The parents connecting with newborns in the NICU - Book Report/Review Example

The Parents Connecting With Newborns in the NICU The Parents Connecting With Newborns in the NICU According to Walker , parents of babies in the NICU, otherwise known as the neonatal intensive care unit, undergo one of the most stressful and traumatic events of their lives. The author argues that, sometimes, the parents are not able of fully participating, if at all, in the care and supervision of their babies. Parents in this unit have a need to take part in the care and supervision of their infant to achieve the parental role (Walker, 2013).

Walker (2013) discusses how parental reading to babies in the unit is an intervention, which can connect the infant and parent and provides a way for parents to take part in caregiving (Walker, 2013). This intervention might have numerous benefits and may completely influence the parent–infant connection.This article is important as being the parent of a sick baby in the NICU is a traumatic experience. Parents are pushed into a mysterious world where doubt rules them and the life of their child might be on the line; therefore, it needs intervention (Walker, 2013).

The baby might be premature, and the parents might be coping with one of the most disturbing experiences they have ever faced, leading to many feelings and emotions rising to the front (Walker, 2013). Most usually, parents face fear, shock, helplessness, loss of control and guilt and they soon find out that this is not, by any means, a usual parenting experience. That is why this topic is significant (Walker, 2013).Critics agree with the author that the sounds, technology, terminology, and strange caregivers are intimidating to the parent, but these matters take the backseat to strong fear, worry, and likely grief at observing their baby in the NICU (Evans, Whittingham & Boyd, 2012).

In these surroundings, parents should come to recognize their baby and create the basis for an enduring lifetime relationship as child and parent (Evans, Whittingham & Boyd, 2012). It has been proposed that mothers might have trouble feeling like a mother of a baby when nearly all caregiving actions are conducted by the nurse (Evans, Whittingham & Boyd, 2012). The mother might not be allowed to even touch the baby. This feeling of powerlessness and exclusion might be considerably worrying to the mother.

ReferencesEvans, T., Whittingham, K., & Boyd, R. (2012). What helps the mother of a preterm infant become securely attached, responsive and well adjusted? Infant Behavioral and Development, 35(4), 1–11.Walker, L. (2013). Bonding with books: The parent–infant connection in the neonatal intensive care unit. Neonatal Network, 32(2), 104-110.