title: Prenatal, perinatal and neonatal stimulation: a survey of neonatal nurseries.
abstract: A recent survey was conducted on stimulation of mothers and babies during pregnancy and the neonatal period. The survey was responded to by 82 neonatology staff members from Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) at hospitals in the United States. Some forms of stimulation were extremely common including (1) skin-to-skin following birth in the delivery room (83% of hospitals); (2) containment (swaddling and surrounded by blanket rolls) in the NICU (86%); (3) music in the NICU (72%); (4) rocking in the NICU (85%); (5) kangaroo care (98%); (6) non-nutritive sucking during tubefeedings in the NICU (96%); and (7) breastfeeding in the NICU (100%). Other forms of stimulation occurred less frequently including (1) pregnancy massage (19%); (2) labor massage (30%); (3) the Doula (assistant who comforts during labor and delivery) (30%); (4) waterbeds in the NICU (23%); and (5) preterm infant massage in the NICU (38%).
authors.affiliation: Touch Research Institutes, University of Miami School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics (D-820), P.O. Box 016820, Miami, FL 33101, USA. tfield@med.miami.edu
authors.forename: Tiffany
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Field
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hernandez-Reif
authors.forename: Larissa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Feijo
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Freedman
mesh_terms: D003625:Data Collection; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal / Q000592:standards; D008405:Massage; D009359:Neonatology; D009724:Nurseries, Infant / Q000592:standards*; D018743:Perinatal Care; D011247:Pregnancy; D011295:Prenatal Care; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States