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Music therapy and other things we can do in the NICU

JuliaJAGJuliaJAG
in Preemies

My baby boy is 18 days old now (well, technically 19 since it's past midnight!) and I try to make the most of our time with him by singing to him, doing kangaroo care, talking to him, reading children's books, touching/containing, etc. He is responding well to all of it with great sats etc. I'm getting eager to do other things that will give him some positive stimulation such as:

- music therapy -- choosing a few songs to play every day (anything from Mozart to Led Zeppelin! LOL) so he can become familiar with them

- baby massage if they'll allow it and think it would be good for him

- face to face time -- getting about 8" away from his face so we can gaze at each other for longer periods of time (he's always straining to look up at my face during kangaroo time so I'd love for us to just stare right at each other!)

- putting some high-contrast black-and-white artwork outside the sides and top of his isolette so that as he starts to be able to focus, he'll have something to see other than a white ceiling 

-longer kangaroo times with "practice breast feeding" as soon as they'll allow

What are some other things that would be helpful/stimulating to a preemie without being overstimulating?  

Julia ~ six miscarriages ~ our sweet miracle baby, Jack, due 5/3/12, was born at 29w1d on February 17, 2012, weighing 2 pounds 8 ounces Lilypie Premature Baby tickers BabyFetus Ticker
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Re: Music therapy and other things we can do in the NICU

  • haziedazehaziedaze member

    I was doing lots with my little guy, but the nurses encouraged me, gently, to remember that he was supposed to still be in utero with no light, only muffled sounds, and nothing visually stimulating. The world itself can be a lot for a preemie. It was hard for me to be patient with him at times.

    I watched a video called "A Preemie Needs His Mother" that my NICU LC lent me. It helped me read his signals a lot better and taught me some new things to try with him. There's a clip here: https://www.babycenter.com/2_preemies-in-the-nicu-how-parents-can-help_10302236.bc but you may want to ask your NICU if they have a video like this you could watch to get some ideas.

    BFP#1 9/14/10 (EDD 5/21/11); no fetal pole 6w6d, 7w4d, d&c 10/8
    BFP#2 3/16/11, beta 138; 4/12 Baby/HB DS born 9/10/11 at 29w4d due to partial abruption and PTL
    Lilypie Third Birthday tickers
    BFP#3 8/19/13 Another boy! 17P, modified bedrest and Nifedipine helped us have a termie! DS2 born 4/19/14 at 38w5d.
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  • JuliaJAGJuliaJAG

    That's definitely a good point. I guess I keep thinking of how i made sure to play music for the baby every day while he was in the womb... music is such an important thing to DH and me... so it doesn't seem right for him to go from 29 weeks until discharge without hearing any music at all, just loud beeping from NICU equipment. So, I did start playing music he's heard before (in utero) for him just on my iPad, but at a very low volume so it wouldn't assault his ears. I've only done this twice now, during kangaroo time, and I noticed his sats were great during it, so I'd like to keep it up. Wish there were a way to play it through water so it'd sound like it did in the womb!

    That video looks fantastic -- thank you! Will ask to see if our NICU has it or a similar one.  

    Julia ~ six miscarriages ~ our sweet miracle baby, Jack, due 5/3/12, was born at 29w1d on February 17, 2012, weighing 2 pounds 8 ounces Lilypie Premature Baby tickers BabyFetus Ticker
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