Neonatal ehandbook: Developmental care for neonates

Key messages

  • Preterm infants are born prior to or during critical periods of brain development.
  • Developmental care aims to reduce stress on infants and promote neurological development.
  • Simple, easy to implement modifications to the nursery environment and care practices may help reduce morbidity.
  • Attention to noise, light and position of neonates can all help to reduce stress and maximise outcomes.

Developmental care is an approach to individualise care of infants to maximise neurological development and reduce long term cognitive and behavioural problems.

While advances in perinatal care have resulted in decreased mortality rates in preterm neonates, morbidity rates remain significantly high.

In addition to cerebral palsy, hearing loss, visual impairments and developmental delay, long term follow up studies have identified other important neurosensory impairments that may not become evident until preschool or school age such as cognitive and behavioural problems.

Preterm infants are born prior to or during critical periods of brain development. The third trimester of fetal development is a period of rapid brain growth and environmental influences eg noise or handling may impact on the developing brain.

Modifications to the nursery environment and care practices that may reduce morbidity can easily be implemented.

Goals of developmental care

The goals of developmental care for the infant are to:

  • reduce stress
  • conserve energy and enhance recovery
  • promote growth and well being
  • support emerging behaviours at each stage of neurodevelopmental maturation

The goals of developmental care for the family are to:

  • encourage and support parents in the primary caregiver role
  • enhance family emotional and social wellbeing

Read more: http://www.health.vic.gov.au/neonatalhandbook/procedures/developmental-care.htm

See also: Some concerns about the mental health of disabled babies and their mothers. Are we helping or hindering? By Peter Limbrick

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