Bonding With Books: The Parent–Infant Connection in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

2013 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 104-109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lynne J. Walker
Keyword(s):  
Intensive Care Unit ◽  
Intensive Care ◽  
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit ◽  
Neonatal Intensive Care ◽  
Stressful Events ◽  
Parental Role

Parents of infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) experience one of the most stressful events of their lives. At times, they are unable to participate fully, if at all, in the care of their infant. Parents in the NICU have a need to participate in the care of their infant to attain the parental role. Parental reading to infants in the NICU is an intervention that can connect the parent and infant and offers a way for parents to participate in caregiving. This intervention may have many benefits and may positively affect the parent–infant relationship.

Mothers’ Stories about Their Experiences in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

2000 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 13-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diane Holditch-Davis ◽  
Margaret Shandor Miles
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Intensive Care Unit ◽  
Intensive Care ◽  
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Neonatal Intensive Care ◽  
Family Factors ◽  
Parental Role ◽  
Parental Distress ◽  
Care Providers

The purpose of this article is to let mothers tell the stories of their neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) experiences and to determine how well these experiences fit the Preterm Parental Distress Model. Interviews were conducted with 31 mothers when their infants were six months of age corrected for prematurity and were analyzed using the conceptual model as a framework. The analysis verified the presence in the data of the six major sources of stress indicated in the Preterm Parental Distress Model: (1) pre-existing and concurrent personal and family factors, (2) prenatal and perinatal experiences, (3) infant illness, treatments, and appearance in the NICU, (4) concerns about the infant’s outcomes, (5) loss of the parental role, and (6) health care providers. The study indicates that health care providers, and especially nurses, can have a major role in reducing parental distress by maintaining ongoing communication with parents and providing competent care for their infants.

scholarly journals Psychological Wellbeing of Parents with Infants Admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit during SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic

Children ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (9) ◽  
pp. 755
Author(s):  
Laura Polloni ◽  
Francesco Cavallin ◽  
Elisabetta Lolli ◽  
Rossana Schiavo ◽  
Martina Bua ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Intensive Care Unit ◽  
Intensive Care ◽  
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit ◽  
Parental Stress ◽  
Neonatal Intensive Care ◽  
Physical Contact ◽  
Psychological Wellbeing ◽  
Depression Symptoms ◽  
Parental Role ◽  
The Impact

The current SARS-CoV-2 disease (COVID-19) pandemic is a sudden major stressor superimposed on pre-existing high distress in parents of infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). This study aimed to investigate the psychological wellbeing of NICU parents during the COVID-19 pandemic. Forty-four parents of 25 inpatients of the Padua University Hospital NICU were included from June 2020 to February 2021. At 7–14 days postpartum parents completed the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), Parental Stressor Scale: NICU (PSS:NICU) and an ad-hoc questionnaire measuring parental COVID-19 related stress. About one third of parents reported extreme/high stress and a relevant negative impact on parenthood experience. Less time (82%) and less physical contact (73%) with infants due to COVID-19 preventive measures were the most frequent negative factors. Higher COVID-19 related parental stress was positively associated with anxiety, depression, NICU parental stress, stress related to NICU environment, and parental role alterations. Depression symptoms, stress related to infant condition and parental role alterations were higher in mothers. The pandemic affected parental emotional and relational wellbeing directly through additional stress due to COVID-19 concerns and indirectly through the impact of restrictions on the experience of becoming parents.

scholarly journals Parents perceptions of stress in a neonatal intensive care unit in Rwanda

Curationis ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Priscille Musabirema ◽  
Petra Brysiewicz ◽  
Jennifer Chipps
Keyword(s):  
Intensive Care Unit ◽  
Intensive Care ◽  
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit ◽  
Parental Stress ◽  
Neonatal Intensive Care ◽  
Stressful Events ◽  
Stressful Event ◽  
Parental Perception ◽  
And Coping ◽  
Infant Birth

Background: Having a newborn infant hospitalised in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is an unexpected and stressful event for a family. A number of potential stressors to which family members of patients in these units may be exposed have been identified, although no studies about this issue have been conducted in Rwanda.Aim: The aim of this study was to describe and analyse parental perception of stress that resulted from having their infant admitted to a NICU in Kigali, Rwanda.Method: A quantitative survey was used to describe and analyse parents’ perceptions of stress when they had an infant admitted to a NICU. The Parental Stress Scale: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit was used to measure the level of stress that those parents experienced.Results: The results indicated that parents experienced stress from having their infants cared for in a NICU. The most stressful events were the appearance and behaviour of the baby with a mean score of 4.02, whilst the subscale items related to sights and sounds were found to be the least significant source of stress for parents with a mean score of 2.51. In addition, the current study found that parents’ age, educational level, occupation, and infant birth weight were associated with parental stress.Conclusion: The study established that a range of factors was responsible for parental stress when a baby was cared for in a NICU. Identification of these factors could enable health professionals from a hospital in Kigali, Rwanda, to facilitate parents’ adjusting and coping.

The Psychosocial Aspects of Feeding in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and Beyond

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (6) ◽  
pp. 1507-1515
Author(s):  
Lauren L. Madhoun ◽  
Robert Dempster
Keyword(s):  
Intensive Care Unit ◽  
Intensive Care ◽  
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit ◽  
Hospital Discharge ◽  
Neonatal Intensive Care ◽  
Oral Feeding ◽  
Medical Attention ◽  
Primary Role ◽  
Speech Language Pathologists ◽  
The Family

Purpose Feeding challenges are common for infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). While sufficient oral feeding is typically a goal during NICU admission, this can be a long and complicated process for both the infant and the family. Many of the stressors related to feeding persist long after hospital discharge, which results in the parents taking the primary role of navigating the infant's course to ensure continued feeding success. This is in addition to dealing with the psychological impact of having a child requiring increased medical attention and the need to continue to fulfill the demands at home. In this clinical focus article, we examine 3 main areas that impact psychosocial stress among parents with infants in the NICU and following discharge: parenting, feeding, and supports. Implications for speech-language pathologists working with these infants and their families are discussed. A case example is also included to describe the treatment course of an infant and her parents in the NICU and after graduation to demonstrate these points further. Conclusion Speech-language pathologists working with infants in the NICU and following hospital discharge must realize the family context and psychosocial considerations that impact feeding progression. Understanding these factors may improve parental engagement to more effectively tailor treatment approaches to meet the needs of the child and family.

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