Analysis: research shows singing is good for you during pregnancy and for bonding with your baby
Have you ever sung to your bump during pregnancy? Maybe it's a song with a sentimental message that you wish to share with your unborn child, or perhaps a tune that conjures up imagery of you cradling your precious little bundle. Research indicates you have every reason to keep on doing it, as singing in pregnancy is good for both mother and baby.
There is mounting research to show the health benefits of singing among expectant mothers. Such benefits are described in terms of improving maternal emotional state, reducing cortisol, also known as the 'stress hormone’, and increasing oxytocin, otherwise called the ‘bonding hormone’. These markers of improved maternal wellbeing are important to consider against the backdrop of the perinatal period, described as the time from conception to approximately 12 months after birth. As the perinatal period is often a time of significant transformation and adjustment for women, it’s also a time when women can experience increased stress and anxiety. Music can offer a way of addressing these adverse experiences with research indicating that women’s singing to their baby in utero can support maternal wellbeing and mother-infant bonding.
Singing can also serve as a way of promoting attachment between parent and baby in utero. This is where a parent’s voice (yes, partners can do this too) is used as a means of connecting with their unborn child. Hearing is fully developed around 24 to 26 weeks gestation and the first voice heard by a foetus is usually that of its mother, a voice that becomes a comforting anchor, particularly in times of distress. This innate draw to a mother’s voice is supported by research which shows that newborns prefer the sound of their mother’s voice and more so when that voice is singing.
From The New York Times, research finds live music played for premature babies can be beneficial, calming their heart rate and breathing, and helping their sleep and sucking ability
One of the joys in using music to promote attachment in pregnancy is that it can be a natural rather than contrived occurrence. In my first pregnancy I recall driving home from work listening to the song ‘A Thousand Years’ by Christina Perri and suddenly hearing the lyrics in a totally different way. I was listening to this music with the ears of an expectant mamma who was getting "one step closer" to welcoming her baby into the world. Listening to this song filled me with an overwhelming sense of love for a baby I was yet to meet and it undoubtedly brought me mentally and emotionally closer to my imminent role as a mother. Almost nine years later, listening to the song’s first few piano chords still fills me with that same intense, motherly emotion for my now not-so-little girl.
The idea of a parent or caregiver singing a lullaby to a little one is age old. Lullabies are soothing songs or pieces of music that are usually played for or sung to children by adults. One of the earliest lullabies on record dates back to around 2,000BC and is etched on a clay tablet from the ancient city of Babylon. Lullabies can also be traced back to Greek antiquity with many accounts of this musical form being performed privately in the familial settings of the home. While the function of a lullaby is commonly thought of as a soothing song that is used to lull a child to sleep, other functions include sharing the emotional intent of the singer, developing infants’ communication skills and passing down cultural tradition.
Nowadays, the lullaby tradition is varied in use across cultures and contexts. Lullabies are still commonly sung in many countries but many of the earliest ones have been lost over time. Threats to modern day use of lullabies include the multitude of gadgets available to entertain a child and the increasing role of technology, which can reduce the amount of human contact we have in our lives. These factors can negatively impact parental engagement with lullabies and the genre’s passing from one generation to the next.
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From RTÉ 2FM's Jennifer Zamparelli, TCD Assistant Professor of Psychology Claire Howlin on the benefits of music therapy
One way of promoting parents singing to their infants has been through use of ‘song of kin’, a parent-selected lullaby or song that is part of their familial cultural heritage and adapted for suitable use with an infant. This is a technique often used by music therapists working with premature infants and their parents in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs).
The novelty of this technique is that parents don’t have to choose a traditional lullaby that they don’t feel naturally connected to. Instead, parents select a meaningful song that is culturally appropriate to them and one that they wish to share with their infant. Basically, turning it into a lullaby involves slowing down the tempo and singing it in a soothing manner. The impacts of parents live singing of song of kin, carefully attuned their infant with the support of a qualified music therapist, has been shown to have positive effects on infants' vital signs while also lowering parental stress levels.
As music therapists, midwives and other healthcare clinicians increasingly collaborate there is mounting evidence to support the idea of music as a health resource in pregnancy and early parenthood, and there is a promising role for music in specialised music therapy programmes, but also music as a free and accessible resource in the everyday parental toolkit.
The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent or reflect the views of RTÉ
