Now mums bond with premature babies by webcam
WHEN a premature baby needs specialist care, parents often feel they miss out on those precious early moments.
But a Scots study has shown how technology can help the bonding process – by placing webcams in wards.
It found that relatives given tablet computers on which video of the infants was streamed felt closer to the new arrivals.
An increasing number of children – 8 to 12 per cent in the developed world – spend their first few weeks of life in a neonatal ward, often away from the touch of their parents.
And while physical touch is recommended between mother and child to build a lasting bond, a premature birth can make it difficult to have access to the baby, particularly when they need special care.
The ‘mylittleone’ cameras developed by Integrated Care 24 were placed above cots or incubators to transmit live images of babies to their parents.
They were switched off only when the child underwent an operation or routine procedure so as not to worry those watching.
One of the researchers, Dr Susan Kerr from Glasgow Caledonian University, said most of the 33 parents and 18 professionals involved in the six-month study were extremely positive about the webcams. She said: ‘Some of the mothers said it helped them physically recover after birth and both parents experienced a closeness with their child, even if they weren’t close by them.
‘It also helped mothers express milk and share real-time images with family and friends of their child while he or she was recovering.’
The mother of a five-week premature baby said: ‘My partner loves it, just being able to see her all the time. And my mum and dad thought it was a fantastic idea. Because our baby’s in neonatal they couldn’t visit her, so it meant they didn’t have to wait to see her.’ The mother of a six-week premature baby said: ‘It was absolutely brilliant… I was so tired that I couldn’t sit longer than half an hour in neonatal care.
‘I didn’t feel well, I was sick and I was dizzy… and even though I would fall asleep pretty quickly, it was like she was near me because I could see her.’
However, the study, published in BMC Pediatrics, uncovered some drawbacks.
One mother with a ten-week premature baby said: ‘Sometimes they turned the camera off and they would forget to turn it on again and I had a sense of anxiousness when I couldn’t see him.’
And some parents suffered increased anxiety if their baby was doing something they couldn’t explain or their child was crying.
The father of a six-week premature infant said: ‘It’s a double-edged sword using the webcam. You can see what’s happening but you don’t always know what’s happening.’
A mother with a six-week premature baby said: ‘Sometimes you see stuff you don’t want to see. I saw them taking blood from his heel and he was screaming the place down, he wasn’t happy.’
But Dr Kerr said it was only the first trial of many.
At present the mylittleone system is operating in one Scottish hospital, which cannot be named for confidentiality reasons, but there is hope that it can be rolled out across the country.