Parenting tip: How do you improve brain development in a preterm baby?
Health tip for parents: New study finds supporting the emotional connection between mother and a preterm baby improves brain development.
This is useful info for parents…
Separating a newborn from its mother can lead to emotional trauma, for both the mum and the baby.
If a baby is born preterm and needs to be taken to a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), the mother-infant separation can be especially traumatic.
Preterm babies are at increased risk of behavioural problems, learning difficulties and communication issues. A study in 2021 found that the earlier a baby is born, the higher the likelihood of having autism.
But what if mother-baby emotional interactions are really nurtured during the baby’s stay in neonatal intensive care?
Could this help improve brain development in a preterm baby?
A new joint study by the University of Helsinki and Columbia University found exacty this: Supporting the emotional connection between a mother and her preterm baby whilst in the NICU improves the baby’s brain development.
The effects are clearly visible in the baby’s brain network function and also later in neurocognitive development.
