TY - JOUR
T1 - "babywearing" in the NICU
T2 - An intervention for infants with neonatal abstinence syndrome
AU - Williams, Lela Rankin
AU - Gebler-Wolfe, Molly
AU - Grisham, Lisa M.
AU - Bader, M. Y.
N1 - Funding Information:
Author Affiliations: School of Social Work Tucson, Arizona State University, Tucson (Dr Williams and Ms Gebler-Wolfe); Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Banner University Medical Center Tucson, Tucson, Arizona (Ms Grisham and Dr Bader); and Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Arizona, Tucson (Dr Bader). This work is funded as a result of generous financial support from BHHS Legacy Foundation, which is an Arizona charitable organization whose philanthropic mission is to enhance the quality of life and health of those it serves. This work was also funded by a grant from the Ibis Foundation. Ergobaby, Baby K’Tan, and ByKay provided the infant carriers used in this study. The authors do not have any competing interests. Supplemental digital content is available for this article. Direct URL citation appears in the printed text and is provided in the HTML and PDF versions of this article on the journal’s Web site (www.advancesinneonatalcare.org). Correspondence: Lela Rankin Williams, PhD, School of Social Work Tucson, Arizona State University, 340 N. Commerce Park Loop, Ste 250, Tucson, AZ 85745 (lrw@asu.edu). Copyright © 2020 by The National Association of Neonatal Nurses
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 Lippincott Williams and Wilkins. All rights reserved.
PY - 2020/12
Y1 - 2020/12
N2 - Background: The US opioid epidemic has resulted in an increase of infants at risk for developing neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). Traditionally, treatment has consisted of pharmacological interventions to reduce symptoms of withdrawal. However, nonpharmacological interventions (eg, skin-to-skin contact, holding) can also be effective in managing the distress associated with NAS. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine whether infant carrying or "babywearing" (ie, holding an infant on one's body using cloth) can reduce distress associated with NAS among infants and caregivers. Methods: Heart rate was measured in infants and adults (parents vs other adults) in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) pre- (no touching), mid- (20 minutes into being worn in a carrier), and post-babywearing (5 minutes later). Results: Using a 3-level hierarchical linear model at 3 time points (pre, mid, and post), we found that babywearing decreased infant and caregiver heart rates. Across a 30-minute period, heart rates of infants worn by parents decreased by 15 beats per minute (bpm) compared with 5.5 bpm for infants worn by an unfamiliar adult, and those of adults decreased by 7 bpm (parents) and nearly 3 bpm (unfamiliar adult). Implications for Practice: Results from this study suggest that babywearing is a noninvasive and accessible intervention that can provide comfort for infants diagnosed with NAS. Babywearing can be inexpensive, support parenting, and be done by nonparent caregivers (eg, nurses, volunteers). Implications for Research: Close physical contact, by way of babywearing, may improve outcomes in infants with NAS in NICUs and possibly reduce the need for pharmacological treatment. See the video abstract for a digital summary of the study. Video Abstract Available at: https://journals.lww.com/advancesinneonatalcare/Pages/videogallery.aspx?autoPlay=false&videoId=38.
AB - Background: The US opioid epidemic has resulted in an increase of infants at risk for developing neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). Traditionally, treatment has consisted of pharmacological interventions to reduce symptoms of withdrawal. However, nonpharmacological interventions (eg, skin-to-skin contact, holding) can also be effective in managing the distress associated with NAS. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine whether infant carrying or "babywearing" (ie, holding an infant on one's body using cloth) can reduce distress associated with NAS among infants and caregivers. Methods: Heart rate was measured in infants and adults (parents vs other adults) in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) pre- (no touching), mid- (20 minutes into being worn in a carrier), and post-babywearing (5 minutes later). Results: Using a 3-level hierarchical linear model at 3 time points (pre, mid, and post), we found that babywearing decreased infant and caregiver heart rates. Across a 30-minute period, heart rates of infants worn by parents decreased by 15 beats per minute (bpm) compared with 5.5 bpm for infants worn by an unfamiliar adult, and those of adults decreased by 7 bpm (parents) and nearly 3 bpm (unfamiliar adult). Implications for Practice: Results from this study suggest that babywearing is a noninvasive and accessible intervention that can provide comfort for infants diagnosed with NAS. Babywearing can be inexpensive, support parenting, and be done by nonparent caregivers (eg, nurses, volunteers). Implications for Research: Close physical contact, by way of babywearing, may improve outcomes in infants with NAS in NICUs and possibly reduce the need for pharmacological treatment. See the video abstract for a digital summary of the study. Video Abstract Available at: https://journals.lww.com/advancesinneonatalcare/Pages/videogallery.aspx?autoPlay=false&videoId=38.
KW - NAS
KW - NICU
KW - babywearing
KW - comfort
KW - heart rate
KW - neonatal abstinence syndrome
KW - neonatal intensive care unit
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85097003688&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85097003688&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1097/ANC.0000000000000788
DO - 10.1097/ANC.0000000000000788
M3 - Article
C2 - 33009160
AN - SCOPUS:85097003688
SN - 1536-0903
VL - 20
SP - 440
EP - 449
JO - Advances in Neonatal Care
JF - Advances in Neonatal Care
IS - 6
ER -