cognitive development

Will Garbh Sanskar and pregnancy actually make the baby smarter? Did Abhimanyu, Prahlada, Hanuman, and Ashtavakra really learn from stories they heard in the womb? Believe it or not, babies can hear, imbibe, and learn in some unusual ways while in the womb, and what they receive as inputs has a powerful role in shaping their minds and temperaments. The fundamental principle underlying Garbh Sanskar practices, which means education in the womb, is that the unborn baby is able to sense, feel, listen, dream, and respond to outside stimuli and environments like thoughts and feelings of the mother, music, and parents talking to it. In this article, you will know if these claims are true or not. If music has any benefits beyond general relaxation for mom and baby. The Role of Hormones in Fetal Brain Development Did you know that more than 60 percent of a baby’s brain development happens in the womb? What directly affects it is hormonal bathing or the shower of hormones that the mom’s body releases. Now, is it the shower of stress hormones like cortisol or the good hormones generated by happiness like serotonin and dopamine? That’s what makes the difference. Garbh Sanskar activities like Garbh Samvad (talking to the baby), reading or listening to scriptures or stories that teach good values, listening to calming music, engaging in pregnancy yoga practices, and pranayama (breathing exercises) have been found to create a shower of happy hormones in the womb. A study has proven that if the mother is depressed during pregnancy, the baby also acquires a tendency for depression. A simple Garbh Sanskar recommendation, the Bhramari Pranayama, fills the mother with resonance and harmony. The “Om” sound released in the body boosts the production of nitric oxide, calming the mother and helping the baby’s cells build peaceful paths with each other. Impact of Stress on Maternal Health and Baby Development Another study shows that cortisol, a bad hormone with damaging effects on the brain, reaches the unborn baby when the mother is a victim of abuse and/or is stressed over a long period. This cortisol can cross the placenta when a pregnant woman is under a high degree of stress and affects the baby’s brain development, specifically memory. In addition, stressed mothers are more susceptible to infection and illness during pregnancy, alongside risks of preterm labor, preterm delivery, low infant birth weight, pre-eclampsia, and gestational diabetes. Traditional Practices for Pregnancy Wellness – Garbh Sanskar Yog Nidra meditation, as recommended by Garbh Sanskar, can calm the mind and also cure mild pregnancy edema. It helps cope with the increasing tiredness of the last months of pregnancy. Postnatally, Yog Nidra gives relaxation despite the sleepless nights with the newborn baby. Studies show that it reduces stress and postnatal depression and increases the production of breast milk. According to a Harvard study, unborn infants respond to more than just physical touch—they respond to their mother’s emotional state as well. It says that when mothers watch sad films, babies move less, but when a mother laughs, ultrasound images show that the baby is bouncing around happily. Another research has proven that the fetus can record much more detailed information than was previously taught and that the memory of the same remains intact even after birth. So, the pregnant woman should read good literature aloud to the baby. Read more, How To Make Your Baby Intelligent During Pregnancy and Beyond : The Proven Tips When Should Garbh Sanskar Begin? Garbh Sanskar’s “talk to baby” activities can start as early as 16 weeks of pregnancy. Mantra chanting (“Man” means mind and “Tra” means release) helps in keeping the energies flowing through the pregnant woman’s body, maintaining a state of resonance. It increases oxygen in her brain, reduces heart rate and blood pressure, and assists in creating calm brainwave activity. It helps prevent pregnancy-induced hypertension, gestational diabetes, and intrauterine growth retardation. Know the bonus: The resonance also reaches the baby’s brain and forms cell connections for growth. One study found that around 24 weeks, the babies developed specific preferences for music while in the womb. So now our question: does listening to music do anything more than calming the mom and baby? In a study, researchers studying pregnant women who listened to the Carnatic music of Kalyani Raga for 20 minutes each day found an improvement in the unborn baby’s reflexes, responses, movement, and mental stimulation. Classical music was growing the baby’s brain. Double Benefits for Mother and Baby – Garbh Sanskar Garbh Sanskar not only benefits the unborn baby but the mom as well. It not only inculcates positive thinking and attitude but also promotes overall physical well-being.  Every little effort the pregnant woman makes to connect with the baby with thoughts, mantras, pregnancy yoga classes, and stories from mythology works powerfully. Understanding Garbh Sanskar: The Basics Garbh Sanskar, you may have heard this word. What does it mean? “Garbh” means womb, and “Sanskar” means instilling values. So, instilling values in the unborn child is nothing but Garbh Sanskar. With just a few simple traditional practices and Garbh Sanskar activities, you can contribute to your child’s cognitive development, and it also helps the mother. So, there is a double benefit—to the mother and the baby. As we have discussed earlier, scientific research and evidence have proven that babies in the womb have an infinite capacity to grow their minds and senses by simple external stimulation. The baby is not an object inside; it is a live, kicking human in development. So, this is the right time to instill good values in your child. Connecting to Your Baby During Pregnancy Now, how does a pregnant woman connect to the baby using Garbh Sanskar practices? Let’s say you watched a web show today, and there was a lot of violence in it. Do you know the thoughts generated in your mind reached the baby promptly and impacted the baby as well? In Garbh Sanskar, we think about good things, we do things that increase happiness hormones, and they impact our baby directly. Garbh Sanskar tells us how to actually synchronize everything. A simple example: if