregnant women, including the following; 1. Overcoming complaints when it's hard to sleep The combination of rhythm and lyrics in music can relax the body and mind of pregnant women. A study revealed that pregnant women who listened to music for 4 consecutive weeks had better sleep quality than those who didn't listen to music at all. This research proves that music can overcome complaints of sleeplessness experienced by pregnant women. 2. Maintain blood pressure stability The relaxation produced when listening to music makes the blood pressure of pregnant women more stable. This effect can also prevent pregnant women from pregnancy complications that can occur due to high blood pressure and one of them is preeclampsia. If not treated immediately, preeclampsia can develop into eclampsia which is dangerous and can cause death, both for the mother and the fetus. 3. Relieve stress and anxiety The process of pregnancy often causes stress and anxiety, especially for women who are pregnant for the first time. Stress can increase the risk of premature birth and low birth weight. Not only that, stress or even depression felt by pregnant women can also have an impact on the baby at birth later, such as increasing the risk of children getting ADHD and even having an impact on their cognitive development. Listening to music can be a solution for pregnant women to deal with stress during pregnancy. Studies reveal that listening to slow and soft rhythmic music can reduce stress, anxiety, and depression in pregnant women. 4. Reducing pain during pregnancy Apart from stabilizing blood pressure, the relaxing effect of listening to music can also relieve pain that often occurs during pregnancy, both back pain, stomach pain, and headaches. This can happen because the body naturally produces endorphins or natural pain relievers, including when you listen to music you like.
Need to Pay Attention When Listening to Music to the Fetus The fetus, which is listened to songs at the end of pregnancy, can indeed react by moving its body. This justifies the possibility of the fetus being able to hear in the stomach. However, this does not prove that exposure to music since in the womb can improve the ability of the auditory system or brain development after the baby is born. In addition, not only classical music, but all music is good for the fetus to listen to. The recommended volume is around 50–60 decibels or not more than 65 decibels, which is the normal volume when speaking. If music is listened to for a longer time, the recommended volume is below 50 decibels. Several studies have revealed that noisy sounds that are played to the fetus for a long time can actually trigger premature birth, low body weight, and hearing loss in babies after birth. Although it hasn't been proven to increase baby's intelligence, listening to music for babies can help them get to know and interact.