ABSTRACT

The premature infant birth and the consequent hospitalization in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) are potentially traumatic experiences for both the newborn and its’ family, requiring early interventions implementation, appropriate for infant development and centered to the needs of the family. In recent decades, the music therapy has established itself internationally as an effective treatment in NICU, showing evidence in the stabilization, self-regulation and neurodevelopment of the premature newborn, in the mental health of the parent and in the parent-child bond. In family-centered care the music therapist modulates live music and infant-directed singing in a developmentally appropriate way, provides psychological support to parents and facilitates the use of parental voice in the musical interaction with the baby. Family-centered music therapy reinforces the benefits of Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) for infant’s stabilization and the reduction of maternal anxiety. Furthermore, by facilitating the use of parental voice and chant, music therapy promotes self-efficacy and wellbeing of the family and helps to strengthen the parent-infant bond, prematurely interrupted by the preterm birth. Being an early, non-invasive relationship-based and family-centered treatment, music therapy stands out as a cost-effective intervention, able can be easily integrate to the interdisciplinary team of NICU, strengthening its humanization and care.