title: Skin-to-skin parental contact with fragile preterm infants.
abstract: Skin-to-skin contact has been implemented recently to facilitate maternal-infant bonding of preterm infants. The technique allows the removal of fragile preterm infants from an incubator to the bare chest of a parent or caretaker. When specific guidelines are followed, thermal stability can be maintained, parent-infant bonding can be facilitated, and parental satisfaction can be enhanced. We illustrate a case in which a preterm infant has skin-to-skin contact while being monitored for physiologic parameters, including heart and respiratory rate, oxyhemoglobin saturation, and nasal airflow. Improvements in breathing patterns in this infant during skin-to-skin care and maintenance of a normal temperature suggest that this technique may not only be safe and psychologically beneficial, but it may also promote physiologic improvement.
authors.affiliation: Jefferson Medical College (Philadelphia, Pa), USA.
authors.forename: G M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Cleary
authors.forename: S S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Spinner
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gibson
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Greenspan
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D008297:Male; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology*; D011181:Postnatal Care / Q000379:methods*; D012867:Skin