Sing to your Newborn!

I recently visited a new mother and baby in the hospital. What a precious little girl this was too. The first thing I wanted to do was start humming a soft lullaby. It seems to be instinctive to want to lull a baby, but this little angel was already sleeping so soundly that I didn't. Is it OK to sing or hum to even talk softly to a newborn? Of course! There are very few "rights and wrongs" when it comes to that sort of thing. The main thing it to communicate with YOUR baby or grandchild or niece or nephew. Singing and humming convey a sense of "everything is going to be OK" and "all is well" better than most anything else after being fed and clothed.

Many new mothers are self-conscious about their singing. Not surprising. We live in a critical and judgmental society, but do it anyway! Babies are not a bit critical. Your baby has neard your voice for the past nine months and it is this voice that means love, acceptance, nurturing, home. Make up your own tunes, your own words. Take a tune you already know and put new words to it. It really doesn't matter. Please feel free to ask me questions. Just post them to this blog.

Happy humming!

Alice

Take My Hand

This is a dramatic picture of a premature infant being delivered by Cesarian section. You can see a tiny hand emerging from the sac the baby has been growing in and immediately grasping the doctor's hand. It would seem that we human's have a powerful need to connect from the moment of birth. Hopefully this baby's mother sang to her before delievery and soon thereafter.