Newly born low birthweight infants stabilise better in skin-to-skin contact than when separated from their mothers: a randomised controlled trial.

Aim: Routine care of low birthweight (LBW) neonates relies on incubators for stabilisation. An earlier study suggested that skin-to-skin contact achieves better physiological stability in the transition period when compared to incubator care. The aim of this study was to replicate that study with a larger sample.

Constant delay in adapted cerebral response to light stimulation in premature neonates: a transcranial Doppler study.

Transcranial Doppler has been used previously to determine hemodynamic response to sensorial stimulation in adults but not in the neonatal period. Cerebral blood flow velocity (CBFV) was recorded in both middle cerebral arteries (MCA) and posterior cerebral arteries (PCA) in 100 premature neonates (male 56; female 44; 26 to 36 weeks gestation) from birth to 12 months. Brain development was evaluated on clinical examination.