Cuida'm, the musical accompaniment project for premature babies that works magic

When Tànit Navarro (singer, vocal therapist, and composer) and Maria José Aguilera (guitarist, teacher, and composer) met at the II Traditional Roots Music Gathering in 2017, they didn't imagine they would end up sharing a life experience like going through an ICU. Tànit was a premature baby, and María José gave birth to premature twins who also had to spend time in that unit. It is for this reason that they deeply understand and connect with the needs and vulnerabilities of this group.

But despite the fact that situations for families in the neonatal ICU can be extremely difficult, María's experience was far from traumatic. It became empowering, thanks also to the help of the wonderful professionals who treated them during their stay. Thus, as a token of gratitude, she proposed to Tànit to offer a Christmas recital in the maternity unit of the Hospital Clínic, doing what they do best: music. With that, magic emerged.

Numerous studies discuss the benefits of music on the human body. It directly influences important aspects of life such as mood, stress control, anxiety, or fatigue. Its effects are evident in spaces like the ICU, where the sound of machines is so prevalent. For a premature baby, every gram of weight gained is an achievement, so maintaining low stress levels is of vital importance for their recovery. "A gram of weight in these babies is a step closer to leaving the ICU. A baby who is relaxed and happy is a baby who can gain weight. We must not forget that these are babies who are intubated and connected to different machines. It's not the most beautiful way to arrive in the world," Aguilera comments after her experience.

Oscar García Algar, head of theNeonatology Serviceof the Hospital Clínic-Maternitat, along with his team, knows how much the well-being of the little ones matters, and was the promoter of the periodicity of these musical accompaniments, converted by these two women musicians into the projectCuida'm, as well as the presentation of it in theNational Congress of Neonatology. In the bubble of love created in the ICU, when the notes of María José's guitar begin to play, and Tànit's voice vibrates in the air, the little hearts beat to the rhythm of the melody,their breaths relax, and a feeling of peace invades the space, also caressing the families and all the people who work there

"A gram of weight in these babies is a step closer to getting out of the ICU. A baby that is relaxed and happy is a baby that can gain weight," explains María José Aguilera.

Due to its beneficial effects, "Take care of me---explain the artists--- it is not only about music focusing on the care of neonates, it is a valid tool for any other group. So that families, ICU workers or people who are in contact with children, can sing" and manage to "make music a constant in their lives and in their growth, in phases of parenting in which it acts as an ally to maintain control in moments of madness".

Ancestrally, music and singing have been part of human life. They have accompanied and celebrated daily life, but it seems as if the maelstrom of the society in which we are immersed has nullified this capacity. Cuida'm not only accompanies newborns but also people at the other end of life, especially the elderly. With the arrival of the pandemic, it has become clear how the groups considered vulnerable have diversified and the need for self-care has reached our homes like a tsunami.

"We have seen that the music from our project can also help other people. Singing is a tool that works like medicine to feel better," says Navarro. "What if we go into a company and give them musical training that they can apply in their daily lives to learn to breathe, to relax, to have control of their body, in short, to be better?". Democratizing music, humanizing spaces through it, are also objectives of the project.

What if we go into a company and give employees musical training that they can apply in their daily lives to learn to breathe, to relax, to have control of their body, in short, to be better?

Thus, what is intended is precisely that: to take care of ourselves. Either through the musical accompaniment of their recitals and concerts, or by offering training for professionals in the field of care, as well as for other professionals outside that field, but who want to feel better."It is not necessary to be a great singer to feel the benefits that music can bring to our own bodies", they sentence.

This precious project continues to expand its branches, preparing an album through crowdfunding, with songs for use to accompany different moments, such as feeding or putting babies to sleep, and also other more intimate and difficult ones, such as perinatal grief —that great forgotten one—, so important to accompany. Music is life and well-being. María José and Tànit with their Cuida'm, are capable of creating a magical bubble where the only thing that matters is the murmur of a newborn's breaths, in its mother's arms. And may the world beat to the rhythm of a tiny heart.

More information can be obtained through their website www.cuidamusica.com And on social media Facebook Cuida'm, música para bebés prematuros and Instagram @cuidamusica.

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