Promoting Parent-Baby Bond—Nurse Interaction
After the busy holiday week, we pick-up where we last left off for our 2018 Preemie Awareness Month discussions. We last talked about Navigating NICU. Today’s discussion covers how nurses can help you through the parent-baby bond.
As you may recall, your baby’s Primary Nurse is there to help intervene in communicating between you and your baby’s primary care team; as well as making, navigating NICU a whole lot easier, while easing your stress and anxiety.
Promoting Parent-Baby Bond
The Primary Nurse is a powerful advocate to navigate NICU, but so too are the other nurses in NICU. Those nurses that interact and promote the parent-baby bond. In fact, one of the key responsibilities a NICU-Nurse takes on is helping parents with Kangaroo Mother Care, or KMC. For some parents holding their fragile baby for the first time is frightening; and, that’s why the nurses are there. Any on-duty NICU Nurse can help teach you, the parent, proper technique in holding your baby during KMC.
KMC Benefits Parent-Baby Bond
The on-duty NICU Nurse can also educate you as a parent about the benefits you and your preemie gain while in NICU. The foremost result of KMC, is helping reduce your stress and anxiety as parent. Being in NICU is stressful enough; but, holding your preemie for the first time can be equal stressful; until a NICU Nurse guides you through the process. For your preemie, KMC improves your child’s health:
- Longer Periods of Sleep
- Improved brain development
- Exclusive breastfeeding
- Improved thermoregulation
- Weight gain
- Reducing stress
- Improved breathing
What’s Next…
NICU Nurses, understand the benefits to an even greater extent outlined above. You can always ask your preemies Primary Nurse about all the added benefits to KMC. After all, your baby’s care healthcare goals, challenges, and milestones will always include you. Making you part of your baby’s Primary Care Team.
Don’t forget to celebrate KMC Day every year on May 15!