“Playing music to premature babies ‘helps them sleep and improves their breathing’,” is the headline in the Daily Mail about research into the effects of ‘music therapy’ on premature babies.

Being born premature could be traumatic as the baby is separated from the sound of the mother’s heartbeat as well as additional sounds that they were accustomed to. The study also suggest that then sudden plunge into a noisy environment of a Neo-natal care unit was traumatic for premature babies. 

They investigated three types of live music therapy, administered with the help of a certified music therapist:

• Lullaby or any other song chosen by the parent that was modified to be like a lullaby, preferably sung by a parent
• Music designed to replicate womb sounds
• The sound of the human heartbeat

What was observed was:

• Lower heart rates
• Calmer breathing
• Improved feeding
• Better sleep patterns
• Decreased stress levels on the parents

Music therapy appears to have an all-round positive effect on a premature baby as well as parents.

[1] Loewy J et al. The effects of music therapy on vital signs, feeding, and sleep in premature infants. Pediatrics 2013;131(5):902-18