London - Live music can slow the heartbeat of premature babies and make them breathe more easily.
A study has found that the sound of a percussive instrument or parent singing can make a newborn sleep better and puts them in a quietly attentive state. In some cases it even helps them feed.
The study adds to the growing body of evidence that music can benefit infants. The researchers at Beth Israel Hospital in New York found the effect was true regardless of which song was performed, although it had to be slow enough to sound like a lullaby.
Music therapists worked with the mothers of 272 premature babies for several sessions over two weeks using either two instruments, song alone or no music at all.
The instruments used were a wooden drum, and a cylinder full of beads that made whooshing noises. Among the songs chosen were I Heard It Through the Grapevine by Marvin Gaye and Pick up the Pieces by the Average White Band.
Joanne Loewy, the study’s leader, said both instruments had a beneficial effect but sucking behaviour improved most with the drum and the breathing rate slowed the most and sleeping was best with the cylinder ocean disc.
The study was published in the journal Paediatrics. - Daily Mail