Maternity .net » blood pressure http://www.maternity.net Maternity news, pregnancy essays, product reviews and motherhood community Sun, 29 Aug 2010 18:44:52 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc Music, Pregnancy, Preemies, and Healing http://www.maternity.net/2008/music-pregnancy-preemies-and-healing/ http://www.maternity.net/2008/music-pregnancy-preemies-and-healing/#comments Mon, 15 Dec 2008 19:53:39 +0000 dena http://www.maternity.net/?p=450 I found a really interesting blog today, which I’ll have to go back to and look over more thoroughly when I have the time!  But just to kindle your interest (as it did mine!)…the focus of Pregnancy and Preemies blog is on “using music to heal and bond with your infant and to document the proven effects of music in these situations.”

Singing lullabies to your baby is one of the most natural things a mother does.  However, sometimes, people tend to underestimate the power of simple things.  In this case, the research is there:  singing to your baby, both before and after birth, creates a bond that is the foundation of healthy relationships…  The research documents that lullabies:

  1. Create a sonic bond of love and caring, even before birth

  2. Ensure that baby comes into world knowing mother’s voice and associating that with being loved and cared for

With preemies, this is even more critical.
Amazingly, when Mom sings to baby the effect is:

  1. Stabilized blood pressure

  2. Stabilized body temperature

  3. Stabilized pulse and heart rate

Resulting in:

  1. Less time in NICU

  2. Faster weight gain

  3. Healthier baby at discharge from NICU

The blogger, Dr. Alice Cash, trained as a classical, concert pianist who stepped into the world of music as medicine in 1990.  Now working as a clinical musicologist, she is the mother of three daughters, all of whom heard these lullabies before and after birth.  All three are now professional musicians or artists!

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