Lullabies Help Keep Preterm Babies Alive: Study

Premature babies born before 37 weeks are more vulnerable compared to full term babies and require special care and treatment. Preemies not only have feeding problems but also find it difficult to breathe easily and it is very difficult to soothe them.

But a new study highlights that lullabies that have been used since time immemorial to soothe kids, can deliver health advantages to vulnerable preemies.

The new study conducted by Dr. Jeffery Perlman, chief of newborn medicine at New York-Presbyterian, Komansky Center for Children's Health, discovered that playing gentle soothing music slows down the heart rate of the preemies and also improves their sleep and feeding behavior. This helps the fragile babies to increase their weight and recover at a faster rate.

Prior to this, a study published in the Journal of American Academy of Pediatric under the support of the Beth Israel Medical Center in New York had discovered that different types of music play different roles. The study researchers noticed that therapeutically designed live sounds and parent preferred lullabies influence cardiac and respiratory function. It was observed that music improved preemies' vital signs, feeding behavior and promoted prolonged periods of quiet alert states, reports ABC News.

Music also helps to overcome the relentless beeping sounds of monitors in the neonatal intensive care units.

In 2011, a study led by Jayne M. Standley of the National Institute for Infant and Child Medical Music Therapy at Florida State University stated that those babies who listened to music and lullabies recovered at a faster rate and left the hospital earlier compared to those preemies who didn't receive music therapy. This study was published in the Arts in Psychotherapy.

Overall lullabies seem to strengthen the parent-child emotional bond.