“Music is considered my skin to skin with her”: Music therapy with parents and their extremely preterm infants in the NICU

Abstract

There is an emerging body of literature focused on parent-infant bonding and parent identity within music therapy during a NICU stay, and limited research on the use of music therapy experiences with families admitted for extreme prematurity. This study aims to identify the experiences of families admitted to the NICU for extreme prematurity and explore the role music therapy plays in their relationship with their infants. Two families that participated in music therapy sessions, were followed throughout their NICU stay and were interviewed about their experiences. Transcripts from the interviews and session notes were analyzed. Two themes emerged from the interviews and session data: making it through the journey, with subthemes emotional rollercoaster, ways of coping, and music as an escape, and redefining role as a parent, with subthemes, the NICU parent, moments of connection, and creating memories.