Light Reduction Capabilities of Homemade and Commercial Incubator Covers in NICU.

Reduction of high-risk neonates' exposure to aversive light stimulation is an important component of developmentally supportive care. In neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), usually light is reduced by reducing the room's light level or by using incubator covers. Many types of incubator covers are in use, including homemade and commercial covers.

Effect of skin-to-skin contact on preterm infant skin barrier function and hospital-acquired infection.

Background: The preterm infants' skin is structurally and functionally immature at birth because of immature stratum corneum barrier function, leading to problems with fluid loses, thermoregulation, and infection. Two parameters of barrier function can be non-invasively assessed: Stratum Corneum Hydration (SCH) and Transepidermal Water Loss (TEWL). Skin-to-Skin Care (SSC) is the proposed independent variable that might affect barrier function by decreasing TEWL and increasing SCH, thereby improving stratum corneum barrier function and consequently decreasing the rate of infection.

Kangaroo care with twins: a case study in which one infant did not respond as expected.

Purpose: The purposes were to relate responses (including unacceptable ones) of twins to shared kangaroo care (KC), to provide explanations for the unexpected responses, and to offer suggestions for safe nursing practice.

Design: A descriptive, evaluative case study was conducted. Both twins received KC while their vital signs and maternal breast temperatures were manually recorded every 30 seconds.

Cup versus bottle feeding for hospitalized late preterm infants in Egypt: a quasi-experimental study.

Background: Although previous studies have demonstrated beneficial breastfeeding outcomes when cup feeding rather than bottle feeding was used for feeding preterm infants, cup feeding has not been implemented in Egypt. The aim of the current study was to examine the effect of using cup feeding as an exclusive method of feeding preterm infants during hospitalization on breastfeeding outcomes after discharge.

Methods: A quasi-experimental design, with the control group studied first, was used to examine the effect of cup feeding for preterm infants on breastfeeding outcomes after discharge.

Kangaroo Care (skin contact) reduces crying response to pain in preterm neonates: pilot results.

Crying commonly occurs in response to heel stick and adversely affects the infant's physiologic stability. Minimal crying in response to pain is desired. "Kangaroo Care," skin contact between mother and infant, reduces pain and may reduce crying in response to pain.