The Effect of Individualized Developmental Care Practices in Preterm Infants

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Clinical Practice Protocol of Creative Music Therapy for Preterm Infants and Their Parents in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
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Dilek Küçük Alemdar1, Sevil İnal2

  • 1Giresun University, Health Sciences Faculty, Department of Nursing, Giresun, Turkey, dilekkucuk@atauni.edu.tr.

Complementary Medicine Research
|November 22, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Individualized developmental care, including maternal voice and breast milk odor, can support preterm infants. Breast milk odor specifically may help infants transition to breastfeeding more quickly.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatal care
  • Developmental pediatrics
  • Infant physiology

Background:

  • Preterm infants in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) face environmental stressors like irregular noise, light, and odor.
  • These infants require specialized care to optimize their development and well-being.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the impact of individualized developmental care interventions on preterm infants.
  • To assess effects on physiological parameters, physical growth, and the transition to oral feeding.

Main Methods:

  • A randomized controlled trial was conducted with preterm infants.
  • Infants were assigned to four groups: maternal voice, breast milk odor (BMO), incubator cover (IC), and a control group.

Main Results:

  • No significant differences in weight, height, or head circumference at discharge were observed across groups.
  • The incubator cover (IC) group showed statistically higher mean oxygen saturation (SO2) values.
  • The breast milk odor (BMO) group demonstrated the shortest duration for transition to total oral feeding.

Conclusions:

  • Individualized developmental care strategies, informed by these interventions, can enhance the care of preterm infants.
  • Exposure to breast milk odor may facilitate the transition to breastfeeding in preterm infants.
Abstract

Keywords:
Breastfeeding smellIncubator coverMother voicePreterm infant

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