“Be With My Baby”: Pilot Investigation of the Use of the Babybe System® to enhance Family-centered Developmental Care in the Neonatal Intensive care Unit

Description of Study:

We understand that parents can’t always be in the NICU to do skin-to-skin care with their babies for many reasons. Through this study, we seek to evaluate:

 

1. If the BABYBE SYSTEM® is a feasible and effective way to supplement your baby’s care by simulating SSC when you are not able to hold your baby.

2. If the BABYBE SYSTEM® might potentially help your baby’s growth and development and improve your experience as a parent in the NICU.

 

We plan on enrolling 20 babies from our NICU at Brigham and Women’s Hospital over the course of 6 months to evaluate the two points listed above.

 

What Is My Baby’s Involvement In This Study? 

1. Your baby will lay on the thin gel mattress, covered by a fitted sheet from the time you enrol in this study until they approach their due date.

2. Around that time your baby will receive a brain MRI that will give us more information about their brain growth and development.

3. Before your baby goes home with you, we will perform an examination to evaluate your baby’s development. We will also ask for your feedback regarding your parenting experience in the NICU and with the BABYBE SYSTEM®.

 

What is Skin-to-Skin Care (SSC) or Kangaroo Care? 

SSC and Kangaroo care is the practice of holding your baby to your chest directly on your skin. This allows your baby to feel an hear your movements, heartbeat, breath sounds and voice as you take the time to bond with them. SSC has been shown to reduce stress and improve the growth and development of babies, while also leading to better parent experience and parent-infant bonding. You can find more information and evidence for these therapies in the research articles listed below.

 

Resources and Scientific Articles about SSC and Kangaroo Care

1. Charpak, N., Tessier, R., Ruiz, J. G., Hernandez, J. T., Uriza, F., Villegas, J., . . . Maldonado, D. (2017). Twenty-year follow-up of kangaroo mother care versus traditional care. Pediatrics, 139(1).

2. Cattaneo A., Davanzo R., Worku B., Surjono A., Echeverria M., Bedri A., . . . Tamburlini G. (1998). Kangaroo mother care for low birthweight infants: A randomized controlled trial in different settings. Acta Pædiatrica, 87(9), 976-985.

3. Feldman, R., & Eidelman, A. (2003). Skin-to-skin contact (Kangaroo Care) accelerates autonomic and neurobehavioural maturation in preterm infants. Developmental Medicine Child Neurology, 45(4), 274-281.

4. Moore, E., Bergman, N., Anderson, G., & Medley, N. (2016). Early skin-to-skin contact for mothers and their healthy newborn infants. Cochrane Database Of Systematic Reviews, 11.

5. Cattaneo, Davanzo, Worku, Surjono, Echeverria, Bedri, . . . Tamburlini. (1998). Kangaroo mother care for low birthweight infants: A randomized controlled trial in different settings. Acta Pædiatrica, 87(9), 976-985.

6. Feldman, R., Eidelman, A., Sirota, L., & Weller, A. (2002). Comparison of skin-to-skin (kangaroo) and traditional care: Parenting outcomes and preterm infant development. Pediatrics, 110(1), 16-26.