the power of song — singing to our little one
Given that my husband and I are both musicians, it may come as no surprise to hear that our baby loves music, too. while in utero, he heard me singing, playing guitar, and teaching music all day. my first discovery of his musical fascination came very early, during quite a trying moment.
baby Desi was born last May through days of medication-free labor, a tornado, and hours of pushing. when we finally made it home after two nights at the hospital (I had planned a birth center birth, you can see how that didn’t go according to plan) I spent another largely sleepless night staying up with him, learning how to breastfeed, and getting to know our little boy. he quickly became hard to console, and without knowing the cause, I tried everything to calm him down. by the early morning hours, he was shrieking and literally climbing up my body in what we now know was a desperate attempt to find food — he wasn’t getting enough from me and was dehydrated, jaundiced, and starving. we drove to the ER and spent a night at the NICU to get him back on track before finally settling into a routine as a family.
during this night of hunger, the only thing that consoled poor Desi was when I sang to him. when I held him and sang to him, he stared up into my eyes so sweetly and deeply, listening to every note without any sign of distress. looking back on these moments and knowing what he was going through, it truly is amazing to me that music kept him so captivated and calm.
the challenges of parenting didn’t stop after our stay at the NICU, as all parents can imagine. However, a couple of musical discoveries have made things a little easier, and often a lot more fun. Our sweet boy has been very alert and wide-eyed since day one, and as he has grown he’s needed an increasing amount of stimulation and novelty. One day while my husband was watching him, he tried playing guitar and singing for Desi. Desi simply loved it! Music time is now a part of every day in our family: Desi sits in his swing, and mom or dad sings and plays guitar for him. He can recognize songs, sometimes laughs or babbles along, and even has four original songs already written in his honor.
Not only has music been a great source of play and entertainment for our boy, but it’s had a role in nap time as well. If you don’t know already, newborns can require a lot of specific amenities to take their naps, and our Desi falls somewhere on the extreme side with this. Swaddles, bouncing, white noise, blackout curtains, and shushing are all part of the regular routine. As an experiment, one nap time I decided to sing rather than shush Desi. I was amazed that his eyes went from crying, to fascination, to calm sleep just from the sound of the song (in combination with a double swaddle, bouncing on a yoga ball, and patting, of course). This was a huge game changer for a mom tired of making a loud shushing sound for fifteen minutes or so every couple of hours.
Now most nap times start with song. It’s been so fun exploring different Lullabies, songs I remember from my own childhood or other songs that I love that have a soft, sweet sound. This time of song that I share with Desi is so special to me, and I can’t wait to see how it expands and grows along with him.
the other day Desi and I were out for a walk, part of the purpose of which was to get him to have a nap in his stroller. Sometimes this works like a charm, but often it’s a difficult transition into sleep for him. Again I tried something new — as we entered the trail that goes through a patch of woods near our house, I began singing to him. Letting my voice gently fill the cozy woods, with the sound of the trees and the crunch of acorns under his stroller as accompaniment, I watched his darling eyes slowly and peacefully shut Into a gentle sleep with not a single tear or whimper. I felt like we were at one with nature, through the power of song. This was, so far, one of the memories of motherhood I will cherish most.
How have you felt the power of song in your life lately?
photos by elena stanton