babies

Early childhood - particularly the period from five months' gestation to five years of age - presents a unique window of opportunity for learning. As babies' and small children's brains are highly plastic (adaptable), teaching your child during this critical period can produce long-lasting benefits.

Before you design a teaching program for your baby and yourself, you need to know the basics about teaching babies. While methods may differ, early education experts agree on the following essential ingredients for happiness and success in teaching babies:

* Affection
* Nutrition
* Repetition
* Stimulation

Affection

Happy children learn things easily and quickly - and nothing makes a child happier than knowing he is loved unconditionally by his parents. Here's what the experts have to say about the importance of giving affection...

"Loving interactions with children form the firm basis of all human growth." - Susan Ludington-Hoe, professor of pediatric nursing and author of How To Have A Smarter Baby

"Love creates the mind." - Makoto Shichida, professor of education and founder of the Shichida Education Institute, which provides right-brain training to infants and children

"Children have hidden wonderful potentials. What draws them out are the parents' love and trust towards their children." - Shimayo Shichida, managing director of the Shichida Education Institute

"Intellectual skills, like forming ideas, solving problems, thinking logically, using symbols, and developing grammar are all linked to a child's emotional growth." - Linda Acredolo and Susan Goodwyn, psychologists, child development experts and authors of Baby Minds and Baby Signs

Nutrition

From the time of conception, nutrition has an important role to play in brain development - as Lise Eliot, neurobiologist and author of What's Going On In There? explains...

* Between four months prenatal and two years after birth, your baby's brain is highly sensitive to the quantity and quality of nutrients he consumes.

* Malnourished children have smaller brains, fewer neurons and synapses, shorter dendrites and less myelin.

* Brain-building foods include protein, dairy products, fresh fruit and vegetables, and vitamin-fortified milk and grains.

* A deficiency in iron can cause anemia, with too few red blood cells carrying oxygen to the brain. Prolonged anemia at any time in infancy can stunt cognitive development.

* Of the 45 nutrients essential for body growth, 38 are essential for neurological development.

* Children reared on breast milk score up to eight points higher on IQ tests at the age of eight.

Repetition

"Again, again!" There's a reason children drive us crazy with their requests to do or hear the same thing over and over: children learn best through repetition. Here's what the experts have to say...

"You should repeat a stimulus until habituation occurs; then stop." - Susan Ludington-Hoe

"A child masters an activity by repeating it; at the same time, she is programming and strengthening the neural pathways in her brain. Allow - and even encourage - your child to repeat activities if they involve new skills she is developing." - Winifred Conkling

"Going over the story [in a book] more than once enables a child to learn new vocabulary items well enough to use them in answer to questions." - Linda Acredolo and Susan Goodwyn

Stimulation

As parents, we have a critical part to play in helping our children realize their full intellectual potential. The time for action is in very early childhood, because babies and small children love to learn, and they learn effortlessly. Here's what the experts have to say...

"The best time to tap into your baby's innate abilities, the capacities that all children are born with, is when his brain cells are rapidly growing and making new connections." - Makoto Shichida

"Never forget that when you are giving a child visual, auditory, and tactile stimulation with increased frequency, intensity and duration that you are actually physically growing his brain." - Glenn Dorman

"Improve your child's ability to learn by using more than one of the five senses. When we use different senses we create multiple encoding, which increases the number of sites where information is stored." - Winifred Conkling

"There is, however, a limit to how much stimulation a young child should have. Too many toys, activities, and outings can create confusion and actually work to a child's detriment, hampering his ability to focus. Children are usually pretty good at telling us when they are bored but not when they are over-stimulated. Their behavior is often the only sign." - Lise Eliot

Now you know the basics, it's time to design a personalized teaching program for your baby. From birth, be sure to speak, sing and play music to your baby as much as possible. To enhance communication and reduce frustration, you might consider teaching your baby sign language. Any time from four months of age (and preferably before one year old), you can start word and math flash cards. And don't forget to make time for encouraging your baby's physical development.

Crying became a normal event in baby’s life. The first thing a baby does when coming out the womb is to cry. By doing so, the baby takes in air into his or her lungs. If the baby does not cry, stroking or pinching slightly the buttock make him or her cry. From here onwards, crying will be a daily routine and sometimes can upset parents and other family members.

Babies cannot tell their needs or trouble they are having. The only way to show is by crying, feet kicking, hand waving and head turning. But the best way to get attentions is still crying. Crying usually can be sooth by carrying the baby, feeding and gentle rocking. But if the baby continues to cry excessively, the baby is showing signs of distress and maybe life threatening reasons, and should be taken seriously.

The most common reasons baby cries is hunger. A hungry baby will cry to get milk. The second most common is wetting. When the baby wets, he feels discomfort and therefore cry so that someone can help clean and make him dry again. Baby also cries when they feel lonely and need some company. They need to be hug and touched at all time, to be kept warm. Baby if dressed up in tight clothes will irritate him and end up crying. Always dress the baby in airy and non skin irritating material.

Babies also cry when they feel tired and uncomfortable in the surrounding. Extreme heat or cold make babies restless. A room with proper ventilation is conducive for babies. Some babies are afraid or dark rooms. Strong lighting is also not suitable for babies. If everything is intact with the baby’s room but the child still cries, check for mosquitoes. Babies are easy target for mosquitoes.

A child may cry due to health reasons. When his nasal is block and he can’t breathe easily, he needs some attention. Other health factors are such as phlegm in throat, general aching, fever, nappy rash, food allergic and teething. Earache is common in wet climate. The infections may spread from throat. Earache becomes worse at night and the baby become restless.

Naptime is a blessing for you and your baby. Here are some tips on how to make this important time as beneficial as possible for you both.

Why Should Babies Nap?
Naps are not just important for their restorative value, although that is their most obvious benefit. Children s sleep expert Elizabeth Pantley describes some of the other advantages to napping:

Adequate sleep is important in brain development. Some research has shown that daytime napping may help move new information into a more permanent place in a child s memory.
Napping can affect nighttime sleep. A child who needs a nap but does not get one can become overtired and have trouble falling asleep at night.
Studies have shown that children who nap have longer attention spans and are less fussy than those who do not nap.
A child s biology dictates that a nap is necessary after midday, when energy levels tend to drop. (Adults feel the same way, but sleep is not usually an option for them.)
Sleep releases stress-fighting hormones.
Napping can help a child catch up on sleep if their previous night s sleep was disrupted.

When Should Babies Nap?
The answer to this question varies according to the age of the baby. Newborns, easily overwhelmed by their new surroundings, tend to nap frequently. They often have catnaps throughout the day, with a couple of longer naps in the morning and afternoon. Between three and six months, babies settle into a routine of morning and afternoon naps. This age presents the ideal opportunity for you to establish a nap routine that works with your baby s biological signals for rest.

Young babies between the ages of three and six months generally have one morning nap of about an hour, and one afternoon nap of slightly longer duration, usually closer to two hours in length. Some babies are more comfortable with three shorter naps of about 45 minutes each. The number of naps is not as important as the total amount of sleep and the general disposition of your baby: if Baby is cranky, chances are she is not getting enough sleep.

Morning and afternoon naps continue throughout the first year. Between one and two years of age, most children can go without a morning nap, but still need an afternoon nap. The afternoon nap typically continues until about the age of four.

As for the exact time a baby should nap, that is mostly Baby s decision. Some sleep experts advise that when trying to establish a nap schedule, you plan to put Baby down about two hours after she wakes in the morning and again after a midday meal. Babies who require a third nap usually take it in the early evening.

Most babies indicate they are ready for a nap through a variety of signals, discussed later in this article. If you try to put a baby down when he is not tired, chances are pretty slim that he ll fall asleep. Heed Baby s signs and try to work with his natural sleep cycles and you ll find a good basis for a nap routine.

How Long Should Naps Be?
Sleep is a critical component of babies mental and physical development so it is important that they get enough of it. Babies will usually become tired on their own and will sleep when they need to, but some parents like to create a schedule. Do what works best for you let Baby dictate sleep time or set a schedule. The key is to make sure that your baby gets the sleep she needs.

The amount of naptime required decreases as a baby gets older. At four months, a baby needs about 4 to 6 hours of naptime. At six months, babies tend to nap a little less, needing about 3 to 4 hours. By his first birthday, Baby needs about 2 to 3 hours of naptime and he may get it from one nap or two. Once she is into her toddler years, your little one will need only one nap of about 1 to 2 hours.

Sleep Signs Knowing When Baby is Ready for a Nap
Learning your baby s sleep signs is extremely important. If you do not recognize them or choose to ignore them, the sleep window will close and you ll end up with a cranky, overtired baby who cannot fall asleep.

Signs to look for include:

rubbing eyes
yawning
slowing down and quieting down
fussiness
thumb sucking or reaching for a pacifier or sleep toy
wanting to nurse or have a bottle

In an ideal world, when Baby is ready to sleep, you would be able to put her down and let her fall asleep. For some parents, this does actually happen. For the unlucky ones it does not. Depending on the sleep habits of your baby, you may want to establish a nap routine that resembles, but is not exactly the same as, your nighttime routine. You might read a short book, play some soft music, or rock the baby to sleep. If your baby seems ready to drop as soon as his head hits the mattress, skip the routine and just put him down. You might be pleasantly surprised by his ability to drift off by himself.

When Baby Won t Nap
There are a variety of reasons why a baby won t nap. If a baby is rested and getting up earlier than you prefer, there is little you can do. If you feel that your baby is not getting the rest she needs, you may need to change your routine.

Often, resistance to naps comes when babies are overtired. Make sure to heed your baby s sleep signs, as discussed above, and get her to bed when she is starting to act tired.

If your baby wakes early and is in need of more rest, try getting him to go back to sleep. Depending on your philosophy about babies and sleep, you can rock him or just gently pat him on the back and let him fall back to sleep on his own.

Make sure Baby s sleep environment is conducive to sleep. A dark and slightly cool room is best.

Older babies may be waking early simply because they do not need as many naps as you are giving them. Try dropping a nap and see if that helps.

It has been a known fact for many years that aromatherapy can be used for the treatment of illnesses such as emotional as well as physical challenges. Today you can still find people that do not believe in the use of aromatherapy but they are diminishing in numbers. People today are well educated and know that the usage of aromatherapy products can have even extreme effect when used for treatment purposes. Normally we find that aromatherapy is used when treating adults but as with most other treatments it can be used for children and babies as well. The great thing about aromatherapy is that it is a healthy way of treatment compared to the chemical treatments offered by the medicine industry.

As well as with all other treatment types used for adults, you need to keep in mind that at child is not as big a human as an adult and therefore you will need to correct to dose used. You wouldn t not want to give your child an overdose even with the usage of the aromatherapy oils that are normally safe to use. Secondly it is always advised when using adult products and adult treatments on babies, that you consult with a professional aroma therapist to avoid causing any harm.

The good thing about the use of aromatherapy for babies is that you can treat them safely and will not have to pump medicine into their tiny bodies to relief them of illness symptoms. You will be doing your child a huge favor as it has been proven many times that extensive use of medicine can cause other diseases later in life.

Will Any Type of Aromatherapy Work?
When you first start out buying aromatherapy oils and essential oils with various scents, there are a few basic things that you will need to be aware of and to pay attention to. First of all it is crucially important that you go for the essential natural oils and not the (much cheaper) synthetic oils. Unfortunately most people have not done their homework and might think that as long as it is called aromatherapy oil, it must all be the same. Fact is that is very far from the truth.

The difference between using natural essential aromatherapy oils and synthetic ones are that the natural one is plant based. It is made from extracts from herbs and plants while the synthetic ones (as the name clearly states) are man or machine made and often comes from different types of chemicals that are mixed together.

Some synthetic oils have been the cause of skin irritations and some have actually been banned from the market. Not that you are in a situation where you are thinking of using oils to treat your child or even your baby, is would an absolute catastrophe if you by doing so caused skin irritations because you wanted to save those extra few dollars. I you think of it in another way you should ask yourself the question: What is my child s health worth to me? Will I risk it to save a few dollars? Hopefully your answer to that question is NO.

To find essential oils you need to start with the list of ingredients. Does the list look like it is made up of natural ingredients such as herbs or does it seem synthetic? Secondly the way the oils are packed will often tell you whether it is quality or not. Lousy packing is often the same as lousy quality. Finally the price will often give away the natural essential oils. It will be sold at a far higher price than the synthetic ones but there is also no comparability in effects at all.

When you have found what you are looking for there is only the choice of scent and the desired effect. I suggest that you talk to the person selling you the oils and tell them that it is for your baby and that the symptoms you want it to work for is so and so. That will provide you with the best possible start to use aromatherapy as a way of treatment.

All you can hear are voices, and everything seems to be going too fast. You slowly see a bright light, you feel a light tap on your butt, and then you cry out loud. Your mother is there waiting for you. And as she carefully held you in her arms, you feel all the love and comfort that the world has to offer.

Babies are a wonderful gift that every woman can receive. And if you are one of those babies born during 1946 to 1964, you are called a baby boomer. Presently, these baby boomers are at their midlife and others are at their retiring age already. Baby boomers seek meaningful lives and with purpose; and that is the very reason why they are quite a fascinating group.

You might be familiar with the different generations; and this makes it even worse. A lot of people want to be identified with a particular generation; or simply they just want to belong. But this doesn't have to be this way. No matter what generation you're in, you have to make the most out of your life; whether you're a baby boomer or not because that's what life is all about.

Baby boomers are aging; so by now they already know the lessons in life.

If you're one of the baby boomers in midlife, then you're probably thinking of ways to make an impact to the society that you belong. And you will be able to this is you follow these steps:

1. know your passion
2. identify all your developed skills and meaningful experiences that can be used to help other people
3. know the good things that you enjoy doing
4. choose a particular organization with a cause like a charity organization or a religious group
5. contact them and offer your service, you can even volunteer to help them out
6. have fun while trying to do your best in helping other people

Trying to make an impact in this world does not mean that you should have your name paraded all throughout the world. Helping in your own little way to improve the quality of life of needy people will make you feel good. And though your effort is small, you should be proud because you've made a significant difference.

Not all baby boomers are like this. There are also those who mess up their lives by indulging in dangerous vices; or those that spend their money in meaningless things or investments. But it's never too late; there is always room for change if you really want to do it.

At this certain age, you have to enjoy your life to the fullest. Establish a successful career and give importance to your family as well as yourself.

What's in store for the older generation of baby boomers? Most of the older generation of baby boomers who are about to retire still want to go on with their lives by seeking second careers; but they are more focused on the things that they want to enjoy doing. Some of them want to make an income while others are contented with what they have. They want to spend the remaining years of their lives meaningful as possible. Volunteer works for non-profit organizations are usually places they often go and pass their time.

Although they want to keep themselves busy, there are certain factors which hinder them from doing so. It is a true and sad fact that these older generations are also prone to certain health problems, one of which is hearing loss. By the year 2030, it is estimated that more than 50 million Americans are about to suffer from this problem.

As people age, it is but natural that they become more prone to health problems. The best possible thing that baby boomers can do is prevention. Don't let yourselves be exposed to constant loud noises because this can lead to hearing disabilities.

By now, you probably know of the importance of a healthy lifestyle. Baby boomers want to live longer in order to make their lives more meaningful in this world. But since you can't tell how long you will live, as a baby boomer, you should try your best to live a normal life and always-the-good-guy-next-door.

Music is an essential element in babies learning and development. Babies are musical beings and are fascinated by music from birth. Research has shown that music played to a child while still in the womb has a beneficial effect on the child s brain and helps to lay the foundation of later learning, music ability and language development. Music helps to relax you and your baby and can improve your baby s memory development and sensory coordination.

Babies enjoy experiencing music and movement together. Teach songs with actions and encourage your baby to dance along to the music. Movement helps babies learn balance, coordination, body awareness and rhythm. Getting your baby to play an instrument will help with her creative development and help develop her fine motor skills. Music can also be a fun, special time to share with your baby.

There are many benefits of surrounding your baby with music. Music assists in the development of speech. Singing nursery rhymes and simple songs teaches a baby how language is constructed and assists with the acquisition of language. Singing songs with babies will also teach them about tone, beat and rhythm.

Having a few CDs with a variety of children s songs will keep parents and babies amused. Babies will quickly pick up nursery rhymes and repetitive tunes and be singing along before you know it.

Including music as a routine part of your day will have many positive effects on your baby. Babies can be settled to sleep with music. A song sung by a parent or played on a CD routinely prior to sleep time can help to establish a good bedtime routine for babies.

Music can be effective in keeping babies entertained in the car on long trips. Ensure you have a variety of CDs. You can never have enough of them as parents quickly get bored by the same tunes playing over and over and over again.

If you play an instrument, learn a few nursery thymes to play and sing along with your baby. You will take pleasure in watching him dancing along to your tunes. The whole family can join in and enjoy the experience. If you don t play an instrument think about learning to play the guitar, it is relatively easy and the whole family will enjoy it for years to come.

Educational toys are fun for babies and provide another tool to stimulate learning and brain development in your infant. There are many ways to teach a child and tens of thousands of educational toys on the market to help parents in the endeavor. The challenge for parents, child care providers and educators is to choose from the vast array of educational toys available in a way that creates a balance of learning techniques, is age appropriate, and most of all fun. This article will provide basic facts about; how babies learn, types of educational toys available and examples of each.

How Babies Learn

It is quite surprising the rate at which babies learn and develop. Learning begins in the womb and continues throughout childhood. In early life how a child learns centers largely around the relationship with the parents. At least until the child starts preschool, the job of stimulating and satisfying baby s desire to learn falls primarily to the parents.

While babies respond to their parent s voice there are many other sounds they find interesting. When parents are choosing educational toys for babies they should look for toys that have sound, colors that are bright and contrasted like red, black and white, and have interesting textures that babies like to touch.

Sounds

Babies respond to sound and some of the best educational toys include rattles and musical toys. Soothing music such as lullabies is usually best. Auditory and musical toys are known to stimulate logical thinking and imagery in babies and in adults for that matter.

One good educational auditory toy is the Electronic Metal Keys. These keys are good for a child 6 months and up. The Electronic Metal Keys are an imitation of the parent s car keys. However, the Electronic Metal Key toy is safe for the child to chew on and has a push button that emits sounds like a car horn, doorbell, ignition, and remote control door.

Sight

Bright colors in educational toys stimulate baby s vision. Look for toys with strong color contrast and patterns. A good one to look for is a colorful crib mobile that emits music, has different textures, curves and symmetry.

One such educational toy is the Bath Time Fishing toy. This item is appropriate for babies 12 months and up. It s a great prop to use during a baby bath. Making the bath as fun as possible can also help overcome any resistance or fear your child may have during the bathing process. The toy is bright in color, has a rod and reel, and the strong magnets attached to its tails allow for easy catching. Bath Time Fishing is priced at around $16.00 dollars.

Fine motor play

Fine motor play educational toys are used to stimulate coordination in baby s finger and eye movements. One such toy aimed at developing the hand-eye coordination is Counting Pals , which is aimed at babies 6 months and up. Counting Pals are 10 soft and squishy colored blocks. They can be stacked, tossed, chewed by the baby. Counting pals also provides animal illustrations that will enchant the baby. Counting Pals educational toy is priced at around $12.00.

Cognitive Skills

There are some educational toys that promote cognitive skills in babies, which is to say they stimulate the child s memory, how they picture things and their problem solving skills. Educational toys like building blocks, activity boxes or puzzles are a good purchase for your child. The puzzles can deal with numbers, letters or pictures; it does not matter, but they should be fairly easy for a baby to grasp and manipulate.

Premature babies are defined as babies who are born before their due date and have low birth weights. About 11% of all babies born are considered to be premature. Thanks to modern medicine, babies born after the 28th week and weighing at least 2lbs.3 oz. have a 95% survival rate. By the age of two years, these smaller babies have usually caught up with regular-sized babies in height and weight.

If your child is born premature, he will probably be admitted into a neonatal intensive care unit. This is due to the fact that his lungs may not be fully developed so that the baby may have difficulty breathing on his own. The premature child may also have problems feeding and his body may not be able to maintain a normal body temperature.

There is a test that the intensive care doctors will perform to evaluate what is best for your premature baby. This is called an Apgar score and it measures different vital statistics such as your baby s heart rate and breathing. Those exam also measures muscle tone, reflex response, and the baby s color at birth. Because of your baby s early birth, he will probably score low on this test.

The next step the doctors will take is to place your baby on a cardio respiratory monitor. This device monitors that baby s heart rate and breathing. This is a normal procedure for premature babies because of the delay in their lung development.

Once the doctors have finished, the baby will be placed in a warmer bed or an incubator. This device will keep the baby warm until his own body can maintain a normal temperature.

As difficult as it sounds, now the only thing to do is to wait. If you plan on breastfeeding, you can begin to pump your breasts. Even if your premature baby cannot use it now, the milk can be frozen and used later on. You should try to spend as much time with your baby as is allowed, talking to him and holding him up to your heart so that he can be comforted by your heartbeat. After all, the sound of your heart was the most familiar noise to the baby until a few days ago. You should help with feeding and changing your baby to begin to establish a bond with him. You should also keep a close eye on the baby, and report any changes that you notice to the medical staff immediately.

As you are caring for your baby, you should take the time to care for yourself also. You need plenty of time to heal from the birth and should take naps when you need to. You may also need to care for your emotional health. You may feel happy one minute and depressed the next. These are totally normal emotions in this kind of situation. You should just accept the way that you feel. You just need to take it one day at a time.

Premature babies spend most of their first month in the hospital. Some are released sooner, while other babies are released later. Every day that goes by means that your baby is getting stronger. Have faith in him and his doctors and your baby will be just fine.

There is no denying that babies are really really cute. I remember when I had my first kid, I wanted to take baby pictures all the while. This was repeated when I had my second kid.

One of the many things that make babies cute is their disarming innocence, not to mention the fact that they are totally dependent on you.

Interestingly, the concept of smiling when happy and crying when sad is not necessarily the way babies look at things. They can smile for no apparent reason, and cry despite the fact that they are not necessarily sad.

So what I am saying is that babies are different than adults. So if you want to give somebody baby gifts, you really have to think hard. For instance, should you apply the same logic while gifting as you would for an adult?

Another important question is: Do you gift the baby or do you gift the parent? Or do you gif the parent with something that they can use in dealing with the baby. For instance, do you give a rattle toy? Do you give a baby keepsake? Or do you give a nappy deodorizer?

I think you get the picture. Buying gifts is always tough. Doubly so in the case of babies.

One of the gifts that I liked a lot when my babies were growing up was some kind of a do it yourself that could keep handprints or footprints of babies in some kind of plaster or clay. Baby's tiny feet and hands make a great keepsake. Though you can certainly choose any other gift, this sort of thinking will help you know what parents find cute.

Another idea could be a gift basket containing many of the daily requirements of babies. These could include baby powder, babyoil, a small comb, napkins, tissues, and the like. Any parent will enjoy using these, especially the consumables.

Still need more ideas? Why not consider getting creative and personalizing your gifts? For instance you can paste the baby's picture on a toy or a book. Or you could take the baby's picture and put it in a cute little picture frame.

Of course, more traditional gifts such as a small jewel made of Silver will continue to remain popular.

But coming back to the practical gifts, you should know that feeding babies is a big deal for parents. So, if you could help out with utensils or any other form of mealtime assistance that would be great.

Then again there is the time when babies look like angels, i.e., the time when they sleep. So, you can consider bed sheets, covers, baby pillow, sleep time toys or the like.

Let us not forget that you do not necessarily have to gift the baby. You can also consider gifting the Mom or the Dad. For instance, there are many interesting books available for new Moms. You can also get the new Mom items of clothing that are more appropriate in her new role.

Whatever you get, make sure that you are gifting it with all your heart.

Individual Care of Preterm Babies

Introduction

Nature is supreme the way it looks after all the needs of the baby in the womb.
The baby is gently rocked in the warm amniotic fluid and is well protected from infections and effectively shielded against light and sound. The baby is comfortably “nested” in a flexed posture with hands in the midline close to his mouth. The uterine blood flow provides a soothing music effect.



Premature Baby in Incubator (Fig: 1)

Birthing is a traumatic experience both for mother and her baby. Apart from the discomfort and trauma associated with the process of delivery, the baby is suddenly thrust into a world of bright lights, loud sounds and cold environment. Due to advances in technology, the survival of preterm babies has improved but the quality of life among the survivors has not significantly improved.

Technology-oriented Newborn Care

During the last three to four decades technology has revolutionizes the care of preterm babies. The earlier relatively humanized approaches in the care of preterm babies by gentle handling and “masterly inactivity” has been replaced by the use of aggressive and invasive hi-tech modalities to provide life support to tiny babies to improve their survival. The babies should be handled with gentle touch, love and compassion and the nurses should feel “connected” and “tuned” to the babies under their care.

Principles of Individualized Care

We should create a bay-friendly womb like ambience and ecology in the NICU to simulate in-utero environment. The nurses should be trained to provide individualized developmentally supportive care to preterm babies by adopting a “flexible” approach. All the health care professionals in the NICU should be gentle, considerate and compassionate in providing care to preterm babies’.
Early and intensive participation by family members in the care of preterm babies should be encouraged to promote bonding, facilitate physical growth and neuromotor development.

Baby-friendly ecology in the NICU

It is a common observation that very low birth weight (VLBW) babies are being looked after in an unpleasant, noisy, too bright and aggressive-invasive environment

Sound

High noise level may cause damage to the cochlea and preterm babies have 5 times greater risk of development of hearing loss compared to term babies. The health personnel should learn the art of speaking softly and walking gracefully in the nursery. Telephone rings should be replaced by blinking lights. Instead of air compressors, centralized sources of compressed air, oxygen and suction should be used. The incubator can be covered with a blanket or specially made cover to dampen the noise and light reaching the baby.

Light

When nursery illumination is maintained uniformly bright during the day and night, it may adversely affect the circadian biologic rhythm leading to reduced release of growth hormone and poor weight gain. Dim lighting has been shown to improve duration of sleep, decrease motor activity, reduce heart rate, improve tolerance of feeds and increase weight gain of medically stable preterm babies. The windows of the NICU should be covered with screens and blinds. The eyes should be shielded or covered while using procedure light or during phototherapy.

Positioning and handling

All efforts should be made to provide babies with as comfortable a positioning as possible although it is impossible to achieve in-utero comfort levels and cushioning. When a baby is handled roughly, he feels uncomfortable by squirming, crying and recoiling his arms and legs.



New born Baby (Fig: 2)


Infant should be provided with midline orientation to facilitate hand-to-mouth activities which are self-soothing. The hands of the baby should be left free so that he can get them to his face to suck his fingers or just touch his face. Putting on a small diaper or placing soft material between the legs provides comfort to the baby. The baby must be handled minimally and gently with clean and warm hands. When hands of the caretaker are busy in doing the procedure, the flexed legs of the infant can be enclosed in a blanket to provide containment.

Feeding with human milk

Nothing is more humanized and natural for a baby than providing feeding with human milk to all babies .The milk of a mother, should be given to her baby because milk is not only species specific, it is indeed baby specific; extremely preterm babies cannot self feed and they are given expressed breast milk (EBM) through a nasogastric tube.


Rhythmic Gentle Stimulation

The preemies should be provided with developmentally supportive care to meet their neuro behavioural and physiologic needs in order to foster their normal physical growth and neuropsychological development. The care in the NICU should not be merely task-oriented but the nurses should feel “connected” or “tuned” with babies under their care and provide individualized care to promote emotional and neuropsychological development of the babies.

Tactile and Vestibular development

The tactile stimulation should be provided by gently touching the head or back of the baby while speaking softly in a soothing voice. The baby should be positioned in such a way so that he is able to suck his fingers or hand or is able to touch his face. The mother should be encouraged to provide intermittent skin-to-skin contact to her premature baby admitted in the NICU. It provides comfort, warmth and “special” smell of the mother to the baby.

Auditory stimulation

Music is credited to have numerous qualities and capabilities and it has been shown even to enhance the growth of plants. The baby can be made to listen to the taped voice of parents and family members on and off. This enhances parent-infant bonding and gives family members the sense of involvement in the care of their baby.

Development of the visual system

Babies should be picked up and encouraged to develop an eye-to-eye contact. Babies often turn to the source of diffuse light. Visual stimuli can be provided with the help of bright toys and pictures.
A picture with distinct facial pattern can be placed on the incubator or crib wall in line with gaze of the baby. Dim-light encourage babies to open their eyes and look around.
Stimulation of Olfactory system

The baby should not be exposed to unpleasant or noxious odours. Alcohol, betadine, or other skin scrub bottles should be opened away from the baby. Skin-to-skin contact provides pleasant and “special” smell of the mother to the baby. Babies are sensitive and attracted to the smell of the mother’s milk, which is used for rooting the nipple during breast-feeding.

Conclusions and Recommendations

Individual care is not an alternative to hi-tech care but is complementary in order to provide best or holistic care to preterm babies. We should strive to provide a good mix and balance between technology- based care and human Individual care to preterm babies. The lighting should be kept dimmed with a day-night pattern. The sound level should be low and light kept dimmed to have ‘quiet periods” during each shift. The baby should be provided with a comfortable “nest” and kept on the side or prone with flexion of limbs. The nurses should be trained to provide an individualized and developmentally supportive care. Nothing is more humanized than feeding the baby with milk of her mother because milk is not only species specific; it is baby-specific.

Nurse with Premature Baby (Fig: 3)

Early and intensive family participation in the care of preterm babies is important for their organization; growth and development. We should demystify NICU and actively involve and inform the parents about the care and Condition of their baby.
Mother should be encouraged to provide the benefits of skin-to-skin contact to her baby. She should be asked to touch talk, feed and take care of her baby and provide necessary tactile visual and auditory stimuli. Mothers are more likely to look after their babies with devotion and compassion and this is likely to augment the forces of healing and promote the process of recovery of high-risk and sick preterm babies.

All efforts should be made to enhance the survival of preterm babies but our goal should be to improve the quality of life among those who survive.