Introduction: Music which we listen to throughout lifetime affects our entire body, particularly the mood. It also has a positive effect on a woman and her child during pregnancy, labour and in the postpartum period. Music therapy is a method that is becoming increasingly popular worldwide and has only recently begun to evolve into an independent discipline, which includes a music therapist and a client. Positive effects of music have been known for over a hundred years and it was used as early as 4000 years ago by the Egyptians. Objectives: To review evidence-based research on music therapy in order to show what effects music has on people, especially on the woman and her baby during pregnancy, labour and after birth. Methods: A descriptive method of empirical research with a systematic review, evaluation and analysis of domestic and foreign scientific and technical literature was used. An interview with a PhD graduate in music pedagogy was conducted. Literature was obtained from scientific databases Cobiss, DiKUL, Google Scholar, Cochrane Library, ScienceDirect, ProQuest, Cinahl, PubMed and Medline. Results: Women who integrated music therapy into their pregnancies experienced less stress, which can cause sadness, anxiety or even depression. Three studies demonstrated such effects. Children who are exposed to certain music during pregnancy can identify it close to term, which may have a very calming effect on them. Even during labour and after, familiar music makes children feel calm and safer. Three studies have proven that music therapy positively affects the labouring woman because listening to music makes her focus on its rhythm, melody or lyrics, which causes faster time lapse, more bearable contractions and a feeling of active involvement. Listening to music after birth mainly affects the psychological state of individual women such as sadness, anxiety and postpartum depression, which nowadays happen quite frequently. It was confirmed by two studies. Discussion and conclusion: Music therapy during pregnancy, labour and the postpartum period is particularly suitable for the prevention of psychological states that appear problematic at these times. Positive effects on the woman and her child have been proven, and what is more, the method or therapy is totally non-invasive.
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