Premature babies gain weight faster with Mozart!

Playing Mozart music to premature babies seems to help them gain weight faster and become stronger, new research found.



Once a day for two consecutive days, doctors played either 30 minutes of music by the 18th-century composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, or no music, to 20 pre-term babies at the Tel Aviv Medical Center in Israel. After listening to the music, the babies were calmer and so expended less energy than the no-music group. When babies' energy expenditure is decreased, they don't need as many calories to grow, so can gain weight and thrive more quickly – exactly what preemies need.



"It's not exactly clear how the music is affecting them, but it makes them calmer and less likely to be agitated," said researcher Dror Mandel, a lecturer at Tel Aviv University.



Though the sample size was small, the scientists said their findings were statistically significant.



Previous research has shown that music can reduce stress, decrease heart rate, and increase oxygen saturation in preterm infants. Oxygen saturation is a measure of the amount of oxygen carried in the blood relative to the maximum amount the blood could carry. When this number gets low it can be a sign of heart or lung problems.



The researchers didn't try playing any music other than Mozart's, so they don't know whether the effect would hold true for other tunes.



"We want to know if what we found is a Mozart effect, or just music," Mandel told LiveScience. "I think that other composers will also have effects, however it might be that the Mozart music has particular effects compared to other composers."



The researchers decided to try Mozart music because of a 1993 study that found that college students could temporarily improve their performance on spatial–temporal tasks by listening to a Mozart sonata for 10 minutes a day.



"The repetitive melodies in Mozart's music may be affecting the organizational centers of the brain's cortex," Mandel said. "Unlike Beethoven, Bach or Bartok, Mozart's music is composed with a melody that is highly repetitive."



However, the so-called Mozart effect has sometimes been taken too far. A company called Baby Einstein (now owned by Disney) that publishes a series of Baby Mozart videos and music disks offered a refund last year for all Baby Einstein videos, after receiving complaints that the company had falsely claimed the videos were educational.



The Israeli researchers plan to test out different kinds of music soon. One team member suggested that rap music might evoke the same response as Mozart, since it has a similar pulsating and repetitive frequency.



Mandel and his colleague Ronit Lubetzky published their findings in the January issue of the journal Pediatrics.

Lullabies for Mothers and Others

Pregnant women are concerned about lots of thing; some they can do something about and some they can't.  Often, the more psychologically aware women are worried about bonding with their baby, especially if it's their first child.  One of easiest and most enjoyable things you can do is to begin listening to some lullabies yourself.  Mothers have lulled their babies to sleep since the beginning to time.  It's the most natural thing in the world for a mother to hold her baby close and hum, croon, or sing to that precious child.

New mothers worry if they'll be able to soothe and comfort their infants when they begin to cry.  Knowing 5 or 6 different lullabies is a good way to feel a little more prepared and even reading the words can be very calming for the mother-to-be or new mother. 

There are literally hundreds if not thousands of lullabies from around the world and from ancient times until the present.  Many of my adult clients and patients who suffer from insomnia and they listen to lullabies themselves to get to sleep each night.  Sometimes they listen to music on a CD player or perhaps an MP3 player.  Whatever is most convenient and comfortable for mother and child is best.

Once the baby is born, singing to your child is the very best way to calm him or her.  If your baby heard these same lullabies in utero they will calm down even quicker because they sound familiar to baby and bring back memories of security, warmth and comfort.

Below is a quaint poem called “My Mother”. It was written by Ann Taylor (1783 –1866). She’s the sister of Jane Taylor, the author of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. Ann and Jane published books of rhymes and poems together.



The illustrations below were done by Walter Crane. Here’s what Crane wrote about it in 1910:

“My Mother” is mid-Victorian-just after crinolines had gone out-but mothers are always in fashion, bless them…


My Mother


Who fed me from her gentle breast,

And hush’d me in her arms to rest,

And on my cheek sweet kisses prest?

My Mother.


When sleep forsook my open eye,

Who was it sung sweet hushaby,

And rock’d me that I should not cry?

My Mother.

Who sat and watched my infant head,

When sleeping in my cradle bed,

And tears of sweet affection shed?

My Mother.

 
If you are pregnant now, or the mother of a newborn, do begin listening to and singing lullabies!  Your child will thank you and will benefit greatly!

What is the Mucous Plug and what does it do?

What is the mucous plug (or mucus plug)?
The mucous plug is a collection of cervical mucus that seals the opening of the cervix. It keeps bacteria and infection from entering into the cervix, providing a protective barrier for the developing baby.

What does the mucous plug look like?
Some women describe the mucous plug as looking more like the mucous in your nose. It may look like a thick glob of stringy mucous, thicker than what you would see with normal vaginal secretions. If you are close to going into labor you may see pink, brown, or red blood around the edges of the mucous plug. This is called the “bloody show”.

When do you lose your mucous plug?
Some women will lose their mucous plug or part of their mucous plug weeks before they go into labor. Losing your mucous plug does not always mean labor will begin shortly. Keep in mind that even if a woman has begun to dilate, it may be weeks before she actually goes into labor.

However, if you notice blood tinged mucous before your thirty-sixth week of pregnancy, notify your doctor right away.
As your body prepares for labor your cervix will begin to dilate and thin. As your cervix opens up, your mucous plug may fall out. Losing your mucous plug is a good sign that labor is on its way. Though, it could be days or even weeks after you lose your mucous plug before labor actually starts. Many women do not lose their mucous plug at one time; instead, they lose it more gradually. They may notice an increase in vaginal secretions weeks before they go into labor.

Should I call my doctor if I lose my mucous plug?
If you are full term and have lost your mucous plug, there is usually no need to call your doctor. You may lose your mucous plug weeks before labor starts. If you notice regular, timeable contractions after losing your mucous plug, follow your doctor’s protocol for proceeding to Labor and Delivery. If you have a history of preterm labor and you suspect you have lost your mucous plug, call your doctor right away. If you notice blood tinged mucous and are earlier than thirty-six weeks call your doctor immediately. Moreover, you should also call your doctor if you have sudden bright red bleeding. Bleeding can be a sign of placenta previa or placental abruption.

What does gestional diabetes do the the unborm baby?

Gestional diabetes is a condition that some women develop during pregnancy. Between 2 and 7 percent of expectant mothers develop this condition, making it one of the most common health problems of pregnancy.


These days, most women who develop diabetes during pregnancy go on to have healthy babies. Your practitioner will monitor you closely and you'll most likely be able to keep your blood sugar levels under control with diet and exercise, and by getting insulin shots if you need them. However, poorly controlled diabetes can have serious consequences for you and your baby.

For most women with gestational diabetes, the main worry is that too much glucose will end up in the baby's blood. When that happens, your baby's pancreas needs to produce more insulin to process the extra glucose. All this excess blood sugar and insulin can cause your baby to make more fat and put on extra weight, particularly in the upper body.

This can lead to what's called macrosomia. A macrosomic baby may be too large to enter the birth canal. Or the baby's head may enter the canal but then his shoulders get stuck. In this situation, called shoulder dystocia, your practitioner and her assistants will have to use special maneuvers to deliver your baby. Delivery can sometimes result in a fractured bone or nerve damage, both of which heal without permanent problems in nearly 99 percent of babies. (In very rare cases, the baby may suffer brain damage from lack of oxygen during this process.) What's more, the maneuvers needed to deliver a broad-shouldered baby can lead to injuries to the vaginal area or require a large episiotomy for you.

Because of these risks, if your practitioner suspects that your baby may be overly large, she may recommend delivering by cesarean section. Fortunately, only a minority of women with well-controlled gestational diabetes end up with overly large babies.

Shortly after delivery, your baby may also have low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) because his body will still be producing extra insulin in response to receiving extra glucose from you. Your delivery team will test his blood sugar at birth by taking a drop of blood from his heel. If it's low, you'll want to feed him as soon as possible, either by breastfeeding or giving him some formula or sugar water.

Most of the information for this post came from www.babycenter.com.

Music with Labor and Delivery

Today we have an excellent post from a guest blogger, Carol Smith! I know you're going to enjoy it!

Labor and Delivery: Can Music Make a Difference?
Not for nothing did William Congreve say that "music had charms to soothe the savage breast;" if you’ve ever seen a woman about to give birth, you’ll know that if anyone needs soothing, it is her. Labor pains can wrack your body and make you feel like you’re being put through a wringer; it’s something that’s hard to understand if you’ve not gone through it yourself. No matter how prepared you are with your Lamaze and natural breathing classes, there’s always the chance that you may lose control because of the pain. And when you’re in the throes of pain, how do you calm yourself? One answer that really works is – MUSIC. So how does music make a difference during labor and delivery?
• According to this article, scientists have proved that music has therapeutic properties. It eases labor pain and removes the depression that moms feel after giving birth.
• When you listen to your favorite songs or slow music, you take your mind off the labor pain and the impending delivery.
• Music also helps you drown out the other sounds that could grate on your nerves – like the traffic outside your room or the noise made by other patients and workers in a hospital.
• It helps create a setting where you are at peace with yourself and your surroundings.
• Music reduces stress and anxiety and boosts your chances of having a normal and safe delivery
• It reduces the need for epidurals and other pain medication which could potentially harm your baby as it raises your pain threshold. You’re able to bear much more pain without suffering the accompanying physical agony.
• Music helps you relax and breathe deeply from your abdomen.
• Songs which have inspirational lyrics help soothe your mood and prepare you for the impending birth of your child. Some songs encourage and motivate you through the pain with their uplifting lyrics and soothing tunes.
One man’s meat is another’s poison, so what works for your friends may not necessarily work for you. Before you go into labor, be prepared with a collection of your favorite songs, tunes and melodies that calm and relax you and put you in a good mood so that you can play it while you’re in labor and waiting to deliver. Music is much better, more effective, and definitely safer than drugs that are meant to mitigate your pain.


By-line:
This article is contributed by Carol Smith, who regularly writes on the topic of ultrasound tech school http://ultrasoundtechschools.org/ . She invites your questions, comments at her email address: smithcarol.311@rediffmail.com

Calm a crying, fussy baby

Hearing a baby cry and cry and cry is very difficult for me. I knew before I had children that there was no way I could just let my babies cry themselves to sleep in order not to "spoil" them! I've never agreed with that philosophy because I believe that babies always cry for a reason: hungry, lonely, in pain, scared and hundreds more good reasons.


Scientists tell us that babies cries are very intentionally hard to ignore because if a baby cries, it needs attention of one kind or another! How about a lullaby? As a mother and a professional musician, I believe that singing, humming, or playing a recording of a lullaby, especially if it is familiar, can calm, soother and comfort a baby. Of course combining that with rocking, holding or snuggling the baby will also help.


If you played these lullabies for your baby during pregnancy, baby doesn recognize this music and often calms down very quickly. To see my lullabies and either get the download immediately or order the CD, go to fussy_babies.

What does birth look like?

This is a wonderful 3-D animation of the birth of a baby. Although each birth is unique, the majority of them proceed just about like this! Let me know if you have questions.