Mom's voice may improve the health of premature babies

[Celebration]

Mom's Voice Helps Premature Babies

To conduct the study, Lahav enrolled fourteen extremely premature infants (born between 26-32 weeks gestation) that were admitted to the NICU at BWH. The infants were assigned to receive an auditory intervention of maternal sound stimulation (MSS), four times per day throughout their NICU hospitalization. Each infant received a personalized MSS—a soundtrack that consisted of his/her own mother's voice and heartbeat. The recording was played into the infant's incubator via a specialized micro audio system developed in Lahav's lab.

Overall, researchers found that cardiorespiratory events occurred at a much lower frequency when the infants were exposed to MSS versus to routine hospital noise and sounds. This effect was statistically significant in infants of 33 weeks gestation or older.

"Our findings are promising in showing that exposure to MSS could help preterm infants in the short-term by reducing cardiorespiratory events. The results also suggest that there is a period of time when the infant's auditory development is most intact that this intervention of MSS could be most impactful," Lahav said. "However, given our small sample size of 14 infants, further research is needed to determine if this intervention could have an impact on the care and health of preterm infants."

[Stuckinthebush]

1. Interesting

I tried to get the original article but my university library doesn't have a subscription to the latest issues. Bummer.

I wonder what the effect size is. There are so many other variables that must be accounted for with pre mature babies that it seems it would be hard to isolate the effect of this one.

Cool research, though.

[mimitabby]

2. wow, very cool.

[BlueIris]

3. That is very curious. nt

[gkhouston]

4. Actually, it doesn't surprise me.

Even several months after birth, my daughter could be calmed by my singing the music I was rehearsing during late pregnancy or by my husband reading the book he read to her before she was born.