Music to My Ears: A Material-semiotic Analysis of Fetal Heart Sounds in Midwifery Prenatal Care

Abstract

Unlike sonographic examinations, sonic fetal heartbeat monitoring has received relatively little attention from scholars in the social sciences. Using the case of fetal heartbeat monitoring as part of midwifery prenatal care in Germany, this contribution introduces music as an analytical tool for exploring the aesthetic dimensions of obstetrical surveillance practices. Based on ethnographic stories, three orchestrations are compared in which three different instruments help audiences to listen to what becomes fetal heartbeat music and to qualify fetal and pregnant lives in relation to each other. In the Doppler-based orchestration, audible heartbeat music is taken as a sign of a child in need of parental love and care cultivated to listen. The Pinard horn makes esoteric fetal music that can be appreciated by the midwife as a skilled instrumentalist alone and helps to enact a child hidden in the belly. The cardiotocograph brings about soothing music and a reassuring relationship with a child but also durable scripts of juridical beauty. This material-semiotic analysis amplifies how well-being is shaped in midwifery prenatal care practices.

When Traditional and Modern Culture Collide: Analysis of "Lathi" Song

“…Moreover, the conclusion was that myth and music open new perspectives. Skeide (2021), in "Music to My Ears: A Material-semiotic Analysis of Fetal Heart Sounds in Midwifery Prenatal Care," analyzed that three orchestrations are compared based on ethnographic experiences. In which three different instruments assist audiences in listening to what becomes fetal heartbeat music and qualifying fetal and pregnant life in connection to one another.…”

The Sound of Ultrasound: How Fetal Monitor Users Listen to Doppler Sounds

“…The result is a sonification of the inaudible ultrasound signal: what is known as the "Doppler sound." In this way, everyone in the space -including the mother -can listen to the heartbeat, which was not possible with fetoscopes or Pinards [1,2].…”

“…A review of the academic literature revealed only the basics. The Doppler sound is primarily used to listen for fetal heart rate (FHR), blood flow through the heart valves, and must have the ability to distinguish fetal heart sounds from the sounds of the mother's organs, motion of the transducer, and other "noise" [2][3][4][5][6][7]. Moreover, midwives may have unique sensitivities to the mothers they work with -as compared to medical practitioners -because of their emphasis on emotional, and social connections [8,9].…”

“…Mdoe et al [1] and Skeide [2] both point out that a benefit of Doppler sound is that the midwife and mother (and other family members) share the listening experience, and thus the emotional connection with the fetus. Per Howes-Mischel [8], hearing the heartbeat together can humanize the fetus as a baby.…”