How Music Listening Can Support Antepartum and Intrapartum Maternal Well-being

Motherhood can be characterized by psychological distress, negatively impacting familial relationships and mothers’ well-being. A growing body of research supports the use of music listening for well-being. The present scoping review aimed to (1) consolidate evidence-based knowledge on the role of music listening for maternal well-being prenatally and during birth, and (2) examine the features of the music resources used in the published research. Following PRISMA guidelines for Scoping Reviews, a database search using three search terms (versions of music, listen*, and prenatal or birth) resulted in analyzing 55 articles. Thematic analysis identified the well-being benefits of music listening during pregnancy (three sub-themes: psychological well-being, attachment, and physiological well-being) and birth (three sub-themes: pain management, psychological well-being, and labor progression). During pregnancy, music listening significantly improves psychological well-being, fosters maternal-fetal attachment, and improves physiological well-being (e.g., sleep, blood pressure, heart rate). During labor, music listening significantly reduces labor duration and pain, accelerates labor progression, increases the likelihood of vaginal delivery. Details about the music were often missing; however, when provided, most studies implemented a single session lasting 15 to 30 minutes with experimenter-selected music. These findings have implications for using music listening as an accessible, non-pharmacological, evidence-based tool to support maternal well-being.