Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Integration Of Premature Infants Into Family Life, Karen Herzing, Rosalie Mainous Phd.

Explorations – The Journal of Undergraduate Research, Scholarship and Creativity at Wright State

Purpose: To analyze family interactions in the present day of families whose babies were preterm and to determine where possible parental knowledge deficits exist on infant care after hospital discharge in order to develop appropriate nursing interventions.

Background: Many studies reflect that parents who experience prolonged separation from their infant must overcome several obstacles to achieve bonding and attachment. Studies that follow preterm infants also show incidences of poor growth, lower intelligence, rejection of the child by parents, and even at times child abuse. According to the Health Department, almost 900 babies, or 12% of total births, are born …