I'm Sarah, a UK-based registered Music Therapist and founder of Mama Bear Music Therapy.
I developed this company to raise awareness of maternal mental health and provide research-based information on the benefits of using music during pregnancy, birth & beyond.
I first fell in love with working with families welcoming a child into the world in my final year of Music Therapy training when I began working within a Neonatal Unit. Even though my Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Music Therapy Training mostly focused on using music to benefit the premature babies, some parents would tell me beautiful stories about how they would sing quietly to their little ones through the plastic walls of the incubaters and it was evident that using music was just as important for the wider family.
I wanted to gain a better understanding of the benefits of using music throughout the whole pregnancy experience, from conception, through pregnancy, during birth, and beyond with a newborn. Alongside working within the Neonatal Unit, I began facilitating community music groups for parents and babies and conducting a research study to gain insight into the experiences of women using music during pregnancy.
From there, the Mama Bear Music Therapy company was created.
Music is an accessible way to build a strong relationship between you and your baby during pregnancy while also encouraging foetal learning. It can support your maternal mental health by lowering anxiety, lowering blood pressure and improving sleep quality. Using music is also beneficial during the further stages of the pregnancy experience, such as during birth for pain management and a more positive birth experience, and beyond, to encourage feeding, sleep soothing and reaching developmental milestones. You can also support your wider family and loved ones to use music with you and your baby, in person or remotely.
Follow on Instagram at @mamabearmusictherapy for the latest updates.
If you'd like to get in touch you can also email [email protected]