Relationship between mother-infant mutual dyadic responsiveness and premature infant development as measured by the Bayley III at 6 weeks corrected age.

Background: The quality of mother-preterm infant interaction has been identified as a key factor in influencing the infant's later development and language acquisition. The relationship between mother-infant responsiveness and later development may be evident early in infancy, a time period which has been understudied.

Aim: Describe the relationship between mother-infant mutual dyadic responsiveness and premature infant development.

Maternal weight status and responsiveness to preterm infant behavioral cues during feeding.

Background: Parental obesity is highly predictive of child obesity, and preterm infants are at greater risk of obesity, but little is known about obese and non-obese mothers' responsiveness to preterm infant cues during feeding. The relationship between maternal weight status and response to preterm infant behavioral cues during feeding at 6-weeks corrected age was examined.

Methods: This secondary analysis used data from a randomized clinical trial.

A Test of Kangaroo Care on Preterm Infant Breastfeeding.

Objective: To test the effects of kangaroo care (KC) on breastfeeding outcomes in preterm infants compared with two control groups and to explore whether maternal-infant characteristics and the mother's choice to use KC were related to breastfeeding measures.

Design: Secondary analysis of a multisite, stratified, randomized three-arm trial. The treatment groups used KC, auditory-tactile-visual-vestibular (ATVV) intervention, or received preterm infant care information.

Beyond Cervical Length: A Pilot Study of Ultrasonic Attenuation for Early Detection of Preterm Birth Risk.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether cervical ultrasonic attenuation could identify women at risk of spontaneous preterm birth. During pregnancy, women (n = 67) underwent from one to five transvaginal ultrasonic examinations to estimate cervical ultrasonic attenuation and cervical length. Ultrasonic data were obtained with a Zonare ultrasound system with a 5- to 9-MHz endovaginal transducer and processed offline.

Relationships among psychosocial factors, biomarkers, preeclampsia, and preterm birth in African American women: a pilot.

Aim: To explore the relationships among psychosocial factors (optimism, uncertainty, social support, coping, psychological distress), biomarkers (cortisol, cytokines), preeclampsia, and preterm birth in African American women.

Methods: Forty-nine pregnant African American women completed psychosocial questionnaires and had blood collected for biomarkers between 26 and 36 weeks of gestation. Birth outcomes were obtained from birth records.

Maternally administered interventions for preterm infants in the NICU: effects on maternal psychological distress and mother-infant relationship.

Although studies have examined the effects of interventions focused on preterm infants, few studies have examined the effects on maternal distress (anxiety, depressive symptoms, post-traumatic stress symptoms, parenting stress) or parenting. This study examined the effects of the auditory-tactile-visual-vestibular (ATVV) intervention and kangaroo care (KC) on maternal distress and the mother-infant relationship compared to an attention control group. 240 mothers from four hospitals were randomly assigned to the three groups.

Stressors, resources, and stress responses in pregnant African American women: a mixed-methods pilot study.

This research aimed to develop an initial understanding of the stressors, stress responses, and personal resources that impact African American women during pregnancy, potentially leading to preterm birth. Guided by the ecological model, a prospective, mixed-methods, complementarity design was used with 11 pregnant women and 8 of their significant others. Our integrated analysis of quantitative and qualitative data revealed 2 types of stress responses: high stress responses (7 women) and low stress responses (4 women).

Salivary cortisol and behavioral state responses of healthy newborn infants to tactile-only and multisensory interventions.

Objective: To compare changes in stress reactivity (measured via the biomarker salivary cortisol) and behavioral state in healthy newborn infants immediately following 1 of 2 interventions: (1) tactile-only stimulation or (2) a multisensory, auditory, tactile, visual, and vestibular stimulation with a control group.

Design: A randomized prospective design pilot study.

Setting: Normal newborn nurseries of 2 midwestern perinatal centers.

Concept clarification of neonatal neurobehavioural organization.

Aim: This paper is a report of a concept analysis of neonatal neurobehavioural organization for healthy full-term infants.

Background: The neonatal period is an opportune time for researchers and clinicians to assess and intervene for optimal neurobehavioural organization. Yet there is inconsistency and lack of clarity in a scientifically grounded definition of neonatal neurobehavioural organization.

Quantitative ultrasound assessment of the rat cervix.

Objective: The purpose of this research was to detect cervical ripening with a new quantitative ultrasound technique.

Methods: Cervices of 13 nonpregnant and 65 timed pregnant (days 15, 17, 19, 20, and 21 of pregnancy) Sprague Dawley rats were scanned ex vivo with a 70-MHz ultrasound transducer. Ultrasound scatterer property estimates (scatterer diameter [SD], acoustic concentration [AC], and scatterer strength factor [SSF]) from the cervices were quantified and then compared to hydroxyproline and water content.

Sex differences in high-risk premature infants' asymmetric movement development.

High-risk premature infants are likely to show altered patterns in the development of reflexes and postural reactions. This study used the Modified-Measure of Behavioral Laterality (M-MOBL) neonatal assessment to explore differences in reflex and postural reactions among 26 male and female high-risk, premature infants born between 23 and 26 weeks gestational age. M-MOBL scores at 33-36.

Feeding readiness in preterm infants: the relationship between preterm behavioral state and feeding readiness behaviors and efficiency during transition from gavage to oral feeding.

Purpose: The purpose of this secondary analysis was to assess whether alert behavioral states were associated with an increased number of feeding readiness behaviors (FRBs) and whether the number of FRBs were associated with subsequent feeding efficiency in healthy premature infants born between 29 to 35 weeks gestation.

Study Design And Methods: The data were collected as part of a larger study designed to compare the frequency of FRBs and feeding efficiency between control and experimental groups. Data from 21 stable premature infants were included in this secondary analysis.

Developmental patterns of physiological response to a multisensory intervention in extremely premature and high-risk infants.

Objective: To compare the developmental patterns of heart rate (HR), respiratory rate (RR), and hemoglobin oxygen saturation (SaO2) of premature infants with and without central nervous system (CNS) injury, and evaluate whether a multisensory intervention altered this development.

Sample: Thirty-seven premature infants born at 23-26 weeks with normal head ultrasounds or at 24-32 weeks and diagnosed with periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) and/or intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) were studied at 33-35 weeks postconceptional age.

Design: Infants were randomly assigned to control and experimental groups.

Multisensory intervention improves physical growth and illness rates in Korean orphaned newborn infants.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a multisensory intervention on the physical growth and health of Korean orphaned infants. Fifty-eight full-term infants were randomly assigned to a control (n = 28) or an experimental (n = 30) group within 14 days postbirth. In addition to receiving the routine orphanage care, infants in the experimental group received 15 min of auditory (female voice), tactile (massage), and visual (eye-to-eye contact) stimulation twice a day, 5 days a week, for 4 weeks.

Effect of auditory, tactile, visual, and vestibular intervention on length of stay, alertness, and feeding progression in preterm infants.

This study determined whether an auditory, tactile, visual, and vestibular intervention (ATVV) reduced the length of hospitalization of 37 preterm infants by increasing the proportion of alert behavioral states, thereby improving their feeding progression. Participants comprised 12 infants born between 23 and 26 weeks' gestation with normal head ultrasounds and 25 CNS-injured infants born between 23 and 31 weeks' gestation. Infants were randomly assigned to the control group (11 males, five females) or study group (seven males, 14 females) at 32 weeks' postconceptional age.