Parents’ perceptions of administering a motor intervention with their preterm infant in the NICU

Abstract

Background: Giving birth prematurely challenges bonding, optimal parent-child interactions and parental confidence in the early care of their preterm infants. In this study we explored the short-term impact of a parent administered motor intervention programme on parents’ perception of competency and relationship building with their preterm infant.

Methods: We conducted 11 interviews at infant age term and three months corrected age, involving parents of seven preterm infants who had performed the functional movement intervention programme in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. A phenomenological-hermeneutical analysis was conducted.

Results: After implementing the intervention, the parents were no longer fearful of moving their babies and expressed heightened awareness of their infant’s responses and competency. The parents enjoyed the infants’ positive responses to handling and movement and this reinforced attachment between the parent and the child. The parents felt empowered by taking control of decision-making and by being more interactive with their child. Their role in contributing to the infant’s development was empowering in itself.

Conclusion: Overall, the parent administered intervention programme had a substantial positive impact on parent-infant bonding and parents’ perceptions of empowerment and competency.

Keywords:

• Preterm infant
• early motor intervention
• parent-infant relation
• parent-infant bonding
• parental competency
• neonatal intensive care unit

Acknowledgements

The authors thank the parents for their time and willingness to share their experience. Furthermore, we thank the University Hospital of North Norway Tromsø, St.Olav’s Hospital, Trondheim University Hospital and the National Parent Organisation for Prematurity for their support in carrying out the study.

Disclosure statement

Dr. Girolami is a partner in Infant Motor Performance Scales, LLC and co-developer of the TIMP, the measurement tool used to assess the infants in this study. However, she did not participate in any of the pre- or post-testing. All other authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Norwegian Fund for Postgraduate Training in Physiotherapy under Grant 1/370-00/09 A; the Norwegian Extra Foundation for Health and Rehabilitation under Grant 0223.