The effect of baby touch on premature infants

Objective: Premature infants require special attention during nursing. This study aimed to explore the effects of baby touch on the growth, immunity, sleep and communication in premature infants. Methods: This was a retrospective study. A total of 64 premature infants with a gestational age of 30-36 weeks were selected at Maternity & Child Care Center of Qinhuangdao from June 2022 to May 2023, and randomly divided into experimental group and control group. The control group received routine comprehensive nursing care for newborns, while the experimental group was additionally treated with touch intervention using the international standard touch method. The effects of the three months touch on the growth and development, immunological function, sleep quality, and emotional communication of the premature infants were observed. Results: No statistically significant differences were found in gender, gestational age, birth weight, birth length, or head circumference at birth between the two groups (p> 0.05). In the third month, the increases in body weight, body length and head circumference were significantly more obvious, the immunological function indicators including CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, IgG, IgA and IgM were all significantly higher, the sleep time and sleep quality were both significantly superior, and the interaction time and intimacy with parents were significantly superior in the experimental group compared with the control group, with statistically significant differences (p< 0.05). Conclusion: Baby touch can promote growth and development, strengthen immunological function, improve sleep quality and enhance the emotional communication abilities of premature infants, and help them better adapt to the environment and grow.