Research claims that touch of a mother gets much appreciation from babies compares to the touch of a father. The study based on the babies having blood drawn at the hospital.
However, the differences were not miles apart. The researcher also acknowledges the fact that the either one of the parents helps the babies to go through the heel-stick procedures easier.
The researched got conducted so that researchers can investigate the effect of the so-called “kangaroo care” on the babies’ manifestation of pain. In kangaroo care, an adult hugs the infant, who wears a diaper, against their bare chest, along with a sheet or other cover covering the pair.
Pediatrician at Comer Children’s Hospital at the University of Chicago, Dr. Larry Gray, believes that there’s a colossal difference between when a baby gets (blood drawn) unaccompanied in an incubator and when someone holds the baby for this procedure.
Experts believe that earlier studies have proven that skin-to-skin contact has a several positive health advantage for the baby, which includes relieving pain. Kangaroo care could be a matter in preemies needing extra medical procedures and are more delicate than full-term babies.
Gray said that here’s a little 3-pound baby who need to be kept warm during the procedure. With the help of kangaroo care, the parent could provide the warmth that the babies needed.
For the latest study, C. Celeste Johnston from the McGill University School of Nursing in Montreal gazed at 62 preemies in the neonatal concentrated care unit who required multiple heel stick procedures to get samples of blood. Every time that the babies underwent the procedure, the investigator told the baby’s mom and dad to alternate on holding the baby using kangaroo care.
During each procedure, the babies’ expression was videotapes so that the researchers could study the babies’ faces during and after the blood draw. The researcher tries to differentiate each expression by the tell-tale expressions of pain, such as squashed eyes and a wrinkled nose and lip. Pain valued on a 0-to-21 scale.
Whenever the dads provide the kangaroo care, pain scores are 8.5 and 8.6 at 30 seconds, KAngaroo and 1 minute following the time that the blood gets drawn. When moms hold the babies, the scores are 1.4 to 1.5 points lower at those intervals.
As a general rule, moms have more experience with kangaroo care than dads, although Johnston and colleagues said that doest explains that the babies feels throughout the whole procedure.