“This is a question for the doctors to answer, and for parents to implement with the help of these very same doctors. There is no need to rush in getting premature baby to a better weight – there is nothing instant in this world, after all – but you need to make sure to work properly and constantly. Parents should consult with doctors to find the best and correct nutritional intervention for their prematurely-born child. Habituating the premature baby to consume nutritious, well-balanced food will allow them to grow and develop optimally. Please especially ensure that they have sufficient animal protein – meat, eggs, or fish,” Prof. Rina said.
Six Stimulation Steps
Meanwhile, Irma Gustiana Andriani, S.Psi., M.Psi, child psychologist and founder of the Ruang Tumbuh Psychology Clinic, reassures parents by reminding that according to the Journal of American Medical Association (“JAMA”), nearly all premature babies in all categories (moderate to late preterm, very preterm, extremely preterm), can grow and develop properly like normal children if treated and raised properly. They can go to school at the same time as their peers, and quite a few of them actually have unexpected great talents.
“Premature babies are special children – they can grow and develop and achieve to the optimum, they are tough and can become healthy, with good overall functionality. In fact, satisfying their strong need for skin-to-skin contact from birth will help maximize their cerebral development. The Lancet Neurology journal reported that the brain responds stronger to gentle touch, which is fortunate for premature babies because they have more physical contact with their parents and caretakers during their treatment in the hospital. As always, the human touch and the environment strongly affect a child’s growth and development,” Irma said. “Other than nutrition, stimulation and the quality of care also matter. When parents stimulate their children physically, the child’s brain is also stimulated to generate new synapses that connect brain cells with each other. The more frequently you stimulate their sight, hearing, and touch, the stronger these synapses connect the brain cells. This is the key for generating more complex and widespread synaptic connections.”
The key in cognitive stimulation is experiential learning. “This is a learning process model that activates the learning of knowledge and skills through direct experiences,” Irma said. “The experience becomes the catalyst that allows the learning to develop the child’s skill capability. In other words, the child must be given the chance to explore new things, which generates more neurons in their brain, as well as connect them in stronger and more complex manner. This is how we help premature babies’ growth and cognitive development.”
In order to allow the challenged child to grow and develop optimally, parents’ role in proper caretaking is essential. They must implement the necessary six steps for stimulating premature baby from an early age: