{
  "abstract": "Background GOSH is the Primary Treatment Centre for all infants under 12 months with a cancer diagnosis across the South East of England. In a six-month snapshot, this group accounted for ~17% of admissions to our Cancer and Immunology wards. Parenting a newborn can be isolating, with well-documented risks to parental mental health. For parents of babies with life-threatening illness, these challenges are intensified by a gruelling treatment journey and separation from support networks. One mother described the heartbreak of spending her maternity leave in hospital, missing out on ‘normal’ experiences and feeling unable to ‘relate to parents of well children.’ Co-occupations - shared activities such as feeding, bathing, and co-regulation - are central to bonding, infant regulation, and neurodevelopment. Music offers an accessible form of co-occupation, with evidence for enhancing infant regulation, reducing parental stress, and strengthening attachment (Ghetti, et al, 2023, Perkins, 2020). Method Caregiver needs and priorities were identified using a Co-Occupation Confidence Checklist. Support packages were then developed including weekly baby music groups co-led by Music Therapy and Occupational Therapy, sling training, swaddle bathing, sleep guidance, and breastfeeding support. Evaluation tools included Patient-Reported Experience Measures, confidence checklists, and staff feedback. Results Preliminary findings demonstrate increased caregiver confidence in holding, soothing, and playing with their baby. 98% percent of parents strongly agreed that music therapy group provided comfort, supported bonding, and reduced isolation. 97% strongly agreed that it ‘made it easier to be in hospital’. Parents described sessions as offering ‘a moment of normality in hospital’ and valued peer connection. One mother reflected that the sessions helped her ‘reclaim experiences I thought had been lost.’ Conclusion By integrating everyday co-occupations into care, hospitals can support parents not only to cope, but to safeguard opportunities for meaningful first-year experiences amidst long hospital stays and uncertain futures.References Edwards J. Promoting attachment behaviors between parents and infants through music-based interventions. Music Ther Perspect. 2011;29(2):127–133.Ghetti C, De Luca A, Lucarelli E, et al. Parent singing in the neonatal intensive care unit: Enhancing intimacy, communication, and early bonding. Front Psychol. 2023;14:1020519.Perkins R, Mason-Bertrand A, Fancourt D, Baxter L, Williamon A. How participatory music engagement supports mental wellbeing: a meta-ethnography. Qual Health Res. 2020;30(12):1924–1940.Stovall SG, George RG, Lara MT, Gainous KO, Kitchens RF, Hilton CL. Parent perspectives of co-occupations in neonatal intensive care: a thematic review of barriers and supports. OTJR Occup Ther J Res. 2024;44(1):5–15.",
  "authors": [
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Katya Herman"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Charlotte Betteridge"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Mairi Kennedy"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Cheyenne Kelly-King"
    }
  ],
  "title": "107 From isolation to connection: Music therapy and co-occupation to support families of babies undergoing cancer and immunology treatment",
  "uid": "4eca4ca7-3ea1-5542-8e06-32f6bae8a49c"
}