Before a baby sees a face, before tiny fingers wrap around a parent's hand, before the first cry fills a room, there is sound.

A heartbeat. A mother's voice. A prayer whispered at dawn. A song playing softly during a long drive.

For many mothers, pregnancy is filled with moments that cannot be explained by scans, measurements or medical reports alone. There are little experiences that stay in the heart forever. A sudden kick during a favourite song. A gentle flutter when a familiar chant begins. A feeling that someone, hidden away from the world, is already listening.

On World Music Day, these stories remind us that music is perhaps one of the earliest forms of connection between a mother and her child.

A conversation without words

Dr. Ashwini Anilkumar, Founder of Anvita Ayurveda explains that the idea is deeply rooted in the concept of Garbhasanskar.

"Garbhasanskar simply means educating and nurturing your baby right inside the womb. It is an ancient Indian belief, now supported by modern scientific understanding, that a baby can hear, feel and learn from the outside world through the mother."

A baby's hearing begins to develop around the 20th week of pregnancy. As the weeks pass, sounds from the outside world gradually become more familiar. While the mother's heartbeat remains the most constant rhythm, babies can also respond to voices, music and recurring sounds.

"Music is one of the easiest ways to practice Garbhasanskar. Gentle melodies stimulate the baby's growing brain cells and may support memory, listening skills and future learning ability. More importantly, listening to music together helps create a strong emotional bond between mother and baby. There are also certain ragas that are traditionally recommended during pregnancy," says Dr. Ashwini.

For many mothers, that bond often reveals itself through movement.

A kick.

A stretch.

A tiny reminder that someone is listening.

"I woke up every morning just to feel him move"

One mother still remembers her pregnancy with twins through the music-filled mornings she eagerly waited for every day.

"I used to attend Garbhasanskar sessions from 7 am to 8 am. We would listen to mantras, chant together and then move on to yoga asanas. Because of my pregnancy, I had restrictions on certain movements, but I never wanted to miss those sessions."

The classes would end with relaxation exercises accompanied by soothing music.

"My baby on the right side, Krish, was generally active and moved around a lot. But my baby on the left side, Yash, had an inward position and didn't show significant movements most of the time. Doctors assured me that everything was normal."

Then something unexpected began to happen.

"Whenever I sat down for yoga or meditation, especially during the chanting and music sessions, Yash would suddenly start moving and kicking. It became something I looked forward to every single day. Just to feel him move, I would wake up early and join the sessions whenever I could."

Years later, she still remembers those moments not as exercises or classes, but as conversations.

The kind that happened without words. The song that stayed with a baby.

For another mother, music became a memory that seemed to travel beyond birth.

Fathima, laughs when she recalls the song that her unborn baby appeared to adore.

"During my first pregnancy, there was one song that kept playing everywhere. It was 'Selfie Pulla' from the Tamil film Kaththi. We were travelling a lot at the time, and during long drives, the song would come on repeatedly."

At first, she thought it was a coincidence.

"Every time the song played, my baby would react. There would be movement, little kicks, almost as if there was excitement. It happened so often that my family began noticing it too."

Curiosity soon turned into an experiment.

"Sometimes, when everything was calm and there was no movement, we would randomly play the song. Almost every time, there would be a response. It became our little game during pregnancy."

What surprised her even more came after the baby was born.

"Months later, whenever that same song played on television, on the radio or somewhere outside, my baby would immediately become alert. I can't explain it scientifically, but it made me realise that babies are listening long before we think they are.”

What mothers feel

“For me, some of my fondest pregnancy memories are tied to Malayalam lullabies,” says Sujana Surendran, who now lives in the United States. Far from home, songs like Unni Vavavo brought her comfort and, she believes, calmed her unborn child.

“After my son was born, Unni Vavavo would instantly soothe him,” she says. “It felt like the song stayed with him from the womb.”

The experience strengthened her belief that “motherhood begins long before birth.”

Perhaps that is why these moments stay with mothers for years.

A kick during a song. A gentle movement during meditation. A familiar melody that seems to draw a response from within.

In those fleeting moments, music becomes more than sound. It becomes reassurance, companionship and a quiet reminder that a bond is already taking shape, long before mother and child meet face to face.