Liberal access to NICUs

[Guest mbayari]

Hi all,

Our new clinic is being contructed and we are thinking about a new concept of "a practical NICU". A general feeling wants to bring parents closer in the system of care of their babies and to accompany them in order to improve attahchment and parentality in one hand and reduce anxiety and depression after discharge in a second one. Recent readings let think of opening units to the parents ie, access without specific schedule near their baby. Do you have such an experience? What is the feeling of the nursing teams (do that matter with care?). We don't have enough space to built single rooms.

Thanks

[Stefan Johansson]

We have no rules about parents access, they can visit their infants any time of the day/night, all days a week. It works good. We also make parents do some of the nursing too, like nappy changes and gastric tube feeding.

[danielubin]

What do you think about grandmothers/grandfathers visiting in the NICU?

[Guest mbayari]

I completly agree with Stefan about the fact that such a manner works well (that's we do also);we had a lot of questions and some reluctance from nurses. They felt themsleves disturbed and/or observed (in the bad side of word) by parents during nursing.

To Danielubin,we don't allow other persons than parents to get near the newborn; our experience is that the information must get as directly as possible from the neonatologist to parents (some parents dislike the fact of giving any information about their premature sick newborn to anyone). Parents do participate to caring for their baby of course.

[manberbenitez]

we have the same manner of work like mbayari, we only give medical information to the parents.and they are the only persons that can be in the nicu with the baby

[sudershan.kumari]

We have nicu for extramural births , as this children,s hopital has no maternity unut attached. Mother or mother figure (grandmother, aunt,etc)are allowed free access to nursery. They also help in baby care,comfort, changing napkins and stimulation when stable. This practice not only contains infection in nicu, it also promotes breast milk use in nicu ,mother's confidence in handling small and neonates recovering from sickness.

Even these babies are discharge earlier from nicu , once the baby has started gaining weight and free from problems . However , mostly we allow one relation at atime, mothers can stay 24hrs in mother's area, or stay as long during day time at family's convenince.

[ian woodroffe]

There is enough research evidence to show that parents feel outsiders in NICU and yet it is there baby.

Bonding may have (and indeed probably has) been seriously disrupted and in some cases trauma responses cause Mothers not even to recognise that the baby is theirs.

Any encouragement that can be give for closer connections for attachment and to empower deskilled mothers would be very important for Units to consider. That encouragement may be being present on the ward round and being given tasks that have been specifically planned to enable attachment and bonding.

Ian Woodroffe

NICU Adddenbrookes

Cambridge

UK

[Guest p.mansvelt]

Parents are welcome every hour of the day en can help with all the nursing care; even if it is comforting during ET suctioning for example.

Visitors are only allowed when -at least one of the- parents is on the unit. This is important for the parents so that the stories and experienses they have, can be understood better.

Medical information is only given to the parents unless they want others to participate.