title: Preterm infants exhibited less pain during a heel stick when they were played the same music their mothers listened to during pregnancy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Playing music during painful procedures has shown inconsistent benefits for preterm infants. This study observed preterm infants during a heel stick procedure to assess whether listening to the music their mothers listened to during pregnancy had any impact on their pain and physiological and behavioural parameters.
  
  
  METHODS
  We randomly exposed 42 preterm infants, with a mean gestational age of 31.8 ± 2.79 weeks, to the music their mothers listened to during pregnancy, recorded lullabies and no music, before, during and after a heel stick. Pain responses were measured using the Neonatal Pain, Agitation and Sedation Scale (N-PASS), and physiological and behavioural responses were recorded by a nurse blinded to the intervention.
  
  
  RESULTS
  N-PASS pain scores were lowest during mothers' music, with a mean of 1.40 (±1.28), compared to 2.33 (±1.64) for no music and 1.62 (±2.27) for the lullabies [F(3/121) = 4.86, p = 0.009]. Physiological parameters were not significantly different between the conditions. During the mothers' music, infants spent more time in a quiet alert state, with a significant decrease in their respiratory rates.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The music mothers listened to during pregnancy was more beneficial for preterm infants, as it decreased pain and improved behavioural states during a heel stick.
authors.affiliation: Azusa Pacific University, Azusa, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Lina
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kurdahi Badr
authors.affiliation: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon.
authors.forename: Taline
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Demerjian
authors.affiliation: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon.
authors.forename: Tania
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Daaboul
authors.affiliation: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon.
authors.forename: Hanan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Abbas
authors.affiliation: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon.
authors.forename: Mirvat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hasan Zeineddine
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon.
authors.forename: Lama
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Charafeddine
mesh_terms: D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007234:Infant, Premature; D015931:Intensive Care, Neonatal / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D009146:Music; D009147:Music Therapy; D059408:Pain Management / Q000379:methods*; D000073818:Procedural Pain / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects
keywords: Agitation and Sedation Scale; Music; Neonatal pain; Prenatal music exposure; Preterm infants