Empowering parents whilst their babies are in a neonatal unit can help improve a childs health.
A study of 1,786 babies born prematurely in Australia, New Zealand and Canada, published in The Lancet Child and Adolescent Health journal, found babies whose parents were hands-on, put on more weight and continued to breastfeed more often.
“We know that when parents are empowered to look after their own baby on the neonatal unit this has multiple positive outcomes for babies.”
The parents who were more directly involved in their children’s care bathed, fed, changed and dressed their babies. They also gave medication and took their child’s temperature. They took part in clinical decisions and ward rounds and helped to chart their baby’s growth and progress. These parents also reported feeling less stress and anxiety compared to the control group of parents who gave a standard amount of care.
You can read the full article published in Huffington Post here
