The effect of music listening to mothers of premature babies in the neonatal intensive care unit on mothers’ stress levels and amount of breast milk: A randomized controlled trial

We aimed to examine the effects of music listening on stress levels and breast milk volume among mothers of premature infants in the neonatal intensive care unit. We conducted a randomized controlled trial between 15.11.2023, and 22.04.2024. A total of 59 mothers of premature infants completed the study. When comparing the mean ‘State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI)’ scores between the experimental and control groups, there was no significant difference between the groups on the third and fourth days. However, in the experimental group, the amount of breast milk on day 4th was statistically significantly higher than on day 1st. Listening to music may contribute to increased breast milk production in mothers of preterm infants during the early postpartum period. Based on these findings, we suggest that music may be considered a supportive, non-pharmacological intervention in neonatal intensive care settings.