The unique lullabies bringing joy to new mums

The sounds of the neonatal unit at Princess Anne Hospital in Southampton are a reminder of the tiny, precious lives being supported on the ward.

But the beeps and bells blend into lullabies, with the arrival of music students from the University of Southampton.

The musicians have been invited to play songs and tunes – not as music therapy, but to build connections between the babies and their parents.

Consultant Neonatologist Dr Bala Thyagarajan says their presence helps to ease tensions.

She said: "Most of the babies have been through intensive care. They are used to alarms like this, beeps, blood pressure monitoring, constant procedures.

"They have never had a chance of having a more normal life."

Twins Maeve and Frankie were born by emergency C-section at 27 weeks.

Mum Corron said it has been a "scary" time with "lots of ups" and "lots of downs".

She is one of the parents who have been encouraged to share a few words about her little ones so that the students can create personalised lullabies.

"A lot of the time they write things about being brave, and being calm and having strength, which is encouraging," said 18-year-old Harrie Wilson, who enjoys turning the notes into songs.

"Often there's nicknames for the babies," she added.

Her partner, Cora Tarling, 19, says the creative process is very rewarding and gives "a sense of the personality" of the mother or father or whoever writes the note.

Baby Bella faced some complications whilst being delivered but her mother Lucy thinks music can have a "calming" power.

"I've been playing the same soundtracks to Bella all through the pregnancy and in theatre when she arrived," she said.

It was fitting that on her discharge day Bella was serenaded home with her own personalised lullaby.

Adam arrived at 25 weeks and his mother Kale found it incredibly hard in the early days when he was in an incubator.

She said she asked them for an upbeat tune about breastfeeding and pumping.

"Obviously they did their job really well. It was really good," Kale said.

The musicians use the sounds from the ward around them as a musical motif, ensuring that they do not mask those vital noises altogether.

Dr Bala Thyagarajan, a neonatologist and clinical leader at University Hospital Southampton, said it was having a positive impact.

"It's a really, really impactful moment seeing the families bond together and the babies calm down," he said.

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