Building Parenting Skills and Interactions with Kangaroo Care Sharon A. Wilkerson, PhD, RN Associate Professor of Nursing Purdue University West Lafayette, IN

Education of Staff Developmental Care Parent Needs Infant Cues in the Premature Infant

Parental Experience in the NICU Staff education of family Care of the Infant Special Needs Infant Cues Skin to Skin Contact

Subjects 15 First time mothers 10 Participated in Kangaroo Care 5 Did not participate in Kangaroo Care

Subjects Mothers average age 23.7 range 19.1 to 34.5 Infantaverage age 30.3 weeks range 28 to 32 weeks Stabile without serious medical conditions

Data Collected Home visits 4 weeks post discharge Sleep-Wake Diary Descriptive questions Parent Description of Baby Temperament NCAST Feeding Scale

Parent Description of Baby Temperament Activity Rhythmicity Adaptability Mood Approach

NCAST Feeding Scale Mother Sensitive to cues Response to distress Provide growth fostering situations Infant Clarity of cues Responsiveness to parent

Findings Sleep-Wake Diary Short sleep cycles – night waking

Findings Parent Description of Baby Temperament More positive reaction if parents had contact with infant in NICU Too many items not yet experienced by parents

Findings NCAST Feeding Scale Mother Sensitive to cues Response to distress Provide growth fostering situations Infant Clarity of cues Responsiveness to parent

Findings Descriptive: Mothers with contact in NICU reported more confidence in care of baby at home. Fewer feeding difficulties More positive attitude overall

CONCLUSIONS Skin to skin contact beneficial to attachment and parent – infant interactions Parents benefit from staff teaching and it needs to be planned as a regular part of the care provided Need to facilitate parents visiting the NICU