Digital Deals: 50% off Serenity Organizers!

  • Video
  • Shop
  • Culture
  • Family
  • Wellness
  • Food
  • Living
  • Style
  • Travel
  • News
  • Book Club
  • GMA3: WYNTK
  • Newsletter
  • Privacy Policy
  • Your US State Privacy Rights
  • Children's Online Privacy Policy
  • Interest-Based Ads
  • Terms of Use
  • Do Not Sell My Info
  • Contact Us
  • © 2023 ABC News
  • Wellness

Doctor sings Nat King Cole classic to soothe baby during blood tests

VIDEO: Doctor sings Nat King Cole classic to soothe baby during blood tests
0:27
Doctor sings Nat King Cole classic to soothe baby during blood tests
Shannon Wemyss via Storyful
ByKatie Kindelan
November 08, 2019, 1:40 pm

A pediatrician used his singing skills to soothe a 10-month-old baby undergoing a blood test.

Dr. Ryan Coetzee, of Raigmore Hospital in Scotland, crooned Nat King Cole's hit song "Unforgettable" to the baby, Gracey, as he held one of her fingers steady for the test.

Editor’s Picks

These 20 names are predicted to be the top baby names of 2020

  • Nov 07, 2019

Her daughter may die by age 10, but this mom keeps fighting to cure her rare disease

  • Nov 08, 2019

7th grader gives back to the NICU she was born in as a premature baby in the sweetest way

  • Dec 28, 2018

Gracey can be seen in a video shared by her mom on Facebook looking directly at Coetzee for the nearly 30 seconds he sings to her.

The baby, who is normally "terrified" of getting blood drawn, did not shed a tear, according to her mom Shannon Wemyss.

"She is terrified of getting blood done and it’s an incredibly traumatic time for her and for us watching her in such pain," Wemyss told Storyful. "She had had blood done a huge amount of times already and she is always distraught."

(MORE: Baby has her cake and eats it too in this hilarious cake smash photo shoot)

"Nothing can calm her or soothe her, as she is too young to have numbing cream. Until we met Ryan," she said of Coetzee, a trained classical singer who started working at the hospital in August.

“Singing to the patients has always been something I have done," Coetzee said in a statement released by Raigmore Hospital. "It’s a natural thing for me to sing and when you work in pediatrics its fun to be silly and make the kids laugh."

“It has been getting a lot of attention and I am now being asked if I am the ‘singing doctor’ but if it works for the patients then I’m happy," he said.

Gracey was born with Down syndrome and has already had open-heart surgery and a kidney operation, according to Wemyss, who noted her daughter has already "been through more than most have in a lifetime."

(MORE: 6-year-old 'baby whisperer' helps calm crying baby)

Wemyss described Coetzee as "unforgettable" for the care he took of Gracey.

An image made from video shows Dr. Ryan Coetzee sanging Nat King Cole's "Unforgettable" to soothe a 10-month-old baby, Gracey, during blood tests at Raigmore Hospital in Scotland.
Shannon Wemyss via Storyful

"He actually managed to make me laugh during it and Gracey was mesmerized but his amazing songs," she said. "It completely distracted her and not one tear, only when he stopped signing."

"Ryan was a natural and make our experience enjoyable rather than horrible. He was truly unforgettable," Wemyss added.

Editor’s Picks

These 20 names are predicted to be the top baby names of 2020

  • Nov 07, 2019

Her daughter may die by age 10, but this mom keeps fighting to cure her rare disease

  • Nov 08, 2019

7th grader gives back to the NICU she was born in as a premature baby in the sweetest way

  • Dec 28, 2018

Up Next in Wellness—

6-year-old boy killed in hunting accident helps 5 lives through organ donation

November 30, 2023

Exercise prevents and treats postpartum depression, study finds

November 30, 2023

New study reinforces skin-to-skin contact is critical for premature babies

November 30, 2023

More children sick after FDA warns of fruit puree pouches recalled for high levels of lead

November 23, 2023

Shop Holiday Digital Deals

ABC will receive a commission for purchases made through these links.

The latest lifestyle and entertainment news and inspiration for how to live your best life - all from Good Morning America.
  • Contests
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Do Not Sell My Info
  • Children’s Online Privacy Policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Your US State Privacy Rights
  • Interest-Based Ads
  • About Nielsen Measurement
  • Press
  • Feedback
  • ABC News
  • ABC
  • All Videos
  • All Topics
  • Sitemap

© 2023 ABC News
  • Privacy Policy— 
  • Your US State Privacy Rights— 
  • Children's Online Privacy Policy— 
  • Interest-Based Ads— 
  • Terms of Use— 
  • Do Not Sell My Info— 
  • Contact Us— 

© 2023 ABC News