Vanilla Did *What* for NICU Babies?

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Study 1: The Calming Power of Scent (Vanilla & Preemies)

✦ A study on premature infants found that the scent of vanilla (vanillin) reduced sleep apnea episodes by over 3x compared to those who didn’t receive scent exposure.
✦ Babies also showed more stable heart rates and oxygen levels.
✦ The gentle aroma of vanilla literally helped them breathe easier.
→ Source: Edraki et al., 2013 (PMC3684469)

Study 2: Vanilla Aroma & Early Feeding

✦ In a clinical trial, vanilla odor helped preterm babies feed more by mouth during the first 10 days of life.
✦ Some of the smallest infants (<32 weeks gestation) even showed signs of earlier hospital discharge.
✦ The scent of vanilla may gently support vital early development milestones.
→ Source: Gellrich et al., 2023 (PubMed 38013048)

I think this is extraordinarily beautiful & makes me want to start diffusing vanilla essential oil into my children’s room and/or our home.

My youngest son Tulsi was my NICU baby & my time there with him led me to discover that his otherwise plummeting and sporadic heart rate would stabilize every single time he & I stared into each other’s eyes. 😭😭💞

The video clip is me & Tulsi when he was only 9 months old.. now he’s nearing age 3 💗💗💗