Page 27 - What to Expect

During your stay

Take it slowly, Do one thing (sensory input) at a time. Go at your own
pace, your baby’s nurse will let you know when he needs time out. With
time you will recognise his time out cues yourself.
Premature babies sleep for about 22 hours a day when they are first born,
and for some time after. Try really hard not to disturb him when he is
sleeping as this is when his body is growing. You will remember when
you were pregnant that your baby’s movements weren’t concentrated into
a two hour block, but were broken into short bursts of activity over the
day. Your premature baby will be like that in the incubator too.

Try to be there when he has his wakeful times. The nursing staff will be
able to tell you when this is from his 24 hour chart. Occasionally these
wakeful times occur at 3 or 4 am! This isn’t the most convenient time for
many people!
A premature or special care baby has an immature and extremely sensitive
nervous system. Sometimes even the gentlest of things will be too much
for him, even a cuddle, gentle rocking, touching or soft talking. Then he
may try to give himself some time out.
He may show he is over tired by:

Screwing up his face
Spilling (vomiting a little, not related to feeding)
Hiccoughing

Stiffening his arms and legs.
You may need to slow down or stop what you were doing. Remember that
being very soft and gentle will keep your baby calm. Most full term babies
thrive on stimulation, but for a premature or special care baby too much
stimulation may be overwhelming. Ask his nurse if you are concerned
about how much stimulation your baby can cope with.

25