QuestionWhat emotional if any affects do premature babies go through after birth?
What physical,cognitive,social problems may they show after birth?
How are the babies attatchment bonds with the parents prior to premature birth? Do the parents show positive attachments right away or is it prolonged?
AnswerHello Yolanda- this sounds like a homework question to me. You need to do some research in books about premature birth. Cheri
Well, maybe you could have given me that info in the original question. Because I am a midwife, my experience with premies is not extensive. However, as a nurse, I have worked with some of them and their families. In my observations, unless extreme attention is given to the issue of nurturing and bonding, both the parents and the infant suffer long term consequences from the separation they experience. By school age, most premies have caught up both physically and emotionally, but I have seen permanent damage to the parent-child relationship. The attatchment bonds prior to birth are the same as any other- it is only AFTER the premature birth that things get out of "sync". MANY parents(fathers esp.) resist getting "too close" to their baby for fear of loving them and then losing them. If they are encouraged to touch, care for, stroke, feed, and talk to their baby by skillful nursing staff- a great deal of the problems can be avoided. Hope that is of some help- Cheri.
