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Preemie Communication

Decoding Your Preemie's Signals

By Amy E. Tracy

Jack Witowski was only a few days old, but he could tell his parents and the nurses that noise bothered him and he'd rather not be touched. His face would turn red and he'd stiffen his arms and legs. Born 15 weeks early and weighing just 1 pound, 10 ounces, Jack's nervous system wasn't ready for the stimulating environment of the neonatal intensive care nursery. "It was really difficult to think this is my baby and I'm disturbing him," says Jack 's mother, Kathy, of Chicago. But with the nurse's help, Kathy and her husband, Bill, soon learned how to read and respond to Jack's special signals.

"All babies communicate through their behaviors -- how they move their bodies and change their arousal levels, and through their breathing and skin color," says Dr. Joy Browne, PhD, assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and the director of the Center for Family and Infant Interaction in Denver. "Many preemies aren't developmentally ready to handle a lot of sensory input at once, and their reactions are often exaggerated because they're overwhelmed."

Learning and responding to your premature baby's unique behaviors will enhance your parent-baby relationship, adds Dr. Browne. "You'll know what your baby needs, and your baby will learn to depend on you."

Here's how to know what your baby is saying:

Noise, touch and bright lights can be stressful for your hospitalized baby. So can taking your newly discharged baby home to unfamiliar smells, sights and sounds. Too many visitors, over-handling and outings, such as trips to the playground or the grocery store, can be too much for your baby to handle, too. Your baby needs a time-out if he cries or is fussy; looks away or closes his eyes; turns pale; holds his hands up as if to say "stop"; spreads his fingers apart; salutes with one hand; appears panicked; has a bowel movement (or strains as if he needs to); and/or gags or spits up.

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