1.

The Effects of Music Therapy on Premature Infants Edith Colato West Coast University

The Effects on Music Therapy on Premature Infants

Live singing or music therapy is beneficial to all beings. Music is such a universal concept yet so intimate and personal that it delivers to the premature infant as sense of security in the world which is essential to his or her health. The effects that live and classical music play on premature newborns links to weight gain, breathing regulation, social bonding, auditory development, and a soother which shortens neonatal intensive care unit stay. Many researchers agree that music provides the essential tools to help the underdeveloped infant adapt. Loewy(2013) affirms that a recent study shows that lullabies sung by the parents creates an atmosphere of security and assurance to the infant that simply cannot be mimicked by the neonatal intensive care unit. It creates an intimate relationship between parent and the infant which reduces the stress that the neonatal intensive care unit tends to create. The study highlights that the acoustic sound of the familiar voice tends to recreate a womb. The premature child associates rhythm with the mother's heartbeat as well as timbre with intrauterine fluid sounds. Shoemark (2011) affirms that in recent studies there is evidence that singing to a premature child provides a sort of bridge that connects the parent to the child. This bonding is essential for survival of the premature infant. The connecting of parents to child allows for the child to exercise healthy social association with the outside world. It also aids the infant to develop a sense of security and mental stability. Music provides the tools to help the underdeveloped infant develop the essentials he or she needs. According to Loewy, the rhythm of the song aids in the rhythmic motion of nipple suckling along with normalizing sleep cycles. Both contributing factors to weight gain. Just as a canoe paddles on the river effectively when its members all row at the constant rhythmic motion of a drum, the body works the same way. Since the premature infant listens to a constant rhythm, he or she will set a rhythm in the way his body works which will enable them to develop the rhythmic nipple sucking for normal feeding. This leads to weight gain. Loewy's study also shows that listening to the mother or father's voice when singing improves the premature babies' articulations as well as stabilizing the infant's breathing. As the child listens to the father or mother sing, he or she is developing his hearing. As time progresses, the premature infant will attempt to mimic the sound his parents make as they sing. This is the most affective way to develop auditory and vocal skills. As the child hears the parent sing and attempts to mimic, the effort involved in making the sounds forces the infant to exercise his or her lungs which strengthen the lungs as well as the diaphragm. One tends to put to sleep a child or stop a child's crying by means of singing or playing some relaxing music. Premature infants have that same reaction. Though Hodges(2010) says that music therapy test results play no direct significance on premature babies, he assures that it becomes a stabilizer for the premature infants if they tend to prolong the music to longer time periods. Though music cannot ever replace medicine, it becomes a catalyst. Haslbeck(2012) points out that a recent study shows that live singing to a premature infant actually was beneficial due to the sole reason it provided a form of relaxation for the infant which enhances the ability to react to its environment. When a body relaxes it reduces the levels of activity allowing the body to rest and repair itself resulting beneficial to the newborn. Plkki(2010) observes his recent study shows that music therapy can soothe the premature infants' pains and discomfort which shortens the length of stay in the NICU. When the premature child relaxes, the body allows itself to cut the level of activity resulting in the shortening of time of stay in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit , according to Wolf (2011). Wolf believes that the playing music during a procedure on a premature baby is an effective soother when undergoing pain. It is logical that when one endures pain one must relax to recuperate. Since it is difficult to soothe an infant, especially one undergoing pain, music relaxes the little one. Standley(2010) agrees that singing to a premature baby can shorten the length of stay in the NICU due to the relaxation effect it plays on the newborn

which relaxes the child rending time for the body to heal itself. In summation, there are many recent studies that point out the benefits of singing to one's premature newborn. These benefits are all linked together and overall brings comfort to both the parent and child which cannot be replicated by the NICU. Weight gain, breathing regulation, social bonding, auditory development, and soothing which shortens Neonatal Intensive Care Unit stay are all the benefits that come from singing to a premature infant. While there is evidence of beneficial outcomes from music therapy for premature infants, one must always keep in mind that music-- as Hodge would agree-cannot be considered a sole substitute for medical technology but rather just a catalyst for recuperation.

References Haslbeck, F. B. (2012, Mar 13). Music therapy for premature infants and their parents: an integrative review. Nordic Journal of Music Therapy. 21(3), Retrieved Jul 27, 2013, from Taylor & Francis Hodges, A. L. (2010, Sep 1). EFFECTS OF MUSIC THERAPY ON PRETERM INFANTS IN THE NEONATAL Intensive Care Unit. Alternative Therapies in Health & Medicine. 16(6), Retrieved Jul 27, 2013, from Search Premier Loewy, J.. (2013, May 1). The effects of Music Therapy on Vital Signs, Feeding, and Sleep in Premature Infants. American Academy of Pediatrics. 131(5), 902 -918. Retrieved Jul 28, 2013, from pediatrics digest Plkki, T.. (2012,). The effectiveness of music on pain among preterm infants in the neonatal intensive care unit: a syst. JBI Library of Systematic Reviews. 10(58), 4600 -4609. Retrieved Jul 29, 2013, from Search Premier Shoemark, H.. (2012, Jul 1). Music therapy with hospitalized infants-the art and science of communicative musicality. Infant Mental Health Journal. 33(4), 386-399. Retrieved Jul 23, 2013, from http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=3f87e0b1-0462-40cfbbe2-8 Standley, J. M. (2010, Jun). The Effect of Music Reinforcement for Non-Nutritive Sucking on Nipple Feeding Of Premature Infants.. Pediatric Nursing. 36(3), Retrieved Jul 27, 2013, from Academic Search Premier Wolf, L.. (2011, Aug). MUSIC AND HEALTH CARE. Musical Connections Program of Carnegie Halls W. 22-. Retrieved Jul 29, 2013, from Search Premier