Maternal voice reduces pain in premature babies through oxytocin release
We have recently published in Scientific Reports an article entitled "" showing that the maternal voice reduces signs of pain in premature babies when they undergo life-saving medical interventions.This reduction in pain signs was concomitant with an increase in oxytocin in preterm infants.
UNIGE Press release
A baby born prematurely often has to be separated from its parents and placed in an incubator in intensive care. For several weeks, he or she will undergo routine medical procedures that can be painful, without being relieved by too many pharmaceutical painkillers, which are risky for his or her development. So how can we act for the good of the baby? A team from the AV短视频 (UNIGE), in collaboration with the Parini Hospital in Italy and the AV短视频 of Valle d’Aosta, observed that when the mother spoke to her baby at the time of the medical intervention, the signs of the baby’s expression of pain decreased and his oxytocin level – the hormone involved in attachment and also linked to stress – increased significantly, which could attest to better pain management. These results, to be read in the journal Scientific Reports , demonstrate the importance of parental presence with premature babies, who are subjected to intense stress from birth, a presence that has a real impact on their well-being and development.
