Babypod: Vagina speakers allow pregnant women to play music to their unborn babies

Foetuses babies are proven to respond to music

(BabyPod)

As if there wasn’t already enough to buy as an expectant parent – from prams to potties – a device has landed on the market which plays music into the womb from inside the vagina.

Inspired by studies which show that foetuses respond to speaking and singing in the womb, a Spanish firm has invented Babypod.

The creators say that music can benefit the developing human brain, including stimulating future learning and social communication.

The product was used as part of a study carried out on 100 pregnant women by the Institut Marques fertility clinic in the Spanish city of Barcelona. Researchers found that babies can hear from week sixteen in the womb - rather than the 26th - and react to musical stimuli by moving their mouths and tongues.

To make their findings, researchers played music over a mother’s abdomen through a headset. The sound played was set at 98.6 decibels – the equivalent to the sound of a lawn mower.

The babies did not react to the music – however, they did respond when Babypod was used to emit 54 decibels, or the equivalent to a conversation in hushed tones.

Many “prenatal speakers” are available on the market, however BabyPod is believed to be the first intravaginal audio device.

Mothers use the device by inserting a small pink speaker into their vagina and controlling it using a phone app.

The company recommends 10 to 20minuteof use from 16^th week of pregnancy.

However, mothers interested in the product will have to dig deep into their pockets, as sets start at £110.