Music to our ears!!

You're going to love this!!

More research on music with preemies

Hospitalization can stress out anyone, but especially severely premature babies, who are born neurologically immature. Florida State University music therapist Jayne Standley and her colleagues are reducing the trauma and speeding the pace of the infants' progression with a simple tool: a customized pacifier and a round of lullabies. [paragraph] Babies born before the 34th week have not yet developed the crucial "suck-swallow-breathe" response required in feeding. To help preemies along, Standley and her colleagues invented a pressure-sensitive pacifier wired to a tape player that rewards hearty suckling with a lullaby. Researchers had previously found that playing lullabies noticeably reduces premature infants' hospital stays. Songs helped here too. Babies trained with the musical pacifier suckled 2.4 times as fast as those denied such reinforcement. Some drained an entire bottle of milk after just 15 minutes of conditioning. "We thought it was our imagination-the response seemed too dramatic," Standley recalls. [paragraph] Ohmeda Medical in Columbia, Maryland, will begin selling a wireless version of the musical pacifier to neonatal intensive care units later this year. by Rebecca Hirschfield
COPYRIGHT 2000 DiscoverCOPYRIGHT 2000 Gale Group

Lullabies

One of the most gratifying things that a pregnant woman or new mother can do is sing lullabies to her unborn or newborn infant. Mothers have been doing this for millions of years and not only is it calming and soothing to the infant, but it's also calming and soothing to the mother, the father, and anyone who is within earshot. As a mother of three daughters, I know that singing or humming softly to them made such a difference in all our lives. Even today, my youngest daughter, now in her 20's will sometimes ask me to sing her a lullaby!
You may also know that lullabies have been shown to help preemies in a hospital NICU to gain weight faster, stabilize biorhythms faster and get released from the hospital faster. At a cost of $15,000 per day in the NICU, this is a fantastic benefit.
Today I got a new batch of lullaby CD's to take with me on my next speaking tour. If you hurry, you can get one for your new baby, friend's baby, or grandbaby! You'll need to order NOW because I only ordered 50!! These won't last the weekend if people find out. Click here to order! Have a great week-end!

10 Amazing Baby Abilities

For new parents the arrival of the newborn brings a lot of excitement in their lives. They might look fragile and vulnerable, which they are, but there are some surprising things babies can do, much to the delightful fun of many people.Most of the babies can do the following surprising things to us:1. They can hear everything! Babies hear extremely well: they receive up to 20 000 vibrations per minute, while adults receive only 14 000. The fetus starts to react to sounds since the beginning of the 24th week of pregnancy and a week after delivery they easily distinguish their mother’s voice from the voice of other people.2. In the case of distinguishing from the mother tongue and a foreign language, the mimic plays an important part for babies. In USA, a test was made: to some babies a videotape recorded in English but with no sound was played. Later on, another tape without sound was played, but recorded in French. The babies showed clearly more interest to the French videotape than to the one recorded in their mother tongue because they considered familiar the English tape. Unfortunately this ability is lost after the age of 6 months.3. Prattling with the hands. Studies have shown that babies who grow up confronted with a sign language also try to communicate with their hands. They do it (like in the case of learning foreign languages) slow and unsteady at the beginning-they prattle with the hands!4. I’m watching you mummy! Long before humans can speak they understand what others say. It seems that babies understand through observing the mimic of the nearby persons. So, mummy, be careful when you say something!5. The older they are the smarter they get? That’s what we think. Researchers have discovered that as we pass through the life we lose some of our abilities, especially the ability of learning. This ability is most effective at the age of 6 months. So, the idea that they are young and they can not or do not know is just an illusion.6. I’m just like you daddy! During the first days of life the new generation seems to resemble to the father. This is only a joke nature plays: it has decided that so all fathers in the world –long before genetic tests were invented- could recognize their babies and take care of them and their mothers.7. Little Einstein. ‘Mary has 21 candies and gets another 19. Tommy has 51. Who has more candies?’ Of course, who knows how to add knows the answer. Here’s what tests say: even some children who do not know how to add can indicate the right answer. They have a great intuition!8. What are you looking at?! It is not difficult at all for grownups to distinguish human faces from one another even if they might look alike. Still, when we have to distinguish between two resembling figures of monkeys we are totally unable. Not the same thing happens to the babies. Tests have proven that they possess this ability, but they lose it in time.9. Can taste and smell and have shown preferences for their own mother’s milk and dislikes for strong, nasty odors.10. Learning foreign languages-a kid...(read the full article at the link below)
Article Source: http://babyboomerarticles.com/ 10 amazing baby abilitiesBy: bdd7707
www.totallyparents.com/blog/2007/08/16/10-amazing-baby-abilities/

Therapeutic Uses of Music During Pregnancy, Birth and Beyond

The use of music during pregnancy and childbirth is highly recommended. There are so many benefits and advantages including the obvious fact that music can do no harm to the mother. Others are:

Biological — Music changes biology by supporting a laboring mother to regulate breathing, lower blood pressure and respiration, and to block the pain response.
Psychological — Music enhances the ability to use coping skills and childbirth techniques during labor.
Environmental — Music blocks out extraneous sound in the birth environment. Music provides a “sound blanket” which fills the space and wraps the mother in sounds of comfort and safety.
Sociological — Music evokes social support from others and holds the birthing team together.
Emotional — Music is used to match or affirm moods and feelings the laboring mother is experiencing and it is used also to help change her mood.
Developmental — Music supports the process of becoming a mother and helps work through a mother’s fears, to relax and let the process happen.
Spiritual — Music can enhance and support the spiritual process of the laboring mother and may evoke a peak or transpersonal experienience.
These seven foundations were identified and clarified by Mary DiCamillo, Ed.D., MT-BC and are part of the Sound Birthing Program model of care.

Just had a baby? What about sex now?

This article appeared today on www.BabyCenter.com. Considering the time of year (Valentine's Day is two days away!) I thought this mght be timely.

Will I ever want sex again?
With a new baby to care for round the clock, sex may seem like a fond but distant memory. In the first six weeks after delivery, you're exhausted and sore and overwhelmed. If you had perineal tearing or stitches from an episiotomy, you may feel like you'll never want to have sex again. Try not to worry too much about it and give yourself a break. The fact that you're reading this article is a good indication that somewhere inside you is the desire to make love again. But there's no need to rush into having sex until you feel ready. Rest assured, you and your partner will be ready to rumble again soon.
How can I keep my low libido from destroying my relationship?
"The postpartum period, before you actually start having sex again, is a great time to work on communication skills," says Lisa Douglass, an expert in human sexuality at the University of Chicago. "As you accommodate the new person in your family, you also need to renew your own relationship. That means talking about your needs and listening to your partner's," she says.
When is it normal to resume sex after giving birth?
According to a recent study sponsored by the National Institute of Mental Health, 90 percent of couples have sex within a year of having a baby. But don't let that statistic alarm you! On average, couples resumed intercourse seven weeks after the baby's arrival. Women who had cesarean sections had intercourse slightly sooner than those who'd given birth vaginally.
Just listen to your body and take it slowly!

Music and Pregnancy: Benefits for mother and baby

• Singing lullabies to your baby is one of the most natural things a mother does. However, sometimes, people tend to underestimate the power of simple things. In this case, the research is there: singing to your baby, both before and after birth, creates a bond that is the foundation of healthy relationships. Many new mothers are unsure about their mothering skills. With this CD, the mother can familiarize herself with many of the well-known, classic lullabies, sung by generations of mothers and grandmothers (and fathers, brothers, aunts and others!) and then sing them herself to her new baby. The CD can also be played for baby at other times just by itself. The research documents that lullabies:
• Create a sonic bond of love and caring, even before birth
• Ensure that baby comes into world knowing mother's voice and associating that with being loved and cared for
• With preemies, this is even more critical. Amazingly, when Mom sings to baby the effect is:
• Stabilized blood pressure
• Stabilized body temperature
• Stabilized pulse and heart rate
  Resulting in:
• Less time in NICU
• Faster weight gain
• Healthier baby at discharge from NICU
  
  After childbirth, these same lullabies will provide comfort and oftentimes instantaneous quieting of fussy and fretting babies. What could be easier? Go HERE to buy my CD of famous and famliar lullabies which you can learn just by listening to these simple melodies for a few minutes each evening.