A little less than 170 pregnant women took part in the study of pundits from the University of Milan. They were divided into two groups. Participants of the first, a few months before giving birth, began to sing lullabies to their future babies. And, in fact, they continued to do this when the crumbs were born. Women from the second group were carrying children … no, of course, not in complete silence, but without songs – that’s for sure.
The second part of the experiment began when the babies were born. Scientists wondered how long they would cry. It turned out that lullabies work! During the day, the loudness of those who were not soothed in the stomach with gentle songs was about ten percent higher than that of the “singing group” (18,5 versus 28,2 percent).
But scientists would not be scientists if they did not take into account various aspects in their research. Including the one when even the calmest baby will sob overnight. Remember what intestinal colic is in crumbs? And – lo and behold, even in such extreme cases, the kids from the “silent” group cried a quarter more often and harder than those to whom they sang.
“Lullabies even before childbirth are one of the best ways to give birth to a happy baby,” the scientists concluded.
But that’s not all. According to a study published in Women and Birth magazine, prenatal lullabies make the bond between mom and baby stronger. If you measure it on a special scale (yes, there is one!), Then the “singing” group will have an indicator of 1,96 with an average value of 1,28.
“Lullabies will not only positively affect the mood and behavior of the newborn, but also reduce the level of maternal stress,” the researchers added.