A Brief Timeline of Fetal Development Milestones

Congratulations on your pregnancy! Very few things in life can match the joy of becoming a mother.

By now, you’re probably already going over potential names or looking at clothes and toys for the future bundle of joy. Before you start picking them out, however, here are a few dates you should keep in mind, as they will definitely help you make your naming decisions and the like much easier:

12 weeks

Rejoice, as week 12 typically marks the end of morning sickness. More importantly, though, is the fact that once you reach the 12^th week, the chances of having a miscarriage take a significant plunge.

18 weeks

Once you reach the 18th week, an ultrasound scan may already be able to detect the gender of your child. Undoubtedly, this would make it easier to narrow down your list of names and choice of clothes for your child. At this point, you may also notice your baby kick, flex his/her fingers, or mimic the motions of breathing.

23 weeks

If you believe in using prenatal music to help aid the brain development of your child, week 23 is the ideal time to start. By this time, the baby’s hearing is almost fully developed, enabling him or her to differentiate sounds.

37 weeks

Your doctor will inform you that your baby is now full-term, meaning that the body is primarily fully-developed. At this stage, you can give birth at any time, so keep an overnight bag packed and ready.

Hearing in Utero

Nine months of pregnancy puts the expectant mother on alert mode as she works to nourish her child during the period. Some maternity specialists claim that the baby can start reacting to various sounds as early as 5 to 6 months. Still, it pays to know what the fetus actually hears while inside the mother’s tummy.

Fetuses start developing audio perception capabilities at 20 weeks old, with the ears completing its structural development in 24 weeks. Studies have shown that an environment with a sound level quieter than 70 decibels is optimal for the baby’s relaxation and eases the mother’s stress. However, sudden loud noises, such as a slamming door or a nearby explosion, may trigger strenuous movements in the child. At the same time, the internal sounds in the body, such as the mother’s heartbeat, may seem too loud for him or her.

The voices of the parents, on the other hand, help provide a calming effect on the fetus. Even if the baby cannot actually recognize words, the tone and speech patterns create the positive effect on him or her. Some pediatricians claim that a lack of aural stimulation hampers certain elements of the baby’s development; thus, the importance of the mother striking a balance between nurturing in a secure environment and going out to experience natural surroundings and talking to the baby about them. 

Three Important Things to Consider when Playing Music for Baby in Womb

Since mothers want their babies to grow up healthy and smart, they obtain comprehensive prenatal care services for a trouble-free pregnancy. Some also play music for baby in the womb with the hope of promoting their child’s mental development. The Washington Post writer Meeri Kim reports on a research’s findings that babies in utero do recognize the music played by their expectant moms. Playing music for in-utero babies is nothing new. In fact, doing so is commonplace that even a popular media management software offers several albums designed specifically for that purpose. Moms-to-be who intend to follow this practice, however, must take into account three critical points first.
http://blog.babyplus.com/three-important-things-consider-playing-music-baby-womb/

Music for Baby in the Womb: Soothing Your Mind and Guiding His Growth

Mothers would be happy to know that prenatal music not only soothes their baby, but also relieves undue stress throughout their pregnancy. Of course, when they are stressed, their body produces hormones called glucocorticoids, which could cross over through the placenta into the baby, potentially affecting the growth of his or her heart and liver. Prenatal rhythms from sources like BabyPlus can help make the child grow up to be the best he or she can be. With a child’s physical, mental and emotional development at stake, it’s only fair that mothers play soothing music for babies in their womb to ensure a more balanced development in their children.
http://blog.babyplus.com/music-baby-womb-soothing-mind-guiding-growth/

Prenatal Music for Your Baby: Taking Full Advantage of its Benefits

As to when you should start using a trusted prenatal sound system like the BabyPlus Prenatal Educational System, experts say your 18th week is the recommended time. By this time, the baby’s hearing is almost fully developed, enabling him or her to differentiate sounds. In terms of actually listening to music, there is no right or wrong time to listen to music. However, the best time to do so would be when you are taking the time to rest as well. During this time, your baby is less exposed to cortisol (stress hormone), allowing them to associate the music with more pleasant feelings.
http://blog.babyplus.com/prenatal-music-baby-taking-full-advantage-benefits/

Early Child Development Stages: Advantage of Prenatal Aural Stimuli

"Remember, though, that the use of the system is optimal beginning when you are halfway through your pregnancy, as your child’s ears would be almost fully developed by then. Effective use of prenatal audio programs is seen to make a difference later during the infant development phase. Hughes says the music helps generate more stimuli in the brain from the baby’s response to gentler sounds. In turn, the increased brain stimulation could lead to better cognitive and motor skills for the baby, and to early-than-normal manifestations of language capabilities."
http://blog.babyplus.com/early-child-development-stages-advantage-prenatal-aural-stimuli/

Revolutionary Child Development Stages Brand Ties Up with Magazine

"Fishers, Indiana (May 27, 2014) – BabyPlus Prenatal Education System, a firm advocate in advancing prenatal child development stages in the womb, is launching its partnership with Pregnancy & Newborn Magazine. Moms who join the promo get a rare chance to win VIP Celebrity Baby Gift Baskets, which include BabyPlus, given to Hollywood A-lister moms like Jennifer Love Hewitt, Olivia Wilde, Gwen Stefani and Kerry Washington. To sign up for the promo, moms need to fill out an online form found in the magazine’s website. The gift packs contain the BabyPlus system, a patented learning method especially designed to augment and develop babies’ cognitive functions in several ways. The revolutionary system utilizes natural sounds customized to the prenatal developmental stages, making babies familiar with the sound and their brains properly stimulated. In a way, babies are offered audio lessons of sonic sounds similar to the soothing rhythm of their mothers’ heartbeat."
http://blog.babyplus.com/revolutionary-child-development-stages-brand-ties-magazine/