We have commented on several occasions the importance of the proximity of the mother and the premature baby to improve their recovery.
Based on the same concept, the Hospital La Fe in Valencia has implemented a preterm early discharge program 10 days ahead of hospital discharge for children who are stable to favor the emotional bond with their parents.
These children suffer a significant emotional detachment because they spend a good part of the day and for a long period of time in an incubator. Although in some hospitals the practice of the kangaroo method is promoted, which consists in placing the baby in contact with skin and skin in the mother's chest, there are also many hours that the baby spends alone in the hospital.
With the idea of minimizing the effects of an affective separation of babies after long hospital stays, experts in Neonatology of La Fe de Valencia have decided to implement the program for early premature discharge.
It consists of sending home, always under strict supervision, to babies who are stabilized from a medical point of view, with a tendency to gain weight and whose parents have received the necessary training to properly care for themselves.
In some parents it can be a certain fear to take home such a fragile being, but they will always have a prioritized line to communicate with pediatricians in case of any incident.
To evaluate the effects of the program, the experts launched a study that revealed that the parents of the babies discharged 10 days before the standard criteria, although they suffered similar anxiety at the time of discharge, the stress decreased considerably in the group early discharge as the child's stay in the home evolved.
Of course, a very interesting measure for the well-being of prematurity provided it is a safe practice. It is beneficial for both parents and young children who have had to stay in the neonatal care unit for so long.
