New research shows that premature babies who are cuddled by their mothers experience significant positive health benefits which extend into childhood versus infants that are not cuddled.
The Israeli study, published in the journal Biological Psychiatry, shows that premature babies who are cuddled sleep better, have greater affective attention, steadier breathing and more regular heart rates.
"Every mammal has to be cuddled and in close proximity with its mother in the first days and weeks of life," Ruth Feldman, study author and neuroscience professor at Bar-Ilan University, tells Time. "This builds up the bodily systems that are sensitive to a physical presence."
Feldman and her team examined premature babies at two different hospitals in 1996. Preemies at one hospital received an hour of kangaroo care -- the practice of cuddling skin-to-skin -- by their mother for two weeks. Babies at the other hospital received none.The study was repeated in 1998 with another two hospitals.
"In this decade-long study, we show for the first time that providing maternal-newborn skin-to-skin contact to premature infants in the neonatal period improves children's functioning ten years later," says Feldman.
The children at age 10 showed better stress management, as determined by lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol when they were faced with an anxiety-producing situation.
While it may seem obvious that kangaroo care is necessary for all babies, it was not practiced widely with premature babies in hospitals until a few years ago. During the 1990s, it was believed that since preemies were at high risk of getting an infection they should be kept inside their incubator to reduce exposure to germs. This belief prevailed despite knowledge that oxytocin -- the feel-good, bonding hormone -- increases in both mothers and babies during cuddle sessions.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Through these open doors you are always welcome