Touch: The Foundation of Infant Growth and Bonding
A premature infant is defined by Whaley & Wong’s Nursing Care of Infants and Children as "any infant born before completion of 37 weeks of gestation, regardless of birth weight." (Wong, p. 1999, p.392) Many premature infants are also considered high risk neonates because the major activities of life, including thermoregulation, respiration and digestion, cannot fully function at their time of birth. This poses a problem for both the health professionals and the parents of the infant. The health professionals must closely monitor this vulnerable infant and, in most situations, assist the infant in thermoregulation, respiration, and feeding while the cautious, nervous parents look on, concerned about their child’s progress. The parent or parents often feel removed from their child’s care as another adult cares for their child’s every need. Infant stimulation can be as subtle and slight as touch of the infant’s arm or as much as skin to skin contact through holding. Touch actively involves the parents in the their child’s care and has proven to be beneficial for improving the vulnerable, tiny infant’s condition. Parents, as well as medical professionals, should be encouraged to touch these vulnerable tiny infants as much as, if not more than, they would touch a full term infant. Despite their low birth weight, tiny size and vulnerable condition, these infants should be held, caressed and cuddled with as often as possible.
The experience of birth for a mother of a premature infant varies drastically from the birth of a normal full term infant because of the lack of infant stimulation or even sight of her newly born child. Peggy, a mother of newly born premature infant states "...
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...tion and interaction, medical professionals need to calm the parents and encourage interaction with their child. What better way is there for interaction than touch?
References
Manginello M.D., Frank P., & Foy DiGeronimo M.D., Theresa. (1991). Your Premature Baby New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Gorski M.D., Peter, & Huntington Ph.D., Lee & Lewkowicz Ph.D., David J. (1987). Handling Preterm Infants in Hospitals: Stimulating Controversy about Timing Stimulation. In Infant Stimulation For Whom, What Kind, When and How Much? (pp. 43-51) (no place of publication): Johnson & Johnson Baby Products. Co.
Wong, Donna L. (1999). Whaley and Wong’s Nursing Care of Infants and Children. St. Louis: Mosby, Inc.
Ludington-Hoe Ph.D., Susan M., & Golant, Susan K. (1993). Kangaroo Care: The Best You Can Do to Help Your Preterm Infant. New York: Bantam Books, Inc.
He also suggested drying the neonate and providing tactile stimulation to encourage breathing, and covering with a dry blanket to maintain warmth. If after thirty seconds of tactile stimulation, the neonate’s breathing is not sufficient, paramedics should follow protocol for newborn resuscitation, see appendix (L) (QAS, 2014; Saunders, 2012). If the neonate is breathing adequately, leave the newborn with the mother and encourage breastfeeding, which stimulates the nipple resulting in a release of oxytocin which promotes uterine contractions (Stables & Rankin,
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
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).
...s. Most women are fortunate and have an outcome of a full term, healthy baby, however, there are some women that are not so fortunate and have preterm births. With this said, all women, when contemplating pregnancy, should be aware of all the risks and possible complications that can arise and also the preventions that can be taken.
Premature birth is when an infant is born 37 weeks before appointed due date. Premature babies are not completely developed and not ready for the outside world. Cases of premature birth can either be slight and not noticeable or completely severe. My brother was born two months premature and had to stay in the hospital for a month attached to machines and IVs. My mother was not able to take her first child home and have a complete certainty that her newborn baby will even be alive. I chose this topic because I am very fortunate for having a strong and healthy eighteen year old brother, even though he was premature. I have gained a strong curiosity towards the effect of prematurity; how some are greatly affected and why some women go into labor premature. I want this research to let me know that I’m not taking my brother for granted. Due to my brother being premature, he is quite shorter compared to most people. My brother and I also have the same birthday. This allows us to pretend we are twins. His effect of being premature is not noticeable because he did not obtain a severe condition. With this research paper, I hope to gain knowledge and acknowledgment towards the people affected due to premature birth.
...es have to realize that they are not just caring for a premature infant, but also a new family. It is also important for the nurse to understand that the mothers’ and fathers’ approach to touching and bonding with their infant may differ. Although quantitative data from Chiu and Anderson (2009) did not reveal significant differences between the control group and the SSC group at 18 months, the data from Latva et al. (2008) showed significant behavioral differences at six years old when infants were touched as newborns and formed a secure attachment. Therefore, for the health and well-being of both parents and child, time and opportunity to have SSC and bonding experiences must be priorities in the plan of care for infants in the NICU. As one mother stated, “I need to be allowed to feel that he is mine.” (Fegran, Helseth, & Fagermoen, 2007, pg. 813)
There can be no doubt that shelters in the United States are overcrowded, feral cats roam our city streets, thousands of dogs live in grotesque conditions in puppy mills across the country, and yet most American citizens when polled will readily declare that their cat or dog is like ‘a member of the family’. The state of companion animals in this country is precarious at best; caught between scientists who subscribe to Descartes’s idea of ‘anima ex machina’ (unfeeling, a living example of biological processes without the status of ‘being’) and the more common phenomenon of people who pamper their pets in ways that most people would envy. For most individuals living in an urban society such as ours, the most common interaction with animals happens within the home – if the animals that we relate to and interact with the most continue to be abandoned and mistreated on a large scale, there must be some solution that involves more than just building more animal shelters or performing euthanasia more liberally.
We have known that deforestation can lead to decline in biodiversity and land degradation. As John Donne has said, “No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main”, not only governments are supposed to be responsible for deforestation, individuals should also take responsibilities. There are some things that we can do to help better the situation. For instance, we can refuse to use throwaway chopsticks and purchase wooden furniture, reduce the usage of papers by printing less, and educate others to cherish the forest resources.
A neonatologist has many tasks and responsibilities before, during, and after the birth of an at-risk newborn. If there is reason to believe there are going to be complications with a birth that would cause negative side effects for the infant, a neonatologist will be brought in to help. In these high-risk situations, a team effort is required and the neonatologist takes the lead position. The neonatologist will be responsible for advising the parents on what to expect during and after labor. After the infant is born, the neonatologist has to find a method to properly care for the baby. Because most premature babies have a low birth-weight, their lungs need to be supported and they need to be kept warm. During this whole process, the neonatologist interacts with the parents to keep them updated on their baby’s condition (Weaver, 2009).
Environmental issues affect every life on this planet from the smallest parasite to the human race. There are many resources that humans and animal needs to survive; some of the most obvious resources come from the forests. Forests make up a large percentage of the globe. The forests have global implications not just on life but on the quality of it. Trees improve the quality of the air that species breath, determine rainfall and replenish the atmosphere. The wood from the forests are used everyday form many useful resources. Moreover, thinning the forests increases the amount of available light, nutrients and water for the remaining trees. Deforestation (forest thinning) is one of the most critical issues of environmental problems that are occurring today.
The forests around the world a supply a plethora of community amenities and commercial goods , nevertheless forested terrain progressively is becoming transformed to accommodate other uses, including cropland, pasture, mining, and urban areas, which can produce superior private financial returns. The wide array of benefits the forest provides that vanish directly tied to deforestation have resulted in several policies drafted with the sole intention to reduce the frequency of deforestation. This paper has two primary objectives. First, this paper will review and summarize both the preceding and current research on deforestation. Second, it will emphasize the significance of future research and development, as well as other solutions needed
Preterm birth is defined as ‘any neonate whose birth occurs before the thirty seventh week of gestation’1 and represents approximately eight percent of all pregnancies1-4. It is eminent that these preterm infants are at risk of physical and neurological delay, with prolonged hospitalisation and an increased risk of long-term morbidity evident in prior literature3, 5-13. Innovative healthcare over the past thirty years has reduced mortality significantly14, with the survival rate of preterm infants having increased from twenty five percent in 1980 to seventy three percent in 200715. Despite, this drop in mortality long-term morbidity continues to remain within these surviving infants sparking a cause for concern15, 16.
Emotional intelligence is basically the capability to distinguish, control and judge the emotions. According to the research, emotional intelligence can be learned and it can be enhanced but on other side it is claimed that emotional intelligence is inborn feature (Cherry, 2014).
An individual’s ability to control and express their emotions is just as important as his/her ability to respond, understand, and interpret the emotions of others. The ability to do both of these things is emotional intelligence, which, it has been argued, is just as important if not more important than IQ (Cassady & Eissa, 2011). Emotional intelligence refers to one’s ability to perceive emotions, control them, and evaluate them. While some psychologists argue that it is innate, others claim that it is possible to learn and strengthen it. Academically, it has been referred to as social intelligence sub-set. This involves an individual’s ability to monitor their emotions and feelings, as well as those of others, and to differentiate them in a manner that allows the individuals to integrate them in their actions and thoughts (Cassady & Eissa, 2011).
...ll persons. Only when the population of Earth contributes as a whole to stopping deforestation, will this dire situation be resolved. Deforestation must be stopped; our very survival depends on it.