Premature birth can have serious consequences for the baby's health, and globally, around 15 million children are born prematurely. Of these, a small part is born long before the end of the 37 weeks. A birth is considered premature if a baby is born between 24 and 32 weeks of pregnancy.
Such situations pose great risks to the health of babies, some of them being born even four months before the deadline. Even though their chances of survival are quite high due to new discoveries in neonatal medicine, the likelihood that they will later develop neuropsychological disorders is considerable, due to the incomplete brain development and its immaturity.
Children born before the 32nd week of pregnancy are prone to developing certain neuropsychological disorders such as learning difficulties or emotional and attention disorders. Due to the fact that the environment in an intensive care unit is very different from the mother's womb, the brain of the baby born very prematurely cannot continue its development at its normal rate. Therefore, medical researchers have conducted a study to analyse whether music specially designed for the essential moments of the day, such as when they wake up or fall asleep, can influence how the brain forms its neural network, which is essential in its normal functioning.
With the help of music, the level of stress that babies feel in the hospital environment, which they cannot adapt to, is reduced. Music enhances the negative effects of the environment and promotes the development of cognitive and sensory functions to a much greater degree than in children who have not undergone this type of therapy.
One of the most affected areas of the brain due to long-term birth is the neural network, which has the role of filtering information and determining their importance in a person's actions. This network is essential, determining the ability to learn and carry out cognitive processes, but also to manage emotions or social relationships. The brain of premature babies does not, on its own, have the possibility to develop this network due to the negative external stimuli.
Thus, music has the role of creating a peaceful environment for the brain; the results of the study show that the babies who listened to this music, recorded better communication between this neural network and other areas of the brain.
Access to quality medical services is one of the most effective solutions to avoid such situations.
Thus, regular medical consultations can be carried out during pregnancy, which will show if the baby is suffering from an abnormality or if the mother is having problems. The costs of these medical services are covered by a private health insurance that, in addition, covers the medical needs of the child from its first day of life.