We all know that the sound of a parent’s voice not only soothes their baby, but also creates connections and has a profound effect on parents' own sense of self. So we are excited and challenged to be working with Kirsty Jane, a specialist music therapist in the Neonatal Unit at University College Hospital to support the co-design of a music therapy program which aims to improve key aspects of continuing bonds for parents of infants with life-limited conditions in a neonatal setting.

We will be working with Kirsty, her team of parents with lived experience and the wider music and neonatal community to co-design and develop a learning application, support programme and animation that will come from the parents, be something that anybody can do, celebrate each family’s identity and help to connect their baby to the family and their wider community.

The ambition is that this method of care becomes embedded across all neonatal units and helps to change the perception of families and clinician, making sure that everyone’s baby feels part of life, no matter how fragile or temporal our lives may be.

The project is funded by NIHR and is a partnership between Kings College London, Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice and UCLH.
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Image: Cymatic visual representation of sound and vibration

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