Cuddling very and extremely preterm babies in the delivery room is a positive and normal experience for mothers after the birth

Abstract

Aim Extremely preterm infants are separated from their mothers immediately after birth and not placed skin‐to‐skin in routine neonatal intensive care unit settings. Visual and physical contact in the delivery room as a first cuddle potentially can facilitate early parent‐infant interaction and reduce the trauma of separation. Our aim in this study was to explore mothers' experience of delivery room cuddle by collecting qualitative feedback via emotional mapping. Methods Six mothers experiencing delivery room cuddle had been recruited (GA of their babies 24 + 5–29 + 0 weeks, birth weight 540–1019 g). Using a descriptive qualitative approach, semi‐structured interviews were performed with six mothers following consent via Zoom or phone between September 2020 and March 2021. Interviews were transcribed using AI Otter and then analysed using thematic analysis. Results Analysis of the participants' experiences revealed five themes: fears and hopes around delivery; the moment of delivery—recognising uncertainty; reclaiming normalcy; forming connections; and the journey ahead as an empowered parent. Conclusion All mothers reported positive emotions about the cuddle with their baby. They highlighted that this physical contact was often the only positive and ‘normal’ birth experience they had from the time of delivery.

Parental Narratives of Bonding and Relational Experiences with Preterm Infants Born at 23 to 24 Weeks—A Qualitative Descriptive Study

“…Earlier literature shows that an educationalbehavioural intervention program to enhance mothers' participation improved motherinfant interactions scores [35]. Recent literature has reported very positive and meaningful parental experiences related to immediate physical parent-infant closeness among parents of very preterm infants [36][37][38][39]. In addition, immediate skin-to-skin contact was associated with less impaired bonding in a randomised controlled trial including infants born between 25 and 32 weeks of gestation [40].…”

Mother-newborn couplet care: Nordic country experiences of organization, models and practice

“…A RCT in Germany reported less impaired bonding and improved motor and vocal development of the infant, as well as reduced expression in studied stress-related genes in the group receiving immediate skin-to-skin contact, compared to conventional care after a very preterm birth [ 16 , 17 ]. The feasibility, safety and positive parental experiences of “delivery room cuddle”, in which the mother holds her extremely preterm or sick infant for a brief period of time prior to the admission to the neonatal intensive care unit (neonatal unit), have been reported by different study groups in the United Kingdom [ 18 – 20 ]. Non-separation can be attained, and it is preferred by parents, also during the resuscitation of the infant if the stabilization procedure is performed near the mother in the labor ward/operating room [ 21 – 23 ].…”