Paper
Friday, July 23, 2004
10:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Friday, July 23, 2004
3:00 PM - 3:30 PM
Breast Biosynchrony with Preterm Twins
Kathy L. Morgan, BSN, RN, NNP, Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
Objectives: To determine if maternal breasts respond similarly or differently to the skin temperatures (T) of twins when infants are held simultaneously in Kangaroo Care (KC). Design: Case Study Population, Sample, Setting, Years: A convenience sample of two mother-infant triads, (stable preterm twins, no longer on oxygen), was recruited from a Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in a tertiary care hospital during a four month period. Intervention: The mother held infants in KC simultaneously for 1 and 1/2 hours. Methods: The mother reclined in a LaFuma lounger between the infants°¦ incubators. Each infant, wearing only a diaper, was placed on the breast at midline over the nipple. The infants°¦ T probes, attached to Airshields Incucare incubators, were used for T monitoring. Maternal skin T probes (YSI 409a; Yuma, AZ) attached to Fisher Thermistors (Model 500) were placed 3 inches above the nipple at mid-clavicular line, and covered with a Kentex mylar patch. Thermistors were pre-warmed for 5 minutes. Breast and infant Ts were manually recorded each minute throughout KC period. Infants were returned to their incubators, and breast probes were removed. Findings: Breast T°¦s differed and were significantly related to infant Ts. If an infant°¦s T was low at onset, both breast and infant Ts increased, resulting in a significant positive correlation. If an infant°¦s T was high at onset and continued to rise, breast T dropped, resulting in a significant inverse correlation. Infant T means were significantly different from each other (t=58.256; p=.000) as were breast T means (t=-31.172; p=.000). By the end of KC, no infant had a T < 36.5„a C Conclusions: Maternal breasts can simultaneously maintain low birth weight twins within neutral thermal range Implications: Twin KC can continue without risk of cold stress.
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Sigma Theta Tau International
July 22-24, 2004