We have all experienced the power of music. Many of us belt out our favorite songs in the car, play an instrument, sing lullabies to our kids, and go to concerts. Music can bring us connection with others, help us to express ourselves, and transport us to different times and places in our lives. 

Music therapy is an established allied health profession in which a credentialed professional (the music therapist) uses these positive aspects of music in a therapeutic environment. Music can be used to enhance communication, facilitate self-expression, and assist in wellness and healing. 

Perinatal music therapy is simply when music therapy techniques are applied during fertility, pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. Research shows that music can be used to lower stress levels, reduce pain, and provide emotional and relational support to mothers and families, as well as enhance self-regulation and relaxation for infants.
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As in all therapies, perinatal music therapy sessions are different for everyone. Some mothers seek music therapy because they need extra emotional or relational support during the perinatal period. Others are looking to enhance their birth experience through music. Some are struggling through the transition of postpartum, and others go to a music therapist because their baby needshelp with this adjustment! 

Music therapy has been shown to assist in many ways during the perinatal period: 
• Supports relaxation and gives emotional support for mothers and families experiencing infertility (Birth Music Therapy, 2017)
• Provides a family-centered way to prepare everyone for the arrival of a new baby.
• Provides a comfortable environment, reduction of pain and tension, mental focus, emotional comfort, and rhythm for organized movement during labor and delivery (Hanson-Abromeit & Gerweck, 2010).
• Fosters family and partner support (Hanson-Abromeit & Gerweck, 2010)
• Assists in bonding the mother with her child (especially through use of song and lullaby)  
• Aids in breastfeeding support (Loewy, 2016)
• Provides a stabilizing, uterine-simulating environment through sound (Standley & Walworth, 2010)
• Increases oxygen saturation and decrease agitation for babies in the NICU (Schwartz & Ritchie, 1999) 
• Provides developmental stimulation for infants who are indicated (Loewy, 2016)
• Provides emotional support after loss of a baby
• Music therapists can provide heartbeat recordings to music for family keepsake At Music Therapy Services, LLC, we can work with parents in a variety of ways. 

For expecting parents, our Prenatal Music Therapy Package could be a great option if you are looking to incorporate music into your birth in various ways. The package includes four sessions that cover:
• Self-Care • Assessing needs during pregnancy 
• Tools and techniques 
• Creating a care plan for pregnancy 
• Lullaby Creation • Choosing “Song of Kin” 
• Creating a personalized lullaby 
• Recording lullaby 
• Music-Assisted Childbirth Plan • Choosing music for birth 
• Integrating music into birth plan 
• Review of coping skills for labor 
• Postpartum Support • Integration of “Song of Kin” 
• Creation of new lullabies 
• Processing birth experience 

For parents who are interested in just one of these areas, we also offer single sessions to address your specific area of need. In addition to this package, we also can schedule individual parent-only or parent-child sessions to support emotional wellness, bonding, expression, etc. We are here to support any needs that may arise during this time through music experiences. 

​If we can assist you in any way, or if you would like more information on music therapy, feel free to reach out to us via email, phone, or visit our website! We provide free, 30-minute phone consultations and would love to speak with you. 
www.music-therapy-cincinnati.com
(513) 474-6064 ​

References
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Birth Music Therapy. (2017). Fertility.
​Retrieved from http://birthmusictherapy.com/fertility

Browning, C.A. (2001). Music therapy in childbirth: Research in practice. Music Therapy Perspectives, 19(2), 74-81. 

Hanser, S.B., Larson, S.C., & O’Connell, A.S. (1983). The effect of music on relaxation of expectant mothers during labor. Journal of Music Therapy, 20(2), 50-58. 

Hanson-Abromeit, D., Gerweck, J.S. (2010). Obstetrics. In D. Hanson-Abromeit & C. Colwell (Eds.), Medical Music Therapy for Adults in Hospital Settings (pp. 21-96). Silver Spring, MD: American Music Therapy Association, Inc. 

Loewy, J. (2016). First sounds: Rhythm, breath, & lullaby [RBL] trainer compendium. New ​York, NY: Satchnote Press.

Mclean, E. (2016). Exploring parents’ experiences and perceptions of singing and using their voice with their baby in a neonatal unit: An interpretive phenomenological analysis. Qualitative Inquiries in Music Therapy: A Monograph Series, 11(2). Retrieved from https://www.barcelonapublishers.com/resources/QIMT11/McLean_Parents_Experiences.pdf 

Schwartz, F. J., & Ritchie, R. (1999). Music listening in neonatal intensive care units. In Dileo, C. (Eds.), Music therapy and medicine: theoretical and clinical applications (pp. 13-22). Silver Spring, MD: The American Music Therapy Association, Inc.  

Standley, J.M., & Walworth, D. (2010). Music therapy with premature infants: Research and developmental interventions. Silver Spring, MD: The American Music Therapy Association, Inc.​

I​n order for my story to be told the way I want it to be told, we have to go back to a time in my life where having a baby was the last thing on my mind!

Age 13
I had gotten my period at age 12. From the very beginning, I had terrible periods: Non-stop bleeding, sometimes with only days in between each period. I had a lot of pain from the start, but I had just thought everyone had the same type of pain. When I finally told my mom about my non-stop bleeding and pain she thought it would be best to take me to see a gynecologist. You see, my mom suffered from Endometriosis. At the age of 13 I had NO idea what that even meant, but I would soon find out.

So there I am, 13 years old, at the gyno’s office. I had just had an internal ultrasound, which even as an adult makes you feel uncomfortable. So imagine a 13 year old girl! They had come to find out that I also had endometriosis. At the time, I had no idea that diagnosis would define me for a short time in my adult life. I started on birth control the summer going into my 9th grade year. By my senior year in high school I had been on 5 different birth controls and had gone through a small procedure to burn off my scar tissue that had been causing me a lot of pain. That procedure helped for a bit, until it didn’t.

Written By: Bethany J. Rice, MT-BC

​Most of us have experienced music’s therapeutic qualities; hearing your favorite song on the radio brings back good memories, humming a lullaby to your baby can soothe her as she falls asleep, and having music playing while you are in labor can help to take your mind off the pain. Music has many therapeutic qualities that can help us cope with stress, bring us a sense of unity with others, and allow us to express ourselves.

If music itself has these intrinsic qualities why would you want to hire a music therapist? What makes music therapy administered by a professional different from these positive experiences with music? What sets music therapy apart from listening to your favorite song on the radio?

Music therapy is an allied health profession which has existed in the United States since the 1950s. There are currently over 5,000 music therapists in our country and thousands more worldwide. Music therapists have at least a bachelor’s level education and have received over 1200 hours of clinical training. Music therapists are trained in piano, guitar, voice, percussion, song-writing, psychology, counseling, and physiology. Music therapists understand how music effects our brains and bodies, and have a broad body of research regarding music’s role in our health and well-being. We are trained to bring you experiences that address a vast number of needs from self-expression, communication, and mood improvement to pain reduction and relaxation.

When might you find yourself, as a parent, in a situation when these services would be useful?

​More and more parents are choosing to use music therapy services during pregnancy and delivery. Perinatal music therapists offer services that can assist in all of the transitions regarding pregnancy and birth. Prenatal music therapy services include a package of four sessions encompassing self-care, birth song creation, playlist-making for labor and delivery, and a postpartum visit to assist with integrating music experiences
with the child.

Some parents notice that as their children get older, they may have developmental, social, communication, or mood-regulation needs. You are not alone if your child has a difficult time with transitions, has sensory needs that are difficult to address, or if their speech development is not matching up to what is considered “typical” for their age group. Music therapy has been shown to assist children and teens with such needs and can provide a space in which a child can use the expression of music and the relationship with the therapist to reach new goals. We can do this through interactive singing, instrument-play, songwriting, music-listening, movement to music, adapted music lessons and musical improvisation.

Sometimes, parents may find themselves in need of support. Maybe you experience daily stress which can take a toll on your mental and emotional health. Perhaps you need a place where you can create and express yourself musically while feeling supported and grounded. Music therapy can reduce stress, bring awareness to the body, and facilitate expression in a supportive environment. We provide experiences with music and relaxation, songwriting, improvisation, and lyric analysis, to name a few.
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​If we can assist you in any way, or if you would like more information on music therapy, feel free to reach out to us via email, phone, or visit our website! We provide free, 30-minute phone consultations and would love to speak with you.

Choosing a supportive care provider is one of the most important choices you will make in your pregnancy.

In my 6 years of doula experience, choosing a supportive care provider has made much bigger an impact on experience than where a family gives birth. 

Your care provider can and will make a huge impact on your pregnancy and birth experience.

Early in your pregnancy is the best time to choose your maternity care provider and birth setting, but you can switch all the way up until 32-34 weeks and I've even seen families switch as late as 41 weeks, but it wasn't easy and was very stressful.  

Choosing a care provider will impact: 

• How well you can get to know and trust your care provider. 
• How much information you get from one another. 
• The choices and options you will have, particularly during labor and birth.
• Your involvement with decisions about your care, prenatally and in labor. 

I want you to ask yourself these questions: 

• ​When I'm in the care providers office, do I feel heard, respected, and over-all, genuinely cared for? 
• Is my time valued and I'm not rushed through any of my questions? 
• ​Does my provider seem receptive to questions pertaining to my birth plan or wishes?
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If you feel disrespected, not-heard, or dismissed in any way, now is the time to start thinking about switching.

If you are thinking about switching care providers for a better experience the next time you have a baby, I encourage you to switch now. 

Click the link below to download ''10 Questions to Ask Your Care Provider'' from the Lamaze website. 

The care providers I've listed here have a reputation of being incredibly respectful of birth and a patient’s right to informed consent. These providers also either work solo or with a very small group. I won't list or recommend a care provider that is within a huge practice where Dr. x may be great, but Dr. Y is always condescending and rude. 

If you don't see your care provider on this list, don't be alarmed. I'm only one doula and I've only attended 250ish births. There are soo many more care providers than I've had the opportunity to work with. 

It is important to choose someone you are comfortable with. 
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Atrium Birth Center - Middletown 
Premier Physicians - CNMs and OBGYNs

Bethesda North 
Dr. Daniel Bowen, OBGYN 
Tina Pearson, CNM 

Christ Hospital 
Tina Pearson, CNM 
Michelle Zamudio, CNM

Family Beginnings - Dayton 
Dr. Stephen Guy OBGYN and CNMs ​

Good Samaritan 
Seven Hills Midwives - West Fork  

Homebirth Care Providers
Women's Wisdom
Cincinnati Homebirth Circle 
​Cincinnati Homebirth Collaborative 
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Mercy Anderson 
Seven Hills CNMs - State Rd. 
Dr. Varnau and Patridge 

Mercy West 
Seven Hills Midwives - West Fork 

St. Elizabeth 
Dr. Vormbrock, OBGYN 
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Should you have any questions about my experience with certain care providers, feel free to ask! ​