From Womb to World
Research type
Research Study
Full title
From Womb to World: Creating Womb-Like Environments for Preterm Language Development
IRAS ID
367689
Contact name
Nayeli Gonzalez-Gomez
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Oxford Brookes University
ISRCTN Number
ISRCTN94815142
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
HST.NHSS.26.2, WORKTRIBE 949487
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 5 months, 31 days
Research summary
Each year, many babies are born prematurely (before 37 weeks of pregnancy). Babies born early are at higher risk of later difficulties, particularly with language development.
During pregnancy, babies begin to hear sounds from around 25 weeks. Inside the womb, sounds are naturally softened and filtered by the mother’s body. This means that babies mainly hear the rhythm and melody of speech, rather than clear individual words or sounds. Hearing these speech patterns before birth helps prepare babies’ brains for learning language after they are born.
Babies who are born too early miss out on some or all of this important listening experience. Instead, they spend their early weeks or months in a Neonatal Care Unit (NCU), where they are exposed to medical noises such as alarms and equipment, and much less of the familiar speech and body sounds they would normally hear in the womb. Previous research has shown that preterm babies can show early delays in recognising speech rhythm and melody, which may contribute to later language difficulties.
This study aims to find out whether creating a womb-like sound environment in the NCU can support early language development in preterm infants. We will create a gentle acoustic environment that includes recordings of the baby’s parents’ voices and sounds similar to those heard in the womb.
We will compare the language development of preterm babies who experience this womb-like sound environment with preterm babies receiving standard neonatal care, as well as with babies born full-term. Babies’ language and cognitive development will be followed during their first year of life.
If successful, this research could help improve early language outcomes for preterm infants and inform future neonatal care practices, supporting babies’ development from the very earliest stages of life.
REC name
East Midlands - Derby Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
26/EM/0053
Date of REC Opinion
6 Mar 2026
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion