Why It’s Important to Intervene
Preterm infants have an altered trajectory compared to their peers. Since medical advances and increased technologies have allowed the lives of more preterm infants to be saved, the focus is now able to be moved towards focusing on reducing preterm psychosocial, cognitive, and developmental deficits. According to Lai et. al (2016), long-term neurodevelopmental abnormalities impact about 50% of preterm infants in terms of their motor development, cognitive performance, and behavioral issues ( p.2 ). These trajectories can be altered due to interference in the intrauterine environment caused by preterm birth, thereby causing the immature maturation of cognitive constructs such as the cerebral cortex. These interferences …show more content…
By combining infant massage with vocal interaction, infants can be provided with the stimulation they need to “increase weight gain, improve growth and gastrointestinal function, improve neurobehavioral outcomes, reduce infant stress, promote pain attenuation, improve heart rate variability, and promote a functioning immune system” (Lai et. al, 2016, p.3 ). It should also be noted that preterm births can be difficult, in that they can cause interference in inceptive bonding and attachment between infants and their mothers, due to the womb connection being intercepted by preterm birth. Once infants are born, they are placed in the NICU environment where they are usually separated from their caregivers in order to receive medical attention. This separation, as well as stress and guilt from infant hospitalization, can onset maternal depression, however, according to research study conducted by Feijo et. al, (2006), mothers who massaged their infants experienced a decrease in depressive symptoms; even one session in which mothers acted as massage therapists were effective in reducing the mother’s depression anxiety symptoms (476-480). Infant massage therapy can also promote positive attachment behavior by allowing the infant to have sensory stimulation and experience positive touch from the mother, thereby promoting
Preterm infants have an altered trajectory compared to their peers. Since medical advances and increased technologies have allowed the lives of more preterm infants to be saved, the focus is now able to be moved towards focusing on reducing preterm psychosocial, cognitive, and developmental deficits. According to Lai et. al (2016), long-term neurodevelopmental abnormalities impact about 50% of preterm infants in terms of their motor development, cognitive performance, and behavioral issues ( p.2 ). These trajectories can be altered due to interference in the intrauterine environment caused by preterm birth, thereby causing the immature maturation of cognitive constructs such as the cerebral cortex. These interferences …show more content…
By combining infant massage with vocal interaction, infants can be provided with the stimulation they need to “increase weight gain, improve growth and gastrointestinal function, improve neurobehavioral outcomes, reduce infant stress, promote pain attenuation, improve heart rate variability, and promote a functioning immune system” (Lai et. al, 2016, p.3 ). It should also be noted that preterm births can be difficult, in that they can cause interference in inceptive bonding and attachment between infants and their mothers, due to the womb connection being intercepted by preterm birth. Once infants are born, they are placed in the NICU environment where they are usually separated from their caregivers in order to receive medical attention. This separation, as well as stress and guilt from infant hospitalization, can onset maternal depression, however, according to research study conducted by Feijo et. al, (2006), mothers who massaged their infants experienced a decrease in depressive symptoms; even one session in which mothers acted as massage therapists were effective in reducing the mother’s depression anxiety symptoms (476-480). Infant massage therapy can also promote positive attachment behavior by allowing the infant to have sensory stimulation and experience positive touch from the mother, thereby promoting