I began reading to my DD each night while she was in the womb, and I always began by saying her name twice, in a particular, sing-song way... We were still in the delivery room... I said her name in that sing-song way. She immediately stopped wailing, and locked her eyes on mine. I was rocking her back and forth, and as she moved, her eyes moved to stay with me. I had read that she shouldn't be able to track moving objects with her eyes for weeks, so that was a shocker.
Yes! This is also supported by research - a baby's development of neural pathways in the brain can be fueled when people talk to and read to the baby.
DOE archive,
Read With Me.
NPR article,
Baby Talk (Hart & Risley).
There are huge potential personal and societal benefits when parents choose to interact with their babies in this way, even pre-born.