Music During C-Section

What if playing your baby’s familiar music during labor and delivery could help ease the shock of an unexpected C-section?  

Through ultrasound, electroencephalography (EEG) and magnetoencephalography (MEG) methods, researchers have observed an increase in cardiovascular and motor activity in fetuses older than 29 weeks gestation in response to auditory stimulus. One study published in Developmental Science determined that after 5 minutes of being played Brahms Lullaby, a fetus older than 33 gestational weeks showed a sustained increase in heart rate. 

When it is determined that a C-section is the best course of action for both mom and baby, we can use familiar music to maintain baby’s heart rate and try to lessen their distress in that moment. Aside from the strictly physiological effects mentioned above, baby will be comforted by the music they have learned to recognize throughout the pregnancy, thus making their transition into the world a bit less traumatic.