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Soothability and growth in preterm infants

Holly J Diesel1, Patrick M Ercole

  • 1Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes Jewish College, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA. hdiesel@bjc.org

Journal of Holistic Nursing : Official Journal of the American Holistic Nurses' Association
|October 15, 2011
PubMed

Insights

A flaxseed pillow intervention improved soothability and weight gain in premature infants. This inexpensive method showed no adverse events, suggesting potential benefits for neonatal care.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatal care
  • Developmental pediatrics

Background:

  • Premature infants often experience challenges with regulation and weight gain.
  • Soothing interventions are crucial for improving outcomes in preterm neonates.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the efficacy of a flaxseed pillow in enhancing soothability and weight gain in premature infants.
  • To assess the impact of flaxseed pillow treatment on physiological parameters and hospital stay duration.

Main Methods:

  • A randomized controlled trial involving 48 preterm infants.
  • Treatment group received two 15-minute flaxseed pillow applications daily for the first 5 days.
  • Physiological measurements (temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate, pain scores, physical activity) were recorded pre- and post-treatment.

Main Results:

  • The flaxseed pillow group showed significant reductions in heart rate, respiratory rate, and pain scores.
  • Infants in the treatment group exhibited increased weight gain in the first three weeks and more awake time.
  • No significant differences were observed in discharge weights or length of hospital stay.

Conclusions:

  • Flaxseed pillows offer a novel, inexpensive, and safe method to improve soothability and promote weight gain in premature infants.
  • The intervention appears to be well-tolerated with no adverse events.
  • Further research is warranted to confirm efficacy in diverse neonatal populations.
Abstract

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