One of our organs, the ears, provides us with the sensation of hearing. The inner ear is crucial for us in attempting to balance our bodies, while sitting, standing, walking, and swirling around in this comfortable sac of amniotic fluid. I'm not able to hear at age two months gestation, but the organ of hearing has begun its complex growth and development. It won't be long before I begin practicing my listening skills. My father suggests we should all practice listening skills! I will develop a special affection for my mum's voice while I grow within her womb. Here are some interesting facts about this marvelous system.
At 4 to 5 weeks gestation there is evidence of the cochlear duct and endolymphatic duct. Separation of a ganglion is noted as well. At 6 to 7 weeks the auditory tube and primitive tympanic cavity form. The cochleae duct grows, the utricle and the endolymph duct and sac can be identified. At 7 to 8 weeks the cochlear duct forms a second loop, with 2 1/2 circles complete and the external auditory meatus is visible at this time. The external ear is visible at 8 to 10 weeks, then hair cells differentiate at 11 weeks, and neurites grow between 12 and 14 weeks. My fellow fetuses can hear and respond to sound at 26 weeks, and differentiate frequencies at 28 weeks.
At 5 to 6 months loud noises may result in an increase in my heart rate and an increase in my swallowing. The reduction in amniotic fluid could result in deafness. At 8 to 9 months I show a preference for my mum’s voice, and the voices of women over those of men. I prefer lullabies heard while in the womb, and after birth, I distinguish prose heard during the last 6 weeks of my mum’s pregnancy.
After my father completed medical training a case history was presented which described a family with limited financial resources, living conditions within the home were not good, and the mother was expecting another child. The father suffered from alcoholism and was often absent. To make matters worse, the pregnant mother contracted measles. When a vote was taken to recommend an abortion, most of the medical class voted in favor. The child was carried to term, and though Ludwig did develop deafness later in life, Beethoven gifted us with some beautiful music. My father read a Beethoven family history that suggested the cause of his deafness may not have been measles. The experts can not agree. Thankfully, his family chose life!
Some of my father’s friends object to his telling this story, because it is not one’s potential or fame that makes aborting a child such an evil act, but each person is precious in the eyes of God, no matter what their lot in life. Considering the sad circumstances of Beethoven’s environment, one could not have predicted his talent of producing beautiful musical compositions. We don’t know what the future holds, and my father and I feel we should err on the side of discretion, and give Life a chance!
My mother’s family, and to a lesser degree my father’s family, suffers from deafness, primarily related to aging. We take this opportunity to encourage everyone to do their best to protect their own ears, and shield your delicate organs of hearing from as much auditory trauma as possible. Enjoy Beethoven’s 5th, and other musical gifts provided by many artists throughout the centuries. We ask you to view the video prayer offered by Pope Francis for artists during August, 2017. Most of the artists featured are musicians. Use your ears to listen to the Prayer of St. Francis, as sung by the Westminster Abbey Choir, posted in the Prayer section of this website. The video featuring the choir is below the printed prayer. There is a beautiful, angelic descant at the very end. Enjoy!
Read more: www.ehd.org, www.wordsfromthewomb.com
With love,
Rose M. Bryo
“A man who governs his passions is master of his world. We must either command them or be enslaved by them. It is better to be a hammer than an anvil.”
— St. Dominic
Hammer, Anvil, Stirrup. Graphite Drawing on Paper by Rose M. Bryo