When a couple becomes pregnant, they are envisioning their child and what they will look like, their future as a family and watching the child grew and learn (Rahimina, 2013). They do not envision having complications during pregnancy and/or birth; they do not envision having to leave their child at the hospital within the NICU when they are being discharged, this leads to many stressors and complications for the parents and families of these infants, possibly a crisis (Rahiminia, 2013). Children are not admitted to a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit unless they are born prematurely, born with low birth weight, born suffering birth complications, have a congenital abnormality, or are critically ill (Gimenez & Sanchez-Luna, 2015). According to World Health Organization (WHO) (2015), prematurity, defined as any child born before 37 weeks of gestation. Preterm is further broken down into three sub-categories: extremely preterm (<28 weeks), very preterm (28 weeks to 32 weeks), and moderate to late preterm (32 weeks to 37 weeks) (World Health Organization, 2015). …show more content…
Most parents do not envision a scenario that involves preterm birth, a sick infant, or a hospital stay that could be as short as a few days to as long as a year or more, depending on the severity of the preterm gestational age or illness of the child. According to WHO (2015), an estimated 15 million babies are born prematurely every year, before 37 weeks gestation, which is more than one in 10 babies. Within the 15 million, almost one million of those babies pass away due to complications from being born prematurely (World Health Organization, 2015). Prematurity is the leading cause of death within children under the age of five (World Health Organization,
The very low birth weight are newborns that weigh less than 3.3 pounds (1,500 grams). Unfortunately, newborns that are under 3.3 pounds (1,500 grams) do not often survive, and the ones that do have delayed motor skills and cognitive development. The numbers decrease further to extremely low birth weight of 2.2 pounds (1,000 grams), where chance of life is very small. Low birth weight babies 1,500 grams – 2,500 grams (3.3 -5.5 pounds) have a good chance they will survive with proper care. Newborns that are small-for-date are placed in incubators that are sealed beds where temperature and air quality is regulated. The beds isolate the infants from pathogens and the environment. The babies need sensory stimulation to grow, so a recorded tape is played of the mothers soothing voice. Visual stimulation from video, and tactile stimulation helps foster physical and cognitive development in the baby. At five months while the fetus is in the womb ithas sensory capabilities, and can hear the mother’s heart beating, food digestion, speaking, and others speaking to her! The incubator stimulates this environment. There is great success with proper attention and care to the low birth weight babies, and. Many of the low birth weight babies are effects of parents that live in poverty, unable to access adequate medical care, and they experience stress due to an unhealthy family life.
Cook Children NICU receives around one thousand babies per year. Since the new unit was opened two years ago, they have single rooms where the parents can stay with their babies overnight, and it is controlled individually according to the patients’ needs. In the single rooms they are able to accommodate twins, triplets and quadruplets. According to Carolyn Cowling (personal communication, April.18, 2014), who is the LCSW, preemies have shown an incredible improvement in their health and are able to go home faster because they have a quicker recovery. Single rooms also allow parents to be with their infants all the time they want, even spending the night with them. Since most of them are there for a long run, it provides the feeling of being in their home.
Neonatal nursing is a field of nursing designed especially for both newborns and infants up to 28 days old. The term neonatal comes from neo, "new", and natal, "pertaining to birth or origin”. Neonatal nurses are a vital part of the neonatal care team. These are trained professionals who concentrate on ensuring that the newborn infants under their care are able to survive whatever potential life threatening event they encounter. They treat infants that are born with a variety of life threatening issues that include instances of prematurity, congenital birth defects, surgery related problems, cardiac malformations, severe burns, or acute infection. Neonatal care in hospitals was always done by the nursing staff but it did not officially become a specialized medical field until well into 1960s. This was due to the numerous advancements in both medical care training and related technology that allowed for the improved treatment and survival rate of premature babies. According to the March of Dimes, one of every thirteen babies born in the United States annually suffers from low birth weight. This is a leading cause in 65% of infant deaths. Therefore, nurses play a very important role in providing round the clock care for these infants, those born with birth defects or other life threatening illness. In addition, these nurses also tend to healthy babies while their mothers recover from the birthing process. Prior to the advent of this specialized nursing field at risk newborn infants were mostly cared for by obstetricians and midwives who had limited resources to help them survive (Meeks 3).
Modercin-McCarthy M. A., McCue S., Walker J. Preterm infants and stress: A tool for the neonatal nurse. J Perinat Neonatal Nurs, 1997; 10, 62-71.
Statistics show the impact that preemies are causing as the rate of preterm birth increases every day. Any part of the world is affected no matter how advanced they are in technology. “One of every eight infants born in the United States is premature babies” (Medline Plus). These statistics are extremely high, however people can change it by getting involved in the community and helping preemies have a less chance to lose in their battle for life. In 2003; 499,008 infants were born prematurely (National Center for Health Statistics). The rates of preterm births have increased over the years. "In 1995: 11.0% of live births were born preterm, In 2006: 12.8% of live births were born preterm"(March of Dimes-Peristats). As the numbers keep increasing, many families are suffering and losing hope for they’re babies. African American women have the highest rate of preterm birth in 2004 with a 17.6% (Reedy, 2007). These statistics demonstrate the high frequenc...
There are more than 70% of premature babies that are born between 34 and 36 weeks gestation a year. When a baby is born early, or born with birth defects, the Neonatal Intensive Care unit is its first home. The nurse’s in the NICU have the difficult job of preparing baby’s and parents for a health life together. A baby who has been put into the NICU will stay there until it is healthy enough to go home.
The human infant is called a neonate who is less than 28 days old. (Potter, Perry, Ross-Kerr, & Wood, 2009, p. 333) The newborn goes through mostly reflex changes during this critical time which leads to bonding and deep attachments between the parents and the neonate during the first 28 days. The neonate I worked with was 18 days old, male, Muslim, goes by the initials MK and lived in a townhouse with his parents. During birth, the family requested as many female staff as possible due to religious reasons.
...o find a balance between interventional and non-interventional birth. With this being said, I also understand that there are strict policies and protocols set in place, which I must abide to as a healthcare provider, in any birth setting. Unfortunately, these guidelines can be abused. Christiane Northrup, MD, a well recognized and respected obstetrician-gynecologist has gone as far as to tell her own daughters that they should not give birth in a hospital setting, with the safest place being home (Block, 2007, p. xxiii). Although I am not entirely against hospital births, I am a firm believe that normal, healthy pregnancies should be fully permissible to all midwives. However, high-risk pregnancies and births must remain the responsibility of skilled obstetricians. My heart’s desire is to do what is ultimately in the best interest of the mother, and her unborn child.
1. What is the difference between a. and a. Which K, S, and A pertain to the care you provided to the patient you have chosen? Why do you need to be a member? K- Describe the limits and boundaries of therapeutic patient-centered care. S- Assess levels of physical and emotional comfort.
Of course prematurity has been a topic that a lot of people talk and about and have their own opinions on. Questions have occurred as to; when is it time to give in or what is the cut off as to when the doctors have to stop trying to save the baby? Due to how big the baby comes out, that is when the doctors can decide if they will save them or not. If the baby is too small some doctors will not try to save them due to the best interest of the child. There was an article I found on ‘’Daily Mail.com’’ about a woman in the United Kingdom whose baby was ‘’ left to die’’ because they were born too small.
A newlywed couple is expecting their first child. In her seventh month of pregnancy, the mother is driving to her doctor’s appointment. All of the sudden, she is hit on the driver’s side. She is unconscious and quickly rushed to the hospital. The doctor examines her; her placenta is ruptured. The doctor contacts the father for consent of the emergency caesarean section since the mother is incapacitated. The mother and child are in fatal danger if the doctor does not move quickly. The father consents to the surgery. Once the father arrives at the hospital, he is not allowed in the operating room. As he waits, the doctor comes out and tells him of his child’s birth. However, there were complications, so the child was in the Neonatal Intensive
There are many different areas to consider when preparing for and having a newborn. Whether the pregnancy was planned or unplanned or the couple is married or not, a newborn baby brings new responsibilities. Having a baby also forces people to make adjustments both financially and within the family. Parents also express concerns and expectations when having a newborn comma especially when it is their first; including what roles each parent and family member should play, how much confidence they have in their parenting skills, and how much financial strain would be placed on the family once the newborn has arrived. The newest issue in today’s society is the fact that many women are delaying childbirth and having more children in their later years of life.
Preterm birth is defined as ‘any neonate whose birth occurs before the thirty seventh week of gestation’1 and represents approximately eight percent of all pregnancies1-4. It is eminent that these preterm infants are at risk of physical and neurological delay, with prolonged hospitalisation and an increased risk of long-term morbidity evident in prior literature3, 5-13. Innovative healthcare over the past thirty years has reduced mortality significantly14, with the survival rate of preterm infants having increased from twenty five percent in 1980 to seventy three percent in 200715. Despite, this drop in mortality long-term morbidity continues to remain within these surviving infants sparking a cause for concern15, 16.
According to the World health organization, the recommended interval between birth should at least be 2-3 years for all individuals and couples. As a result this will reduce the risk of having adverse health outcomes in mothers and as well as children. Throughout the developing world, women are giving birth at shorter intervals than they would like. Giving birth to children with short intervals in between (below 2 years) has increased risk, such as mortality of infants, children and mothers. When the interval between births is increased and the age at first motherhood is delayed, the infant, child and maternal mortality will reduce significantly. The birth of a child signifies the transformation of two individuals into a new social level (new responsibilities and
When the baby is admitted to the NICU, the mother is unable to have the usual bonding moments where she holds and comforts her newborn. Rather, when visiting with her child, she is required to take endless precautions, has limited time to be with her baby, and must see her little child connected to many machines helping to keep the baby stable (Shanmugam & Ramachandra, 2015). In their study, Shanmugam and Ramachandra (2015) questioned 100 mothers of neonates in the NICU, and recorded the correlation between their stress level and coping strategies. They found that 38 of the mothers had severe stress, 28 had moderate stress, and the remaining had mild stress. Of these women, 25% had good coping, 50% had moderate coping, and 25% had poor coping. A large finding from this study was that nurses and health care providers played a very big role in helping to reduce the stress levels of the mothers by talking with them and listening to their concerns, while also providing adequate care for their children. If the mother is using negative coping strategies, such as holding in all of her concerns and filling her mind with the thoughts of death, financial issues, and fear of the unknown, she is going to cause her body great harm (Shanmugam & Ramachandra,