While studies have shown that music therapy can help reduce stress and anxiety in pregnant women, the State-run Vani Vilas Hospital has gone a step further in using music and sound therapy to detect foetal anomalies.
Doctors led by hospital Medical Superintendent Geeta Shivamurthy have begun a study of expecting mothers (diagnosed with high-risk pregnancies) using Music and Sound Assisted Pre-natal Sonography (MAPS).
This is an instrument developed by a team of radiologists led by M.F. Davis and K.N. Maruthy in India. It has been used on 90 women in Chennai and Andhra Pradesh. Doctors from Vani Vilas have been using it in last two months.
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With four women chosen for the first phase, the doctors are able to record the Biophysical Profile (BPP) of the foetus within five minutes using MAPS. BPP is the most commonly used non-invasive test to assess foetal well-being in-uterus. It is usually done after 28 weeks and requires at least 30 minutes. This test, a part of which is done through an ultrasound scan, tracks the baby’s movement and tests the amount of amniotic fluid. Another part of the BPP is a non-stress test that monitors the baby’s heartbeat for 20 minutes.
“Using the instrument, we are able to detect abnormalities in hearing ability and neurodevelopment disorders. The aim is to study foetal behaviour in a silent environment and foetal response after acoustic stimulation,” Dr. Geeta Shivamurthy told The Hindu.
“In the first five minutes, the amount of amniotic fluid around the foetus, the heart rate, breathing, muscle tone and movement are observed in a quiet environment. The mild music and pre-recorded voice of the mother (each five minutes) is played using MAPS and the foetal response is tabulated,” she explained.
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Eexpecting mother Anita Nagaraj, 23, who is on music therapy, said she was thrilled when her doctor told her that her baby could listen to her recorded voice. “During the session, I feel there is increased baby movement. I had observed the same while listening to music but did not know that my recorded voice can also create the same stimulation,” she said.
Hearing develops first
Stating that the sense of hearing is probably the most developed of all senses before birth, Dr. Shivamurthy said the ears appear in a foetus in the third week of gestation. “The ear becomes functional by the 26th week and active listening by the foetus begins by the 24th week. That is why the foetus responds with movement when music and the mother’s voice is played,” she explained adding that 90 women will be covered in the next few months.
Nearly 11,000 expectant mothers have undergone music therapy, initiated in 2012, at Vani Vilas Hospital till date.
“We have studied the effect of music therapy during pregnancy and labour and found that it has reduced stress and anxiety considerably in the expecting mothers. They are made to listen to mild instrumental music and record the baby’s movements in our music therapy room,” Dr. Shivamurthy told The Hindu.
“We decided on mild instrumental music in consultation with cognition therapist Shantala Hegde. The response has been overwhelming. We hear from the mothers that they feel relaxed and realise that the baby is also enjoying the music as there is movement inside,” she added.