Maternal reports of preterm babies directed vocalization in NICU

Maternal speech and singing are essential elements of the mother-baby relationship construction, especially for babies who are born prematurely and require hospitalization in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU). This study aimed to investigate the vocalization of mothers of preterm babies hospitalized in the NICU, in particular, the use they made of infant directed speech and singing, and how they perceived their vocal interactions with the baby. A multiple case study design was conducted, involving 9 mothers. The mothers were interviewed and the reports were analyzed by thematic analysis, based on three themes: (1) Vocalization associated with mother-infant interaction; (2) Vocalization as a basis of the mother-baby relationship construction; and (3) Content of maternal vocalization. The results revealed that speaking and singing are important for the mother-baby relationship, especially in the NICU context. Vocalization was shown to be closely linked to the possible physical contact with the baby during hospitalization. Vocalization was perceived as bringing benefits to the baby, calming the baby, inducing sleep, drawing baby’s attention for a more active interaction with the mother, or even to mediate pain. Despite the shyness to vocalize, the mothers felt calmer and more confident when speaking and singing, and were in tune with the baby, constituting the feeling of “being a mother”.

in prep