With the help of your wonderful Rocking Chair CD as well as MindStill Essence, I felt calm, relaxed and happy for my whole pregnancy! - Judith

What is Rocking Chair CD?

This especially composed CD was commissioned by our Clinical Psychologist, Michele Carelse, and contains purely instrumental music. At the time of recording, the musician was about to become a first time father, and so this CD is very special for him as well!

The music on the CD has been composed with the right combination of new sounds and repetitive melodies that will stimulate your baby's development while at the same time being completely relaxing and soothing to the soul.

How can music therapy help you and your baby?

Music can play an important part in all stages of pregnancy, as well as for your newborn baby.

Initially, music therapy can help to relax you during the early stages of pregnancy. When relaxed, the chemical messengers released by your brain will calm your unborn baby and impart a sense of well-being. Remember that the happiness of the mother directly affects the baby's emotions, as both share many hormones during pregnancy!

By week 25 of your pregnancy, your baby has a well developed sense of hearing and can begin to recognize sound. Music has been shown to assist in neurological and cognitive development, and early exposure to certain kinds of music may even help with the development of mathematical ability.

Furthermore, there is evidence that music played to the womb during late pregnancy may lead to children being more responsive to music after birth. Soothing music may help newborns be more relaxed and less agitated. Pre-term newborns exposed to music may have increased feeding rates, reduced days to discharge, increased weight gain, and increased tolerance of stimulation. They may also have reduced heart rates and a deeper sleep after therapy. (Chang, S. C. and Chen, C. H. "The application of music therapy in maternity nursing". Hu Li Za Zhi. 2004;51(5):61-66.)( Hicks, F. "The role of music therapy in the care of the newborn." Nurs.Times 9-20-1995;91(38):31-33.)( Kemper, K., Martin, K., Block, S. M., Shoaf, R., and Woods, C. "Attitudes and expectations about music therapy for premature infants among staff in a neonatal intensive care unit." Altern.Ther.Health Med. 2004;10(2):50-54.)( Olson, S. L. "Bedside musical care: applications in pregnancy, childbirth, and neonatal care." J.Obstet.Gynecol.Neonatal Nurs. 1998;27(5):569-575.)

If you expose your baby to music in the womb, once your baby is born, the familiar sounds will help instill a sense of security and relaxation and will help to calm a restless baby. Music can also help with the process of childbirth by relieving anxiety and stimulating the release of endorphins to combat pain.