Announcements, upcoming conferences, new articles, grant opportunities, etc. will be posted here and updated frequently.

Newborn Hope, Inc. is a Colorado nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to raise funds and support programs for the advancement of maternal, fetal, and neonatal care and well being. Fundraising events are held throughout the year in Denver, Colorado Springs, and now in Boulder. The  Center for Family & Infant Interaction has been the recipient of many grants from this organization over the years and Suzanne Smith serves as President on the Board of Directors. In 1999, Newborn Hope began publishing a booklet entitled "Preventing Premature Birth & Low Birth Weight Babies" in both Spanish and English. This is a very attractive and easy to understand tool for expectant mothers. It is available free to Colorado agencies for distribution. Please call 1-800-466-8575 to order or visit their website at http://www.newbornhope.org

Developmental Care - Considerations for Touch and Massage in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit  - First published in Neonatal Network, Vol. 19, No. 1, February 2000 and reproduced with permission.

by Joy V. Browne, PhD, RN

Introduction

An expanding body of research has documented the short-term advantages of gentle touch and massage for healthy term infants and some growing and medically stable preterm infants. These findings have provided the impetus for extension of massage techniques to very small, fragile newborns, and have prompted the utilization of new personnel in NICUs specifically to provide massage therapy for newborns. It is important, before engaging in these approaches, for the professional in the NICU to consider the potential impact of massage on the infant and the family. It is also imperative that professionals in the NICU take into account the current growing knowledge base regarding developmental care and the implications for decision making with any provision of stimuli to fragile sick newborns in the NICU.

New articles by our staff:

Levy, G. D., D. J. Woolston, et al. (2003). "Mean noise amounts in level II vs level III neonatal intensive care units." Neonatal Netw 22(2): 33-8.

PURPOSE: To compare mean noise amounts in Level II NICUs with those in Level III NICUs after controlling statistically for the number of infants per unit. STUDY DESIGN: A between-group design was used in measuring noise amounts. SAMPLE: Noise amounts were sampled using a central site procedure during two time periods of approximately 25 minutes each (total time approximately 50 minutes) in five Level II NICUs and seven Level III NICUs in Colorado. MAIN OUTCOME VARIABLE: Average noise amounts (in dB) from two time periods of approximately 25 minutes each (total time approximately 50 minutes). RESULTS: Mean noise amounts were significantly higher in Level III NICUs (mean = 54.89 dB) than in Level II NICUs (mean = 49.07 dB). This result remained statistically significant even after correcting statistically for total number of babies present in each NICU during noise measurements.

Ross, E. S. and J. V. Browne (2002). "Developmental progression of feeding skills: an approach to supporting feeding in preterm infants." Semin Neonatol 7(6): 469-75.

Infants born prematurely, with congenital or acquired medical conditions, or who have extended stays in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) are at higher risk of developing feeding and nutritional problems than are full-term, healthy newborns. Because of the complex nature of feeding, it is necessary to have a thorough understanding of the developmental nature of this skill. The importance of recognizing stability in the physiologic, motor and state systems and using stability to determine both readiness to begin nipple feeding and progress in feeding, is discussed. Intervention strategies to promote stability leading to successful feeding are also described. Viewing infant feeding from a developmental skill acquisition perspective can guide the caregiver in determining how challenging it is for the infant, and therefore is useful in supporting the progression of feeding.

Sizun, J., H. Ansquer, et al. (2002). "Developmental Care Decreases Physiologic and Behavioral Pain Expression in Preterm Neonates." The Journal of Pain 3(6): 446-450.

Pain expression in the neonate (NN) is affected by intrinsic and extrinsic factors (gestational and postconceptual age, states, and painful experiences). The impact of developmental care is discussed in relation to defined pain expression. The aim of this randomized crossover study was to determine the impact of develomental care on pain expression during a nursing intervention in preterm NNs. Nineteen preterm NNs (gestational age, 29 ± 1.8 weeks; body weight, 1212 ± 255 g) were included. Each NN experienced 2 randomly ordered diaper changes (with and without developmental support). Physiologic responses (heart rate, oxygen saturation, hypoxic events with SaO₂ less than 80%, bradycardia less than 80 beats/min) were studied during 3 periods: baseline, diaper change (time 0), and recovery period. Pain expression was evaluated with 2 pain scales: chronic pain with Echelle Douleur et Inconfort (EDIN) or Pain and discomfort scale for newborns) at time B60 (PIPP) at time 0. Statistical analysis was conducted with a Wilcoxon nonparametric test. PIPP, EDIN 0, EDIN + 30 minutes, and EDIN + 60 minutes scores were significantly decreased with developmental care versus without developmental care: 8.7 ± 1.9 v 11.1 ± 2.36 (P< .01); 0.6 ± 0.5 v 3.2 ± 2.9 (P < .01); 0.33 ± 0.5 v 3.9 ± 2.5 (P < .001); 0.3 ± 3.4 v 3.4 ± 3 (P < .001), respectively. Hypoxic events rate oxygen saturation observed during the PIPP measure was significantly higher with developmental care (88.8% ± 3% v 81.8% ± 4%; P < .01). Developmental care significantly decreased the PIPP and EDIN pain scores and hypoxic events during a routinve nursing intervention.