Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 5, 2025
Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale
Published on: August 25, 2014
Nurse Perceptions of Babywearing for Neonates With Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
Lela Rankin Williams1, Lisa M Grisham, Molly Gebler-Wolfe
1School of Social Work, Tucson, Arizona State University (Dr Williams and Mss Gebler-Wolfe and Kelsch); Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Banner University Medical Center, Tucson, Arizona (Ms Grisham and Drs Bedrick and Bader); and Division of Neonatology and Developmental Biology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson(Drs Bedrick and Bader).
Background:
Infants diagnosed with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) often spend several weeks in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and have difficulty being consoled. Infant carriers may be used to help with irritability, while allowing the adult user to be more mobile, through the practice of babywearing (the facilitated holding of an infant using a soft cloth infant carrier worn on the body).
Purpose:
To examine the experience of babywearing infants diagnosed with NAS while admitted in the NICU from the perspective of the nurses who care for them.
Methods:
Nurses (N = 18; mean age = 35.44 years, SD = 9.45) were recruited and interviewed using a semistructured interview method from a 38-bed NICU in the Southwestern United States.
Results:
A thematic content analyses using an open coding scheme yielded 6 themes that fell into 2 categories: (1) benefits of babywearing infants with NAS in the NICU (Infant Consoling, Adult Multitasking, Caregiver-Infant Trust); and (2) suggestions to maximize babywearing in the NICU (Infection Control, Reoccurring Infant Carrier Education, and Reduced Patient Load).
Implications For Practice:
Many NICUs incorporate kangaroo care (or skin-to-skin contact) as a treatment option; however, NICU staff cannot participate in kangaroo care. Babywearing is a practical alternative for nurses and support staff. Nurses supported the practice of babywearing as a means to improve the well-being of infants with NAS while also allowing for increased efficiency in nursing tasks.
Implications For Research:
More prospective studies are needed that evaluate the carryover effects and long-term impact of babywearing for infants diagnosed with NAS.
More Related Videos
05:04A Common Marmoset Model of Mother-Infant Intervention for Breastfeeding Disorders in the Presence of Paternal Inhibition and Maternal Neglect
Published on: September 22, 2023
06:19Author Spotlight: Implications of Non-Nutritive Sucking on Speech Emergence and Infant Development
Published on: April 19, 2024
Related Concept Videos
01:20Attachment
01:29SBAR I: Understanding the Concept
Standardized methods of communication have been developed to ensure that information is...
01:29Nursing Assessment
The nurse collects all aspects of the patient's health in the initial assessment, establishing priorities for ongoing focused assessments...
01:15Nursing Evaluation
01:30Current Trends in Nursing II
01:15Techniques of therapeutic communication I: Active Listening, Sharing Observations, Validation, and Using Touch
Therapeutic communication is not the same as social interaction. Social interaction has no goal or purpose and consists of casual information sharing, whereas therapeutic communication has a plan or purpose for the conversation. Therapeutic...