Ricks During the Incubations Period

The state of relaxation babies experience when they are hugged, talked to, held or touched while they are glued to their mother, is the best indicator you can have to prove up to what point a baby can enjoy the relationship with the mother.

It’s important to point out, that the risk of contracting a mayor number of infections – one of the biggest dangers for premature babies – has not been detected by practicing this method. In the same way all of the neonatal intensive care units are very strict when it comes to hygiene norms and they will make sure you wash your hands, arms and forearms, scrub brush your nails, and wear sterilized clothing that includes a robe and a hat for your hair.

However there is something that can be pointed out as far as this goes. When my daughter was in the incubator, which were definitely the two longest months of my life, a lot of parents in their rush to see their babies, did not follow along with the hygiene norms. In this period, some babies suffered of frequent infections. I am not sure if these infections were caused because of this, but they surely did contribute to them.

Keep in mind that the risk of infection is one of the most difficult problems for a premature baby to go through, and it is your job to avoid that from happening.

Finally, keep in mind that when you have skin to skin contact with your baby for several hours a day, if there isn’t any other complication it is possible to reduce considerably the amount of days the baby will need to be in the hospital.

Not in vain, years ago a child was only allowed to go home when he or she reached the weight of 2,500 grams and now they are allowed to go home 500 grams less than that.

The assiduity that you can be in skin-to-skin contact with your baby will also allow you to recognize which are the signs of risk, such as the signals that indicate that the baby is fine and that the growth rhythm is in order.

There are some countries in which this practice has been applied for many years, and some places are studying the possibility of establishing a program in which they can allow a baby to go home a lot earlier, given their health allows it and that the parents are emotionally and psychologically prepared to take care of their baby, along with the help of an assisted medical team. Make sure that when you do take your baby home, to continue on with the skin to skin contact for as long as possible.