Tiltai

The article focuses on the emotional aspects of programs performed by institutions of prenatal music education (PME) in Lithuania and reveals how the content of this education helps pregnant women to experience positive emotions, especially joy, and overcome the increased nervousness and fear of childbirth. We conducted a study where fourteen respondents were interviewed: six women who during their pregnancy attended music education classes for future mothers (the musical educational health promotion school “Sveikutis”, Vilnius; and the studio of music therapy and meditation “Dabartis”, Klaipėda) and eight women who practiced musicianship independently. The experiences of these fourteen respondents of different age (from 20 to 45 years old at the time of pregnancy) and from different cities (Vilnius, Kaunas, Klaipėda, Panevėžys, Pasvalys and Šiauliai) has revealed that all women who during their pregnancy practiced musicianship had deep and significant experiences and felt the decrease of fear of childbirth. However, the women who attended music education classes had a larger spectrum of opportunities: they could play various instruments, perform additional and useful exercises, and receive more beneficial information, which allowed them to feel positive emotions more often. In addition, the women who attended PME classes claimed to achieve the connection with their unborn child faster and they rated their pregnancy with a higher grade concerning the smoothness of the period. It is significant that PME classes had a positive impact on the husbands of pregnant women as well – the received information encouraged soon to be fathers to communicate with their unborn children. The results of our study confirm that the PME classes in Lithuania promote the pregnant women’s positive emotions, especially experiencing joy, decrease the fear of childbirth, and also have a positive effect on couple’s relationships.