Document Type

Article

Publication Date

4-1-2019

Abstract

Providing the best possible environment for premature infants continues to be a challenge in the neonatal inten­sive care unit (NICU). The purpose of this literature review was to examine the evidence related to the care of preterm twins and whether twins benefit from co-bedding verses keeping them separated. Co-bedding is defined as caring for two or more infants in the same incubator and is considered a developmental initiative to minimize adverse effects of preterm birth. Twins share a tight space in utero and support each other as they grow. Skin-to-skin contact with preterm infants and their mothers has been shown to increase the healing time and lead to better outcomes as shown in other studies. The five studies that were examined observed for improvements in self-regulation, quality of sleep, response to pain, weight gain, and safety. Based on the results, co-bedding was found to promote self-regulation, quiet sleep, weight gain, decreased crying, and decreased pain in the twin preterm infants. Co-bedding is a comforting measure for infants that can be implemented without significant adverse effects and is a noninvasive solution to improving overall physiological stability.

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