Very low birth-weight infants: parental visiting and telephoning during initial infant hospitalization

The purposes of this study were to examine visiting and telephoning patterns of families of very low birth-weight (VLBW) infants during their initial hospitalization and to identify factors related to visiting and telephoning. The sample of 65 VLBW infants (less than or equal to 1,500 gm) and their families was followed for 6 weeks in the special care nurseries. Mothers were the primary visitors, with the typical mother visiting the nursery twice per week. Fathers and other family members made most of their visits in the first few weeks with minimal involvement thereafter. During a typical week the number of telephone calls to the nursery from mothers ranged from one to three. Fathers and other family members made minimal calls. Significantly fewer visits were made by families in which the mother was unmarried, the mother was younger, Medicaid was the type of insurance, annual income was less than $10,000, and private transportation was unavailable. There were no significant relationships between total number of telephone calls made and maternal demographic variables.