The Importance Of Affection For A Premature Baby
Unlike the others, premature babies admitted to the intensive care unit need a range of special care. These are specific treatments that can help him grow healthily and survive the first months of life in the best possible way. In this article, we talk about the importance of affection for a premature baby.
Given their vulnerability, many of these babies are often transferred to incubators after giving birth. This means that they cannot be in direct contact with their parents. It is not a cruel measure, but rather a way of taking care of their health, as there are conditions that put it at risk. Let’s see together the importance of affection for a premature baby.
The emotional health of the premature baby
Emotional health is one of the aspects most affected during the first period of life of the child admitted to intensive care (ICU). This is because skin-to-skin contact is limited for its own safety.
Therefore, it is not surprising that many parents stay near the incubator to talk to their baby and spend time by his side, even if they cannot touch him. It is the only way they have of transmitting affection to a premature baby.
Often it is not even possible to be in the same room as the child. Both because there were complications during childbirth, especially on the part of the mother, and because of other inconveniences. For this reason, care for the emotional health of the premature baby should not be neglected. Then, in the case of the orphans, the picture is even sadder.
Unfortunately, premature babies admitted to intensive care units cannot always count on the affection of their parents.
In some cases, the mother is not present due to illness or has died, the father is absent or unknown, the mother needs medical or mental health care, family members may not be available to visit the child, etc. No situation is easy.
Affection is very healthy
Every child needs to receive the love of his or her parents. However, when they are unable to provide it for whatever reason, it is important to look for alternatives.
In North America they understood the importance of emotional health care for premature babies. This is why today there are specialized health centers that deal with finding volunteers to offer human warmth to premature babies when their parents are not present.
According to experts, when a child feels the presence of a person who is there to give him affection, in general his growth is much more positive than those who are alone. They sleep even better.
Premature babies admitted to ICUs need to be comforted, even when they can’t be picked up or stroked like other babies.
Saint Boniface General Hospital in Winnipeg, Manitoba (Canada) is one of the most important in this sense. She started a program called Baby Cuddler which consists of finding volunteers who want to spend some of their time giving affection to children who cannot be with their parents.
It should be noted that volunteers do not receive any kind of remuneration for their work. The program has proved to be a real success and for this reason there is currently a long list of volunteers who want to give their dose of love to premature babies.
Children need care and love right from the start, so volunteers offer their help to parents who can’t spend enough time with them.
Although the ideal is for parents to offer this human warmth when this is not possible, premature babies in the ICU should not be deprived of the affection or company of those who love them.
