Category Archives: Prematurity

Cuddling Cuts Preemie Pain

Posted on April 24, 2008 by Jennifer Zimmerman

I found this article on WebMD today;

Cuddling Cuts Preemie Pain
Kangaroo Mother Care Helps Very Preterm Infants Get Over Pain Faster

Some quotes from the article;

“It works in premature infants of 32 to 36 weeks’ gestation, according to an earlier study by Celeste Johnston, DEd, RN, and colleagues at McGill University School of Nursing. But can it work in babies born as early as 28 weeks’ gestation? The answer is a qualified yes, Johnston and colleagues now find.”

“Kangaroo mother care was invented in 1978 by Colombian pediatrician Edgar Rey. Faced with a shortage of incubators, Rey found that mothers could use their own bodies to warm premature infants. Years of study show the technique to be at least as safe and effective as incubators, and it lessens mothers’ anxiety while promoting mother/infant bonding and breastfeeding.”

“The technique calls for the tiny child to be held upright between the mothers’ breasts and covered with a blanket. Because the child must be held upright against warm skin 24 hours a day, mothers can share kangaroo care with fathers and others.”

“More importantly, the very preterm babies recovered from the painful heelstick about a minute faster when held kangaroo-style than when left in the incubator. That’s a sign the babies’ bodies are beginning to self-regulate, a process known as homeostasis.”

“‘Mothers should be offered kangaroo mother care as neonatal intensive-care unit policy, not only to be close to their infant, but also to provide comfort,’ they add.”

If kangaroo care, or skin to skin contact, helps reduce preemie pain, wouldn’t it help reduce the pain or discomfort of full term infants as well? If it “lessens mothers’ anxiety while promoting mother/infant bonding and breastfeeding”, wouldn’t the same benefits be seen with full term infants? If kangaroo care becomes “neonatal intensive-care policy”, why shouldn’t it also become the policy in the regular labor and delivery unit?
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Urge Action on PREEMIE Bill

Posted on December 6, 2006 by Robin

From the March of Dimes:



There are only about 48 hours left before Congress adjourns for the year. House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Joe Barton (TX) is using the PREEMIE bill to negotiate over another bill in which he has an interest. The content of PREEMIE has been cleared by all, including Chairman Barton’s office. It has been pending in his Committee for over 2 years and was unanimously approved by the Senate on August 1. Please call your Representative today and request they ask Rep. Barton and Majority Leader Boehner to let the House vote on S. 707 before Congress adjourns.


Call the Capitol switchboard (202) 224-3121 or go to http://links.marchofdimes.com/ajtk/servlet/JJ?H=14itxb&R=680790184 to obtain your Representative’s phone number and tell him/her to ask Reps. Barton and Boehner to put the PREEMIE Act on the House floor for a vote today.


Below are points that you can make:

  • You have been personally affected by preterm birth (briefly explain your story and the impact on your family)

  • The PREEMIE Act has strong bipartisan support and 97 House co-sponsors.

  • The PREEMIE Act is desperately needed to stem the growing crisis of preterm birth.

  • The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that more than 500,000 babies are born too soon each year. Since 1981, that number has increased by over 30%.

  • The National Academy of Sciences (Institute of Medicine) estimates the economic burden of preterm birth in the US was at least $26.2 billion in 2005, or $51,600 per infant born preterm. Approximately half of the cost of health care is borne by employers and families with the remainder billed to Medicaid, S-CHIP and other public programs.


Background


For more than 2 years, the March of Dimes has worked with Representatives and Senators from across the nation to enact “PREEMIE.” (S.707/H.R.2861). The bill calls for creation of a public-private agenda to accelerate the development of new strategies for preventing preterm birth and for treating babies who are born too soon.


The principal bill sponsors are Representatives Fred Upton (R-MI) and Anna Eshoo (D-CA) and Senators Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Chris Dodd (D-CT). The Senate approved the bill by unanimous consent on August 1, 2006. Currently, PREEMIE must now be acted on by the House of Representatives before it can be sent to President Bush for his signature.


For more information, contact the March of Dimes Office of Government Affairs (202) 659-1800.

This e-mail is sponsored by the March of Dimes, a nonprofit organization. The mission of the March of Dimes is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality.


For more information about the March of Dimes, visit our Web site at http://www.marchofdimes.com/.
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Help Fight Prematurity

Posted on September 17, 2006 by Robin

The March of Dimes is petitioning Google to give them an infamous Google Doodle for Prematurity day on 11/14/06. Sign their petition to get it listed:

http://www.marchofdimes.com/forms/signPetition.asp Continue reading →

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