Live Music For Premature And Sick Babies May Help Heal Them And Also Teach Them To Rock Out
Ugh, I love cute and happy news and since I couldn’t write about the mommy cat who crawled through a strange window to have kittens under a bed (Note to self: Leave all windows open at all times) I bring you this freaken’ adorable story about how musicians are helping premature and sick babies by playing live music to them in hospitals. Awwwww! Because some tiny preemie babies are too small to be held or touched, certain hospitals are allowing musicians to play live music for them because they say it helps calm them and can can soothe them. From The Washington Post:
Recent studies and anecdotal reports suggest the vibrations and soothing rhythms of music, especially performed live in the hospital, might benefit preemies and other sick babies.
Many insurers won’t pay for music therapy because of doubts that it results in any lasting medical improvement. Some doctors say the music works best at relieving babies’ stress and helping parents bond with infants too sick to go home.
Music therapists say live performances in hospitals are better than recorded music because patients can feel the music vibrations and also benefit from seeing the musicians.
More than two dozen U.S. hospitals offer music therapy in their newborn intensive care units and its popularity is growing, said Joanne Loewy, a music therapist who directs a music and medicine program at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York.
A lot of musicians are providing these services for free, and I can see an increase in this practice especially if parents with musical talents can use playing a song for their babies as a way to bond with them when their babies are too little or too sick to be held or rocked.
Music therapists say live performances in hospitals are better than recorded music because patients can feel the music vibrations and also benefit from seeing the musicians.
More than two dozen U.S. hospitals offer music therapy in their newborn intensive care units and its popularity is growing, said Joanne Loewy, a music therapist who directs a music and medicine program at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York.
This, of course, makes sense as any parent with a fussy newborn can tell you they have spent countless hours wearing out their floorboards humming or singing to their newborn in order to soothe them to sleep. The idea of musicians serenading babies in hospitals is just too adorable, and if it is beneficial to the babies then hopefully more hospitals will allow programs like this. It must be so stressful and hard for parents with hospitalized babies, and I’m sure having someone there to sing to them gives comfort to the parents as well as the babies. And it must be cool for talented musicians to feel like they are helping babies to heal. I cannot do this, because the only thing I can sorta play is along with the game Rock Band, but I totally admire those who can.
(Photo: Kalinina Alisa/shutterstock)
