Five early milestones in premature infants

Abstract

The onset of five early milestones was studied in premature and full-term infants. The milestones are: recognition of mother's voice and face, 3-month smile, following through 180 degrees, and two hand-eye coordination. It was hypothesized that premature infants would show delay in acquiring milestones related to time separated from mother. Compared to full-term infants, the prematures had a significant difference in the means only for the onset of smiling, and no effect related to maternal separation.

Consistent caretakers in the premature nursery

“…Perhaps. Premature infants from this nursery showed no statistical difference from that of full term infants for onset age of following, 2-hand-eye coordination, recognition of mother's voice and recognition of mother's face [9], stranger anxiety, separation anxiety, pursuit of a hidden sound making object, speech words, speech phrases, no gesture, speech no and speech yes [16].The infants' hunger reflex movements [17] provide an attachment stimulus which is responded to by the consistent caretakers since, as they said, they "feel there is a person present" to whom they may relate when the infant rubs and touches them. The aides spontaneously "mothered" as Hess [2] suggested, became attached to the premature and had separation-mourning reactions when the infants left.…”

“…Premature infants of 1250 gm or less remained in the nursery an average of 10 weeks, and those above 1250 gm stayed an average of five weeks, with mean of seven weeks for the combined weight groups [9]. By contrast, full term infants remained in their nursery 252 Child Psychiatry and Human Development for less than a week, with a range of zero to eight weeks; and they had one caretaker per 10 infants.…”