SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “Making Babies”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources

PubMed1988

The next baby: parents' responses to perinatal experiences subsequent to a stillbirth.

This study examines the responses experienced in the perinatal period by parents who have had an infant subsequent to a stillbirth. Interview findings from eight couples in a stillbirth study group (SSG) who had this experience and eight couples in a comparison group (CG) whose live-born children were delivered at similar time intervals as the SSG were compared. In contrast to a comparison group, half of the SSG mothers did not make preparations for their babies until after delivery and seven of eight SSG mothers wanted the hospital staff to recognize their previous loss and give them special understanding. The parents in the SSG reported that because of their loss, they were likely to spend more time (p less than 0.01), to be more attentive to fussing (p less than 0.01), and to hold their babies more (p less than 0.01). Over half of the SSG parents also noted that after having another baby, they experienced greater relaxation, happiness, and closeness with their spouse. After their subsequent baby, the SSG parents observed that thinking about the stillbirth was easier, but resented being told by others to feel grateful.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed1997

Making sense of randomization; responses of parents of critically ill babies to random allocation of treatment in a clinical trial.

Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are widely accepted by the scientific community as the most rigorous way of evaluating interventions in health care. Although their central feature, random allocation of treatment, is generally seen as methodologically appropriate, its application has caused much debate amongst health professionals and ethicists. This paper describes the views of parents who consented that their critically ill newborn baby should be enrolled in a neonatal trial. In-depth interviews were used to determine their response to the trial and randomization. The nature of the trial was often poorly understood. The random basis of the allocation of treatment and the rationale behind this approach were also problematic issues. Some parents did not perceive a random element in the process at all. These findings advance understanding of the perceptions of trial participants and raise important issues for those concerned with RCTs. Greater understanding of participants' views provides the potential to improve the management of future trials and so the experience of those agreeing to take part.

Adult↗

PubMed1983

Hygiene for the newborn--to bath or to wash?

Appropriate skin care of newborns is performed partly to prevent infection but also for aesthetic and cleansing purposes. Skin care should involve cleansing with a non-toxic, non-abrasive neutral material. This study compared the relative risks and benefits of washing versus bathing with regard to bacterial colonization rate, clinical infection rate, body temperature and crying. The results confirm our clinical impression that bathing and washing routines do not differ with regard to signs of infection or other clinical complications. However, the washing routine does increase the babies heat loss and make them less comfortable.

Bacterial Infections↗

PubMed2003

Memory enhancement: the progress and our fears.

In a recent article Rose (2002) raises numerous crucial issues with regard to the research into and the use of cognition or memory enhancing agents. Although development of 'smart' drugs is in its infancy, his paper delineates some issues society may have to face when these drugs arrive. Questions about the development of such drugs may be interesting to several readers of Genes Brain and Behavior given the wealth of information expected to be gained on brain function from studies using genetic approaches including mutagenesis, transgenic techniques and genomics in general. Besides the scientific questions, several ethical issues may need to be addressed that are of interest to us all. Rose (2002) discusses some of these questions, but perhaps presents a too negative view on the problems, especially with regard to the present and future of memory research. This paper is intended to focus mainly on the scientific questions and argues that our fear of complex ethical problems should not make us throw the baby (i.e., our research and discoveries) out with the bath water.

Animals↗

PubMed1993

Caring for the dying child.

In this paper we discuss the nutritional needs of terminally ill children. We delineate the physical, psychological, and developmental characteristics of children that differentiate them from adults vis a vis the nutritional aspects of their care. We highlight the special role of parents and suggest guidelines for dealing with the common nutritional needs of the dying child. We discuss ethical issues emphasizing the Baby Doe regulations, decision making for minors, and the benefits and burdens associated with permanently unconscious children.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2006

My job is to keep him alive, but what about his brother and sister? How Indian doctors experience ethical dilemmas in neonatal medicine.

BACKGROUND: Studies from Western countries show that doctors working in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) find withdrawal of treatment to be their most difficult ethical dilemma. There is less knowledge of how this is experienced in other economic, cultural, religious and educational contexts. OBJECTIVES: To explore and describe how Indian doctors experience ethical dilemmas concerning the withdrawal of treatment among critically sick and/or premature neonates. METHOD: Qualitative data from interviews was analysed according to Giorgi's phenomenological approach. The subjects were 14 doctors with various levels of neonatal experience, recruited from two state-owned NICUs in India. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: description reflecting the nature of ethical dilemmas and how they are experienced. RESULTS: All doctors reported situations where the question of withdrawal of treatment was experienced as the worst part of their job. They felt that they lacked training in how to handle such dilemmas, and some had never talked about ethics before. They were especially concerned about non-medical considerations that do not feature in current treatment guidelines. In describing their personal experiences, the informants mentioned their sense of responsibility in situations where they were aware that their decisions would influence a family's economy and reputation, availability of food and education for siblings, other children's access to equipment in the unit, and the use of resources in an underprivileged population. Sometimes lack of resources, usually ventilators, forced them to make decisions about which babies should get the chance to live. Other reported dilemmas included difficulties co-operating with uneducated and poor parents. CONCLUSION: While Western doctors seem to focus on the rights and problems of the individual child, Indian doctors tend to refer to consequences for other children, for parents and society. There is a need for further research in this field, and for the development of guidelines on how to cope with differences in resources, and how to handle different patient groups' cultural and religious concerns.

Attitude to Death↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The father-infant relationship: becoming connected.

PURPOSE: To explore fathers' experiences of developing a relationship with their infants during the infant's first 2 months of life DESIGN: Grounded theory approach SETTING: Fathers' homes or other mutually agreed-upon site PARTICIPANTS: First-time fathers (N = 14), ages 28-44, Caucasian, middle class MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Tape-recorded semistructured interviews to elicit fathers' perceptions of their fathering selves, their infants, and the father-infant relationship. RESULTS: Using constant comparative method for analysis, three major categories were identified as operative in the initial development of the father-infant relationship: (a) making a commitment, (b) becoming connected, and (c) making room for the baby CONCLUSIONS: With an increased understanding of the father-infant relationship, nurses can provide humanistic, thoughtful care to assist fathers in developing this significant relationship.

Adult↗

PubMed2001

Manifestations of the shaken baby syndrome.

Retinal hemorrhages are the most common fundus finding in the shaken baby syndrome. They vary in type and location; no particular type is pathognomonic for the condition. Retinal hemorrhages are not needed to make a diagnosis of shaken baby syndrome. However, in a child under age 3 years, the presence of extensive bilateral retinal hemorrhages raises a very strong possibility of abuse, which must be investigated. The other possible causes for hemorrhages in this age child can be investigated and eliminated. The diagnosis of abuse should be made by someone particularly trained in this area, who can put together the entire picture of inadequate or changing history, fractures of various ages, particularly rib fractures, subdural hematoma of the brain, and retinal hemorrhages. Photographs of retinal hemorrhages are very helpful to child advocacy experts who take these cases to court.

Battered Child Syndrome↗

PubMed1999

Promoting breastfeeding in the neonatal intensive care unit.

The technology and separation of the mother and baby in the neonatal unit make bonding difficult and create barriers to breastfeeding. This pilot study aimed to define those nursing interventions that promote breastfeeding. The neonatal nurse plays a vital role in the influence of the breastfeeding outcome. Forty-one preterm babies had their breastfeeding activities, (including kangaroo care), recorded daily. The specific phases in preterm infants of 32 weeks or more were identified as 1. stabilisation and assessing ability, 2. controlled challenge, 3. progression and regression and 4. stability of feeding activity. This study has increased the awareness among the neonatal nurses involved as to the nursing practices that promote breastfeeding and has provided a basis from which nurses can promote breastfeeding to mothers of preterm babies.

Adult↗

PubMed1997

Additional congenital anomalies in babies with gut atresia or stenosis: when to investigate, and which investigation.

A wide variety of additional congenital anomalies occur in babies born with a gut atresia or stenosis. The specific pattern of anomalies depends on the location of the atresia. The serious nature of many of them makes perioperative diagnosis imperative. Eighty-six babies born with pure oesophageal atresia (OA), duodenal atresia (DA) or stenosis, or jejuno-ileal atresia (JIA) have been studied. These, combined with over 2,000 cases in the literature, have been used to develop a protocol to optimally investigate babies with gut atresia for associated anomalies. The authors recommend routinely obtaining anterio-posterior and lateral chest and abdominal radiographs for babies with pure OA, DA and intestinal atresia, making sure the entire spine can be visualised. Cardiac and renal ultrasonography (US) should be routine in all babies with pure OA or DA. A micturating cystourethrogram should be done in those babies with abnormal urinary tract US or an associated anorectal anomaly. A sweat test should be obtained in babies with JIA, and a rectal biopsy should be taken in babies with the combination of Down's syndrome and DA to exclude Hirschsprung's disease.

Abnormalities, Multiple↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Maternal allegations for weaning: qualitative study].

OBJECTIVE: To study the reasons for weaning given by women receiving care at a Baby-Friendly Maternity in Teresina, state of Piauí, Brazil. METHODS: The methodological principles of qualitative research were applied, supported by the social representation theory. Data were collected from 24 women who were in the process of weaning their babies before the 4th month of life. RESULTS: The decision-making process that leads women to wean their babies is complex and guilt-ridden. The following reasons for weaning were mentioned: having weak or little milk; puerperal problems affecting the breasts; lack of experience; disparity between the needs of the mother and the needs of the baby; external factors; work; ambiguity between wish/capacity to breastfeed and between burden/desire. CONCLUSIONS: A sense of solitude/isolation on the part of the mother and the need for support, not only from health services, but also from other segments of society, were conveyed in all interviews. The model of health care providing should be amended so as to treat breastfeeding as an act to be learned by women and protected by society.

Breast Feeding↗

PubMed1990

[Objective determination of refraction].

Objective determination of refraction is basically necessary for the subjective adjustment of refraction aimed at prescribing glasses. At least as important is the use of objective determination of refraction as a basis of ophthalmological diagnosis because the best-corrected visual acuity forms basic diagnostic information. Three methods of objective determination of refraction are available. Photorefraction has only been used for screening preschool children, as it has no value for the above-mentioned purpose. Refractometry is widely being used for objective determination of refraction, and during the last few years automated refractometry has also become more and more common. This trend is supported by the possibility of delegating automated refractometry to assistant medical personnel. Retinoscopy and automated refractometry yield comparable results. Retinoscopy has some advantages: great flexibility and the fact that retinoscopy forms an image of optical aberrations of the eye, giving the ophthalmologist an idea of the optical quality of the patient's eye. Due to its flexibility retinoscopy can be used for refractioning babies and infants without any problem. The disadvantage of retinoscopy is the impossibility of delegating it to assistant medical personnel and the fact that this method must be learned by the ophthalmologist. In contrast to retinoscopy, automated refractometry can easily be learned and can be delegated to assistant medical personnel. Its drawback is that it is inflexible, making it inconvenient for refractioning babies and infants. If automated refractometry and retinoscopy are used with cycloplegia, precautions are essential to avoid errors caused by optical aberrations of the eye. The measurement must be done in the center of the pupil.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Eyeglasses↗

PubMed2001

Deciding on treatment limitation for neonates: the parents' perspective.

UNLABELLED: The reported study aimed to explore parents' perceptions of treatment withdrawal/withholding; their experience and their opinions. In-depth face-to-face interviews at 3 and 13 months after the baby's death were conducted with 108 parents of 62 babies from the East of Scotland. Of the parents, 56% (60/180) believed they had decided to stop treatment. A further 4/59 sets of parents subsequently wished they had taken responsibility. Only one parent who did decide felt guilt 3 months after the event. Parents identified two essential factors which minimise doubt: full and honest information and concrete evidence of a poor prognosis. CONCLUSION: The majority of parents wish to be active in decision making on behalf of their baby. Doing so does not appear to have adverse consequences. The pacing of events in the process of deciding and managing the dying is critical. Dissatisfaction is reduced if parents are given time and evidence to help them assimilate the reality at each stage.

Adult↗

PubMed2005