November 13, 2023 | Blogs and News
By Mireille Karadanaian — 2 min read —
The day your child is born is one of the most beautiful and terrifying of your life as a parent. When your tiny baby’s hand wraps around your one finger, it feels like the entire world is contained in that single moment. From their first breath, your most repeated wish is for your child to forever remain safe, happy and healthy.
“When I was pregnant I was told my daughter had a small hole in her heart.” Those are the first words that second-time parent, Ani Yemenidjian spoke to me about her pregnancy. A year ago, the doctors had informed her of the cardiovascular issue and how it was easily fixable, but when beautiful and eager Juliette was born early, the situation changed along with Ani’s life. Despite the NICU team on standby and a month in the ICU, Yemenidjian was told that her daughter had two large holes in her heart that could only be repaired through open-heart surgery.
“She couldn’t survive without it. She was on a breathing tube and feeding tube because every sip she took was making her heart work so hard it was like she was running a marathon.” In order to minimize the risks of complications from the bypass machine, The Yemenidjians had to wait three agonizing months for Juliette to reach the desired weight of 8 pounds. That period of time and the recovery period afterwards seemed like a fever dream for the family and perhaps without the guiding beacon of Music Therapy, the Yemenidjians wouldn’t be where they are today.
Post-surgery Juliette was moved to Children’s Hospital, where Yemenidjian who fell in love with what she called the “life-changing programs of the hospital,” decided to introduce her daughter to Music Therapy.
“They would come into the NICU room twice a week and the music therapist would open up the side of the bed, put her guitar on the crib so Juliette could hear her sing, but also feel the vibrations of the guitar and it was one of the very first times she started to reach for something, she was responding to the music.”
Initially, Yemenidjian thought that the idea of Music Therapy was just a sweet gesture, but she said, “the first day the music therapist came into the room, it was such an experience, there was not a single moment during the session that I didn’t cry.”
They were happy tears, of course, a burst of emotion at the sight of her daughter feeling the special power of music firsthand, and it’s clear how this experience seemed to fill a very different hole in Yemenidjian’s heart as well.
“As a newborn, she defied all odds and would reach for the guitar, one time she even touched one of the strings and made a little sound herself.”
The Music Therapist for Juliette’s stay at the hospital. would personalize songs for her and find ways to make the entire session special and personal to the family she was working with. “One song that got me emotional was Somewhere Over the Rainbow, she sounded like an angel, I had never heard anyone sing like her.”
Perhaps even next to the greatest singer in the world, Juliette’s MT would still sound better because it was not just the beauty and fluidity of her voice, it was how her voice seemed to touch a part of Juliette that nothing else could.
She would perform before surgeries and post-op as well to calm Juliette, even despite her sedated state. Even now back at home, Yemenidjian recognizes the unique connection Juliette has with music in comparison to her firstborn, young Sebastian. “Every single night during bath and bedtime, I play music for Juliette, similar songs and she smiles as soon as the song comes on, her face lights up.”
All of Yemenidjian’s gratitude lies in CHLA and donor-funded programs which allowed her daughter to overcome the terrifying journey she had been faced with. As a family, they were able to find peace and hope behind those hospital walls and for that, they will be forever grateful.
Children’s Music Fund, with the generous support of donors, funds similar programs and Music Therapy sessions that can change the lives of families just like the Yemenidjians.
With the new distance telehealth music therapy sessions, even amidst this pandemic, children are receiving aid and support from music therapists and their empowering songs.
“Trust in the power of something that you are unfamiliar with, like Music Therapy,” Yemenidjian said. “Seeing my newborn baby respond to the vibration of the guitar, to the sound of the therapist’s voice, to the melody of the guitar proved how there is healing power in music, and experiencing that through the eyes of my child is something I will never forget.”
Ani Yemenidijian is the co-founder of Norani.com and the Snugababe Swaddle™.
After Ani’s experience with CHLA, she and her partner launched the “Donate a Swaddle,” program on norani.com, which helps provide sleep swaddles to families and hospitals in need.