Premature births are on the rise. It used to be that 32 weeks was considered the age of viability. With each one of my pregnancies the age of viability was earlier and earlier. That’s saying something considering that starting in 1998 I was pregnant every other year until the twins birth in 2005. Doctors now say that the age of viability is as early as 24 weeks because of advances in technology and improvement of care.
Instead of focusing on how to keep the baby alive, doctors are now focusing on how to help the baby’s development in the future. The last three months of pregnancy are critical and baby does most of his growing during this time. The womb is the perfect place for all of this extra development to occur and yet, for infants who are born prematurely and sent to the NICU the environment is in stark contrast with the womb.
A NICU is frequently a very loud place with monitors beeping, doctors and nurses talking; albeit softly, and family and baby have no privacy. For the premature infant, everything that was familiar and comforting to him was suddenly ripped away. Researchers have long suggested that the NICU environment inhibits brain development but that really hasn’t been as big of a concern as has been keeping the extra early preemie alive. Until now.
Many hospitals around the country are starting to convert their open room NICUs into private rooms that mimic the womb environment as closely as possible. This means that mom and dad have relatively unlimited access to the infant and the environment is as calm and as peaceful as possible. The momentum is towards being as family centered as possible.
I can see how this would have numerous benefits one being that privatized rooms would allow for easier kangaroo care. Many of you know that I’m all for breastfeeding and wearing a baby but I have to admit that even I would be hard pressed to take off my shirt completely, as is required for kangaroo care for a preemie, in a NICU full of families.
While the trend is growing some doctors remain skeptical. The head professor at Stanford University, points out that this is something that only seems to make sense. . .but that there is no research to officially determine whether or not privatized rooms actually increase patient outcomes.
It seems to me that privatizing rooms would enable parents to feel more calm during the NICU experience, to spend more time with their infant bonding, and to learn about caring for the special needs of the infants. To me, a calm parent of a preemie is worth its weight in gold.
Other unique treatments and interventions for preemies:
A Unique Hospital for Sick Babies
Preemies Listening to Vivaldi?
Volunteer Cuddler Programs Help Preemies