Singing to your newborn
or even your unborn baby
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is such a natural thing to do.
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Since the beginning of
time, mothers have sung
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to their babies, to
soothe them, to calm them,
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to comfort them.
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You don't have to know the
words to any specific lullaby to
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sing to your child or
your grandchild or any child
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for that matter effectively.
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The gentleness and sweetness
found in the human voice
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when lulling a child
is a precious thing to do.
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Did you know, it can
be life-saving as well.
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When a baby comes early,
often this premature infant
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has a
dangerously low birthweight.
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This alone causes all kinds
of problems with maintaining
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body temperature, stabilizing
blood pressure, and body weight.
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Music therapy researchers
have done numerous studies on
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the benefits of a mother singing
to her newborn or preemie.
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Research strongly suggests
that if a mother has sung
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to her baby before birth,
singing to this preemie now,
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comforts them and helps
them to gain weight faster
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because they are
calmer and they'll eat better
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and for longer stretches.
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Since the mother's voice is
the one thing the baby has heard
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for at least 5 months in utero,
that is the one thing the baby
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is most attached
to and familiar with.
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For a newborn or an unborn
baby, the mother's voice is
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absolutely the one
thing they most need to hear
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and the one that will be
the most healing, comforting,
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soothing to that baby.
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When you were pregnant, one
very important thing you can do
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for your soon to be born
baby is to choose six or eight
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calm and soothing songs that
you know well and enjoy singing.
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Gently sing or hum those
songs several times a day
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to your baby.
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Research at UCLA showed
that when these same songs
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or lullaby's are sung
after the baby is born,
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they will calm and comfort
the baby almost immediately
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because the baby
heard them in utero.
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When the baby hears
that familiar voice and that
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familiar melody, they feel safe
and instinctively move towards
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staying alive, nursing
and being closer to mom.
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So, sing a lullaby and
you might just be saving
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a little one's life.
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