Interview Cook Children NICU receives around one thousand babies per year. Since the new unit was opened two years ago, they have single rooms where the parents can stay with their babies overnight, and it is controlled individually according to the patients’ needs. In the single rooms they are able to accommodate twins, triplets and quadruplets. According to Carolyn Cowling (personal communication, April.18, 2014), who is the LCSW, preemies have shown an incredible improvement in their health and are able to go home faster because they have a quicker recovery. Single rooms also allow parents to be with their infants all the time they want, even spending the night with them. Since most of them are there for a long run, it provides the feeling of being in their home. At Cook Children’s Hospital, NICU parents are not only seen as the parents of the infants, but they also incorporate them as part of the team. Parents are highly encouraged to spend as much time as they possibly can with their premature infants, to have physical contact with them by giving them kangaroo time, which allows parents to have skin-to-skin contact with their infant, as soon as the infant reaches the stage in which he or she is a suitable candidate to be in physical contact with their parents. Siblings who are over 3 are allowed to visit their siblings at the NICU at specific times of the day, and child life specialists help siblings understand what is going on with their baby brother or sister who is in the NICU. If they have any specific questions, the child life specialist is there to assist them. Families are referred to other institutions that will be able to help them if their facilities aren’t able to fulfill their needs. One of the institutions that... ... middle of paper ... ...heir whole families. They are not the only ones going through the process which involves grieving at first, and having direct support from other families can be of huge advantage to them. Works Cited Gregson, S., & Blacker, J. (2011). Kangaroo care in pre-term or low birth weight babies in a postnatal ward. British Journal Of Midwifery, 19(9), 568-577. Moore, M. (2002). Preterm birth: A continuing challenge. Journal Of Perinatal Education, 11(4), 37. Mphahlele, R. R. (2007). Caring for premature babies - a clinical guide for nurses. Professional Nursing Today, 11(1), 40-46. Preterm birth: crisis and opportunity. (2006). Lancet, 368(9533), 339. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(06)69080-6 Schetter, C. (2009). Stress Processes in Pregnancy and Preterm Birth. Current Directions In Psychological Science (Wiley-Blackwell), 18(4), 205-209. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8721.2009.01637.x
...or the father. The father providing kangaroo care makes the baby more attached to the father and it provides a way for them to bond. This can also be applied in the NICU setting. Mothers that have babies in the NICU, the mothers can come visit the baby can practice kangaroo care. The babies in the NICU usually have problems with thermoregulation, and by providing kangaroo care; the baby’s temperature can be regulated. The mother’s milk takes some time to come in. by providing kangaroo care, the skin-to-skin contact helps the mother produce milk quicker. By studying the research that has been done on kangaroo care, the nurse can perform evidence-based practice and use kangaroo care at their job. Using the research, the nurse is able to apply this knowledge and create a bond between the baby and it’s parents. It also can help the baby, whether it is sick or healthy.
Duman, N., & Kocak, C. (2013). The effect of social support on state anxiety levels during pregnancy. Social Behavior & Personality: An International Journal, 41(7), 1153-1163. doi:10.2224/sbp.2013.41.7.1153
The very low birth weight are newborns that weigh less than 3.3 pounds (1,500 grams). Unfortunately, newborns that are under 3.3 pounds (1,500 grams) do not often survive, and the ones that do have delayed motor skills and cognitive development. The numbers decrease further to extremely low birth weight of 2.2 pounds (1,000 grams), where chance of life is very small. Low birth weight babies 1,500 grams – 2,500 grams (3.3 -5.5 pounds) have a good chance they will survive with proper care. Newborns that are small-for-date are placed in incubators that are sealed beds where temperature and air quality is regulated. The beds isolate the infants from pathogens and the environment. The babies need sensory stimulation to grow, so a recorded tape is played of the mothers soothing voice. Visual stimulation from video, and tactile stimulation helps foster physical and cognitive development in the baby. At five months while the fetus is in the womb ithas sensory capabilities, and can hear the mother’s heart beating, food digestion, speaking, and others speaking to her! The incubator stimulates this environment. There is great success with proper attention and care to the low birth weight babies, and. Many of the low birth weight babies are effects of parents that live in poverty, unable to access adequate medical care, and they experience stress due to an unhealthy family life.
Education regarding unit or group thinking is to be encouraged and reinforced. The fact that newborn Rosarie will be entering the home poses unique challenges that will require all members of the family to work together. Maria, Jamie, and Alice must be educated on the signs and symptoms of respiratory distress in the newborn and interventions that must be initiated when distress occurs. The nurse responsible for this teaching must require both verbalization and return demonstration of skills learned to ensure proper reception of the information. Once skills are developed by the adults within the home, the remaining children should then be educated on the signs and symptoms as well and actively participate in care. Involving the entire family will bring a cohesive thinking, and allow the family to work as a unit. A marriage counseling referral should as be provided to Maria and Jamie in order for them to work out their existing issues improving their likelihood of a successful marriage. Routine “check in’s” (phone calls, visits, etc.) should be in place for the family both by social services and pediatricians. In addition, community outreach programs (food banks, cultural organizations, etc.) are designed to support families like the Perez’s, nurses working within the community should tell these families about these resources
Neonatal nursing is a field of nursing designed especially for both newborns and infants up to 28 days old. The term neonatal comes from neo, "new", and natal, "pertaining to birth or origin”. Neonatal nurses are a vital part of the neonatal care team. These are trained professionals who concentrate on ensuring that the newborn infants under their care are able to survive whatever potential life threatening event they encounter. They treat infants that are born with a variety of life threatening issues that include instances of prematurity, congenital birth defects, surgery related problems, cardiac malformations, severe burns, or acute infection. Neonatal care in hospitals was always done by the nursing staff but it did not officially become a specialized medical field until well into 1960s. This was due to the numerous advancements in both medical care training and related technology that allowed for the improved treatment and survival rate of premature babies. According to the March of Dimes, one of every thirteen babies born in the United States annually suffers from low birth weight. This is a leading cause in 65% of infant deaths. Therefore, nurses play a very important role in providing round the clock care for these infants, those born with birth defects or other life threatening illness. In addition, these nurses also tend to healthy babies while their mothers recover from the birthing process. Prior to the advent of this specialized nursing field at risk newborn infants were mostly cared for by obstetricians and midwives who had limited resources to help them survive (Meeks 3).
Kangaroo care is the act of placing a neonate skin to skin with their mother or father. This care is commonly provided by mothers but can also be provided by fathers. Paternal kangaroo care offers many benefits for both the father and the neonate. By implementing this care, the opportunity for fathers to bond with their neonate is provided. This bonding experience is important as many neonates spend several weeks in the NICU. The time away from their neonate can be particularly stressful for the family. Kangaroo care provides a means for the father to provide care for his neonate during their time in the NICU. The benefits to the neonate include maintaining greater temperature stability, stabilized heart rate, and respirations within normal limits. It is believed that healthcare providers lack the understanding about paternal kangaroo care and its benefits. This article will provide the evidence based practice to support and promote paternal kangaroo care. The goal of this research study is to provide evidence based research that promotes paternal kangaroo care
Lange, A. (2011). Prenatal maternal stress and the developing fetus and infant: A review of animal models as related to human research. Journal of Infant, Child, and Adolescent Psychotherapy, 10, 326-340.
Modercin-McCarthy M. A., McCue S., Walker J. Preterm infants and stress: A tool for the neonatal nurse. J Perinat Neonatal Nurs, 1997; 10, 62-71.
There are more than 70% of premature babies that are born between 34 and 36 weeks gestation a year. When a baby is born early, or born with birth defects, the Neonatal Intensive Care unit is its first home. The nurse’s in the NICU have the difficult job of preparing baby’s and parents for a health life together. A baby who has been put into the NICU will stay there until it is healthy enough to go home.
After birth, babies immediately begin to establish a bond with his or her caregiver (BOOK). There are instances, such as childbirth complications or sickness; where infants are taken away from the mother immediately after birth. In sterile hospital settings, researchers have determined attachment activities, such as singing, “encourages the infant to strive towards maintaining homeostasis and internal equilibrium”. (A). By fostering attachment, the hospital “ultimately contributes to the infant’s psychological and physical development” (A). The child is able to receive warmth and empathy from the mother, ultimately increasing survival and stimulating physical development. (A)
The importance of skin-to-skin care for the childbearing family is that every newborn can benefit. Skin-to-skin is valuable because it promotes thermoregulation, cardio-respiratory stability, breast milk supply, and mother-infant bonding (Hugill, 2015; Baker-Rush, 2016; Gregson, 2011; Pigeon Turenne, Héon, Aita, Faessler, & Doddridge, 2016). The nurse’s role in skin-to-skin is to educate women and their families of its benefits. The nurse will be able to implement the carative factors of a teaching-learning experience with the parents, develop a helping-trusting relationship, as well as tend to basic human needs of the patients (Watson, 2008).
In Indigenous Australian communities low birth weight infants and infant mortality is much more common than in non-Indigenous Australian communities.
Hockenberry, M. J., & Wilson, D. (2013). Wong’s nursing care of infants and children + study guide: Multimedia enhanced version. Philadelphia, PA, United States: Elsevier Mosby.
Huizink, A. C., Robles de Medina, P. G., Mulder, E. J., Visser, G. H., & Buitelaar, J. K. (2003). Stress during pregnancy is associated with developmental outcome in infancy. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 44(6), 810-818.
Murray, Linda, Anna McGrail, and Daphne Metland. The Baby Center Essential Guide ToYour Baby's First Year. N.p.: Holtzbrinck, 2007. 185-88. Print.