Lullabies improve pre-term infants’ health

London, Aug 5 (IANS) Are you a new mother? Do not forget to sing lullabies for your baby as you cuddle him or her.

According to a study, a new mother who sings to her pre-term infant while holding direct skin-to-skin contact may see improvements in both her child’s and her own health.

It found that infants whose mothers both held them and sang for them had improved heart-rate variability patterns compared to pre-term infants whose mothers just held them with direct skin-to-skin contact but did not sing.

Researchers analysed 86 mother-infant pairs in a neonatal intensive care unit in Meir Hospital in Israel.

"We recommend combining ‘kangaroo care’ and maternal singing for stable pre-term infants. These safe, inexpensive, and easily implemented therapies can be applied during daily neonatal care," said lead author Shmuel Arnon from Israel.