Nursing networks in the NICU and their association with maternal stress: A pilot study.

Aims: This pilot study explored how maternal stress experienced in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is affected by the individual nursing structure and the network that provides care to extremely preterm infants.

Background: Mothers experience high stress when their extremely preterm infants are hospitalized in the NICU. This often translates into maladaptive parenting behaviours that negatively affect the long-term cognitive, social, and emotional development of the infant.

Investigating skin-to-skin care patterns with extremely preterm infants in the NICU and their effect on early cognitive and communication performance: a retrospective cohort study.

Objectives: The primary objective of the study was to investigate how patterns of skin-to-skin care might impact infant early cognitive and communication performance.

Design: This was a retrospective cohort study.

Setting: This study took place in a level-IV all-referral neonatal intensive care unit in the Midwest USA specialising in the care of extremely preterm infants.

Factors associated with maternal visitation and participation in skin-to-skin care in an all referral level IIIc NICU.

Aim: To identify variables associated with maternal visitation and participation in skin-to-skin care (SSC) with their extremely premature (<27 weeks) neonate.

Methods: In an all referral level IIIc, 32 extremely premature neonates and their mothers were studied. Standardized instruments were the Parental Stressor Scale: NICU and the Parent-Staff Communication Rating Scale.