Mom's care is like the best medicine for every baby. It can work wonders for premature babies. Doctors have evidence of this, and those from the hospital in Łódź also have the opportunity to use it. Family therapy for premature babies in Poland is in its infancy, but it should be standard.
Even if admission to hospital is accompanied by stress, let the prematurely born girl know that she is very important. Her needs are analyzed by a team of adults.
– She ate less than 20 portions, she might be a little hungry. 10 were left in the syringe, because I didn't want her to be fully fed for transport. Especially since it tends to rain – we hear.
Rose in dad's hands also had trouble eating, and she's already gaining weight. – It would be different in an incubator, but here, when she feels us, she is calm – says Weronika Borowiak, Róża's mother.
A room that feels almost like home
At the Central Clinical Hospital of the Medical University of Lodz, premature babies recover quickly because they are in family rooms.
– I wanted such closeness with my child, so as soon as Róża left the incubator and I had the opportunity, we moved here – says Weronika Borowiak, Róża's mother. – Even when we hold her, we feel calm, even when she smiles – says Tomasz Florczak, Róża's father.
A room that feels almost like home, where mother or father can be with the premature baby all the time, instead of appearing in the room with other patients for a few hours – this is something new in Poland.
– We can observe vital parameters without interfering with privacy – he points out Dr. Anita Chudzik, head of the Neonatology Department of the Central Clinical Hospital of the Medical University of Lodz.
Numerous advantages of the solution
This is already working in Scandinavia. Premature babies from family rooms have fewer complications and go home sooner.
– It accelerates the healing process, improves the newborn's breathing and psychomotor development, so in every respect it has a beneficial effect on our patient, but also on the family – says Anita Chudzik.
“Accommodation” is possible after the premature baby leaves the intensive care unit.
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Ksawery was supposed to be born in the second week of December. After birth, he had trouble breathing, so now his mother is glad that help is just outside the door if needed.
– He showed us how he can take one step forward and then 10 steps back, because he is a premature baby. The mental comfort here is amazing – emphasizes Justyna Bernat, Ksawery's mother.
Psychological comfort increases even more when parents learn how to care for a prematurely born baby. – Science from scratch. We show how to feed, initially through a tube – says Anna Michalska from the Neonatology Department of the Central Clinical Hospital of the Medical University of Lodz.
– So that the parent, when going out with his child, can be sure that he is the most competent, knows his child's reactions and, above all, that he is not afraid of him – says Anita Chudzik.
The only thing that can be feared now is that there will be too few such places in Poland. – This is an expensive matter and certainly will not be possible overnight. This should be the standard and will definitely be the standard eventually, says Prof. Ewa Helwich, national consultant in the field of neonatology.
– It's impossible to describe how pleasant it was, how joyful it was, how the little one smiled. That's why it's very important that he feels our presence. We are extremely grateful that they gave us this opportunity to be with the child – says Tomasz Florczak.
Main photo source: TVN24