Mothers' perceptions of their premature infant's communication: A description of two cases

Abstract

Qualitative a b s t r a c tBackground: Survival rates of premature infants have increased due to advances in medi-

Perceptions of mothers with preterm infants about early communication development: A scoping review

“…Maternal perceptions of a sleepy or unresponsive infant (Kritzinger & Louw, 2003;Nicolaou et al, 2009;Pascoe et al, 2016;Tanner, 2012): These reported perceptions lead to a feeling of onesided interaction and uncertainty on the mother's part (Pascoe et al, 2016).…”

“…Kangaroo mother care (KMC) improves maternal perceptions of their preterm babies' early communication capabilities (Feldman, Eidelman, Sirota, & Weller, 2002;Flacking et al, 2006;Green & Phipps, 2015;Kritzinger & Louw, 2003;Kritzinger & Van Rooyen, 2014;McInroy & Kritzinger, 2005;Pascoe et al, 2016): A significant number (i.e. seven) of the included studies indicated that mothers who practiced KMC demonstrated a strong awareness of their role in early communication and the development thereof.…”

“…Preterm infants are born whilst they are still neurologically, physiologically and anatomically unprepared for life outside the mother's womb (Crisp, 2006). Therefore, they are less alert and responsive than full-term infants (Pascoe, Bissessur, & Mayers, 2016) and display limited interaction with their environment. Communication development unfolds in the context of an infant's social environment.…”

Maternal experiences of caring for preterm infants in a vulnerable South African population

“…Factors influencing childhood development can be seen as either ‘risk’ or ‘protective’ in nature, as illustrated by Pascoe, Bissessur and Mayers’s ( 2016 ) application of the transactional model on childhood development. Furthermore, risk or protective influences on infant development and well-being can be viewed as existing within different levels of influence, such as those systems described by Bronfenbrenner’s ( 1989 ) bio-ecological model (see Figure 1 ).…”

“…The aim of the study was to describe the above-described mothers’ experiences with regards to having, caring for and feeding their preterm infants (birth to 6 months of age) within low socio-economic circumstances. The study adopted a theoretical approach that reflected a combination of Bronfenbrenner’s bio-ecological systems model of childhood development ( Figure 1 ; Bronfenbrenner 1989 ) as well as the transactional model (Sameroff 2009 ) applied to childhood development (Pascoe et al 2016 ). Thus, this study explored ‘protective’ and ‘risk’ factors acting at different systems of influence that may affect childhood well-being and development through the experience of the mother.…”