"My baby, so pretty..." In a hospital room in Nancy, the voice of an opera singer brings a soothing interlude to premature newborns, an encounter between care and operatic art born from a partnership between the University Hospital and the opera.
Aline Martin, a mezzo-soprano in the chorus of the Opéra national de Lorraine, sits down opposite a mother holding her premature baby. After talking with her for a few minutes, she begins to sing.
Between classic Walt Disney tunes, nursery rhymes, an "Ave Maria" or the hymn "Amazing Grace", the presenter has a wide repertoire to satisfy the desires of parents and develop the curiosity of toddlers, who often open an eye or smile.
According to her, the voice soothes babies, who fall into a deep sleep "four times out of five".
Pediatrician and co-head of the department, Mathilde Queudet, praises the benefits of singing for premature babies, "demonstrated in the literature for several years." "It soothes them, slows their heart rate, improves sleep and the transition to deep sleep," the doctor lists.
– Child development –
"Reassurance" is also often the first benefit highlighted by mothers who benefit from this mini-concert in the hospital.
"It brings lightness, happiness," says Tiphaine Robert, 29, mother of Nora, born on September 6.
The first time Aline Martin sang for Nora, "we had to continue singing all afternoon with my partner," otherwise the infant "would fuss as soon as we stopped," smiles her mother, who says her "pleasure" in reliving the intervention.
"We can also feel that it contributes to her awakening, she opens her eyes a little, fidgets a little," she observes.
In a room where "the noise of the machines" never stops, "it's important for the well-being of the babies," also praises Emma, mother of Iris, born on September 7, two and a half months early.
Apart from the incessant "beeps" of the machines, "the days are long and silent" at the hospital, "we are always waiting," notes Patricia Didier, mother of Tom, born at 32 weeks.
Therefore, the concert "brought a little bit of joy," noted the mother, whose toddler "opened his eyes" at the first notes and "smiled throughout."
– “Small safety valve” –
For Dr. Queudet, singing strengthens the parent/child bond: even if the parents do not sing themselves, it "plants a seed" and the idea that they will be able to hum in turn.
This idea is all the more welcome given that today's parents, "connected to their smartphones," "no longer sing to their babies like they used to" and sometimes simply search for music for them on YouTube, laments Aline Martin.
In resuscitation or intensive care, the opera singer's "audience" is hospitalized for highly variable periods, from a few days to several months.
In intensive care, a "very particular environment," "the bond and attachment are severely tested," the pediatrician emphasizes. The suspended moment with the artist is then "a little bubble, a little release valve we offer them, an additional opportunity to experience something unique with their child."
One year after the signing of an agreement between the CHRU (regional university hospital center) and the Opéra de Lorraine to "integrate the voice into the care pathway", the challenge today is "to broaden these actions", explains Fedoua Bayoudh, head of the artistic and cultural education department of the opera, which manages this project.
According to Inserm, 6.91% of babies are born prematurely in France.
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