Mom’s Hugs Ease The Pain Of Premature Babies
The best incubators for premature babies are, without a doubt, the mother’s hugs. No wonder, as these loving gestures alleviate babies’ pain and improve tolerance for medical procedures.
There’s nothing a hug won’t cure. In these specific cases, this display of affection encourages and comforts babies who, for some reason, arrived earlier than expected in our lives.
For this reason, mothers’ hugs can be considered more sophisticated than any modern hospital procedure.
Some time ago, science was able to prove that the mother’s cervix is extremely beneficial for a premature baby.
Researchers have concluded in several studies that humanistic methods such as “mother kangaroo” work wonderfully in many cases.
The hug is able to reduce the cases of infections and infant mortality. In addition, it prevents the stress generated by the incubator noises and promotes the newborn’s physical, intellectual and emotional development.
The most important? The baby not only feels the warmth and smell of the mother, but also the beating of her heart.
The mother’s hugs, a caress in the premature baby’s soul
The mother’s hugs are like a caress in the premature baby’s soul.
Doctors confirm that children who have been comforted by their mothers’ love during the treatment period tend to complain less than others. In other words, affective contact favors pain tolerance.
This is why a great certainty is held by everyone: the newborn’s contact with the mother and/or father only has positive results for the child’s progress.
Many neonatologists argue that skin-to-skin contact helps regulate the baby’s temperature as well as stimulates breast milk production.
In addition, doctors claim that this type of contact has even more benefits. It protects the baby’s nervous system, stabilizes the heart rate and improves breathing.
That’s why mothers’ hugs caress babies while helping to overcome their frailty and weakness. That way, the little ones will grow up healthy and happy.
Most importantly, children who are lucky enough to grow up on the kangaroo mother method have a shorter recovery time than those who do not have the same opportunity.
This is also beneficial for parents as it reduces the stress and anxiety caused by having a hospitalized child.
Studies on the importance of mother hugs
A study by the McGill University School of Nursing in Montreal, Canada, and published in the journal BioMed Central Pediatrics, stunned the world.
In this study, skin-to-skin contact with the mother was shown to reduce pain during neonatal examinations and treatments.
For this purpose, newborn responses were measured by what is called the “premature babies pain profile”.
In this procedure, the expressions, pulses and oxygen levels in the blood of babies are analyzed.
Thus, it was possible to prove that the reaction to pain in premature babies decreased thanks to the mothers’ hugs.
It was observed that hugged children recovered from the pain within a minute and a half, whereas babies in an incubator suffer for three minutes after the procedure.
A time that at first glance seems insignificant, but makes a big difference when it comes to a child’s life and health.
One of the tests the newborns underwent was the painful heel prick. This exam consists of extracting a blood sample from the foot for early identification of any disease.
Definitely, nature and, in this case, science show us that mothers have a natural gift.
They are true medicines for children, specially designed to do good. It’s like the popular saying goes “a mother’s love can do anything”.
