Purpose
This descriptive study compared the perceived parental stress levels between parents with very low birth weight infants (VLBWIs) and nurses in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
Methods
In total, 83 parents of VLBWIs and 78 NICU nurses were enrolled. Data were collected with the Parental Stress Scale (PSS) and analyzed using the t-test and analysis of variance in SAS version 9.4.
Results
The average PSS score was 3.31 among parents and 3.45 among nurses. The stress score was significantly higher among nurses with children (t=2.46, p=.016) and senior nurses (t=2.12, p=.037). There was a significant difference in the stress score according to parents' education (t=3.29, p=.002) and occupation (F=3.14, p=.049) in the sights and sounds subscale. Mothers had significantly higher stress scores than fathers in the parental role alterations subscale (t=2.32, p=.023). Parental stress scores were higher than those perceived by nurses in the infant's appearance and behaviors subscale for breathing patterns (t=2.95, p=.004), followed by jerky/ restless behavior (t=2.70, p=.008).
Conclusion
Nurses should provide explanations to parents of VLBWIs in order to reduce parental stress about the appearances and behavior of VLBWIs. This is more important than aspect of the NICU environment and education about parental roles.

Citations

• Perceived importance of nursing support and its relationship with stress and distress tolerance in mothers of hospitalized preterm neonates
  Negin Ghazvehi, Fatemeh Qasemi, Yeganeh Mirakhorly, Ali Fakhr-Movahedi, Farnoosh Tajik
  Journal of Neonatal Nursing.2026; 32(4): 101883.     CrossRef
• What Influences Maternal Stress in The NICU Among Mothers of Preterm Infants?
  Halyna Pavlyshyn, Iryna Sarapuk
  Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare.2025; Volume 18: 5713.     CrossRef
• Relationship between Maternal Stress and Neurobehavioral Indicators of Preterm Infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
  Bruna Abreu Ramos, Cibelle Kayenne Martins Roberto Formiga, Nayara Rodrigues Gomes de Oliveira, Patricia Gonçalves Evangelista Marçal, Rui Gilberto Ferreira, Tárik Kassem Saidah, Waldemar Naves do Amaral
  Children.2024; 11(8): 889.     CrossRef
• Parental stress and nurse-parent support in the neonatal intensive care unit: a cross-sectional study
  Dilek Konukbay, Mürşide Vural, Dilek Yildiz
  BMC Nursing.2024;[Epub]     CrossRef
• Fatores associados ao estresse de pais em Unidade de Terapia Intensiva Neonatal
  Jaquiele Jaciára Kegler, Eliane Tatsch Neves, Augusto Maciel da Silva, Diúlia Calegari de Oliveira, Kellen Cervo Zamberlan
  Acta Paulista de Enfermagem.2023;[Epub]     CrossRef
• The experience of fathers whose infants were hospitalized in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in South Korea: A scoping review
  Jiyeon Lee, Sunyeob Choi
  Journal of Pediatric Nursing.2023; 72: 36.     CrossRef

PURPOSE
The purpose of this study was to identify whether hearing a recording of mother's voice affected physiological reactions, behavioral state related to sleep and weight of very low birth weight (VLBW) infants.
METHODS
This was a nonequivalent control group pre-post test quasi-experimental design. The participants were 11 VLBW infants in the experimental group and 11 in the control group. In the experimental group, a recording of mother's voice was played to her infant by voice recorder four times each day for five minutes over 10 consecutive days in the incubator.
RESULTS
For physiological response (heart rate, respiration rate, oxygen saturation), there were statistically significant differences between the experimental and control groups. Behavioral state during sleep was more very quiet and quiet in the experimental group. In the daily weight change, there was no significant difference between the experimental and control groups.
CONCLUSION
The findings suggest that, for VLBW infants, the intervention of hearing a recording of mother's voice had some significance as a nursing intervention having a positive impact. Such interventions can help pediatric nurses to stabilize the physiological response and maintenance more very quiet sleep state and improve VLBW infants' growth.

Citations

• Exploration of Family-Centered Care in NICUs: A Grounded Theory Methodology
  Young Ah Park, YeoJin Im
  Qualitative Health Research.2025; 35(10-11): 1231.     CrossRef
• The Effect of Maternal Voice on Venipuncture Induced Pain in Neonates: A Randomized Study
  Yanjun Chen, Yang Li, Jing Sun, Dongren Han, Shuju Feng, Xin Zhang
  Pain Management Nursing.2021; 22(5): 668.     CrossRef
• Differences in perceived parental stress between parents with very low birth weight infants and nurses in neonatal intensive care units, South Korea
  Seol-Hee Moon, Ho-Ran Park, Dong Yeon Kim
  Child Health Nursing Research.2021; 27(3): 297.     CrossRef
• Effects of tactile stimulation by fathers on physiological responses and paternal attachment in infants in the NICU
  Min A Kim, Shin-Jeong Kim, Haeryun Cho
  Journal of Child Health Care.2017; 21(1): 36.     CrossRef

PURPOSE
The aim of this study was to analyze the correlation of gestational age and birth weight with weight gain of very low birth weight infants(VLBWI) during their hospital stay.
METHOD
This is a 5 year retrospective study of which data were collected through review of medical records. Subjects were 124 VLBW infants with a birth weight more than 1000g and less than 1500g who received neonatal intensive care at the university hospital between January 1, 1997 to December 31, 2001.
RESULT
After calculating the z scores of birth weights and discharge weights, z scores of discharge weight and birth weight were compared with the median weight of a fetus of comparable gestational age based on an intrauterine growth reference. There was a significant difference between z scores of birth weight and discharge weight(t=11.60, df=122, p=0.000). Regardless of intensive care during the prolonged hospital stay, VLBW infants showed slow growth rate compared with the median weight of a fetus of comparable gestational age.
CONCLUSION
VLBW infants developed a poor velocity of weight gain during the prolonged hospital stay after birth. The development worsened during the period of physiological weight loss and regain, and they did not reach to comparable growth rate of normal fetus even at the time of discharge. This poor growth velocity of VLBW infants influence negatively for their future growth. Therefore nureses who work at the neonatal intensive care unit must develop an effective nursing intervention protocol to promote the velocity of weight gain and to conduct the parental educational sessions to emphasize the importance of weight gain for VLBW infants at home.

A phenomenological study is conducted to investigate the experience of mothers with very low birth weight. Sample of 8 mothers participate. Seven theme clusters emerge when the formulated meanings were organized into categories. The participants are 8 mothers who gave birth in the general hospital located in Kyunggi-Province and still live there. The data are collected from the intensive interviews on the experience of mothers whose baby is very low birth weight infant. Data collection is through in depth personal interviews two or three times with each mother. On the basis of the meanings of the experience of mothers with very low birth weight infant, the seven essential themes have been obtained Theme 1: Being surprised and perplexed due to the unexpected sudden delivery Theme 2:Experiencing emotional pain such as anxiety, sorrow, fear, confusion and self-blaming caused by a small and feeble baby. Theme 3: Pouring all their time and efforts into the baby under the acute tension Theme 4:Undergoing intolerable difficulties in confronting reality Theme 5:Raising the special infant into an normal one by themselves Theme 6: Being on the vigilance for their baby even though they can be relieved Theme 7:Finding out a reward for the difficulties they have experienced The results obtained in this study will enable us to comprehensively understand the experience by mothers whose baby is very low birth weight infant and furthermore to provide a new insight which helps baby.