Impact Of Music Therapy On Pregnant Women In Labour

Abstract

INTRODUCTION Labor and child birth includes intense physical, emotional, psychological, social, cultural elements that may be critical to an individual woman’s experience of this major life event. Labour pain can induce stress and anxiety in pregnant women which can induce many physiological and psychological body responses in pregnant women like an increase in cardiac output, blood pressure, respiratory rate, oxygen consumption, catecholamine, cortisol, and glucagon level, which can lead to harmful effects on the body. Intervention for pain and discomfort during labor is a major part of modern obstetric care. Music interventions may decrease anxiety and physiological indices related to anxiety. Music heals the soul and also influences immune and endocrine function. It is a non-pharmacological modality that is non-invasive, cost-effective, easily accessible to all social group. So this study was conducted to know the impact of music therapy as a holistic approach to enhance comfort, reduce pain perception, and support emotional well-being during labour. MATERIALS AND METHODS This prospective interventional study, conducted from September 2022 to May 2024, examined the effects of music therapy on pregnant women in active labour. The study included 200 participants divided into two groups: an interventional group receiving music therapy and a control group. The interventional group underwent two 20-minute sessions of non-lyrical, instrumental classical (Behagrag) music with a 10-minute gap. The control group received routine obstetric care. Both groups were assessed for pain with Visual analogue scale, clinical parameters, cardiotocography, and serum cortisol levels at baseline, 20 minutes and at 50 minutes. Data was analysed using JMP-SAS Software. A p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS This study examined the effects of music therapy during labour on 200 pregnant women (100 in each group). Key findings include significantly lower serum cortisol levels in the music group at 50 minutes (23.83 ± 12.31 vs. 36.06 ± 14.15, p<0.00001), and lower pain scores on the Visual Analog Scale at 50 minutes (6.87 ± 0.86 vs. 8.69 ± 0.59, p<0.00001). The music group had significantly lower DBP at 20 minutes (p = 0.043749) and 50 minutes (p = 0.000934). Although not statistically significant, a trend towards better fetal outcomes was also observed in the music group. However, no significant differences were found in various maternal parameters between the groups. CONCLUSION In conclusion, this prospective interventional study demonstrates that music therapy during labour may benefit fetal well-being and maternal stress levels. The music group exhibited a significantly reduced pain and anxiety during labour demonstrated by Lower visual analogue scores , lower serum cortisol levels than the control group. These results suggest the potential benefits of music therapy in reducing stress and pain during labour. This study demonstrates significant decrease in diastolic blood pressure levels, Further research is required to determine the effects of music therapy in pre eclampsia patients. These findings suggest that music therapy could be a potential non-pharmacological intervention to promote fetal well-being and reduce maternal stress during labour. Further research with larger sample sizes and targeted interventions is warranted to clarify the relationship between music therapy and various maternal and fetal outcomes during labour.