Developmental Care

Developmental care refers to the environmental conditions and caregiving experiences which may have an effect on your baby’s ability to get well as quickly as possible. At times, our NICU can be a bright and noisy place. Part of the Developmental Care Program involves decreasing these stimuli to encourage the growth and the healing of the babies. Some babies are especially sensitive to their environment due to their size and prematurity. Premature and fragile babies need to rest as much as possible so they can develop and grow. They need to feel safe and protected as if they were still in their mother’s womb. We use positioning aids such as buntings, Bendy bumpers, sheepskins, and swaddling to promote these positions. Other things we do include covering the isolettes and cribs, dimming the overhead lights when possible, and protecting the baby’s eyes from bright lights. We strive to group our care together so the baby has longer and more restful periods of sleep.

We recognize that beyond the physical environment of the NICU, babies will require some procedures which will be painful such as lab draws, IV starts, or surgery in some cases. In order to manage painful experiences we use a scale to evaluate and score pain as accurately as possible. We always use comfort measures such as swaddling and a pacifier initially. In addition, pain medications are used whenever required to keep a baby comfortable.

A Developmental Care Program would not be complete without your involvement. By understanding your baby’s behaviors, you can better meet his or her needs. You are the one constant in their life and we recognize how important the parent/child relationship is. We encourage you to be involved with your baby’s care in all aspects of his or her recovery.

Disclaimer
If you think you have a MEDICAL OR PSYCHIATRIC EMERGENCY, CALL 911 IMMEDIATELY or go to the nearest hospital. DO NOT attempt to access emergency care through this web site. An emergency medical condition is a medical or psychiatric condition that manifests itself by acute symptoms of sufficient severity (including severe pain) such that you could reasonably expect the absence of immediate medical attention to result in any of the following: serious jeopardy to your health, serious impairment to your bodily functions, or serious dysfunction of any bodily organ or part. An emergency medical condition is also "active labor," which means a labor when there is inadequate time for safe transfer to a Plan hospital (or designated hospital) before delivery or if a transfer poses a threat to the health of the member or unborn child.

This site may contain links to other web sites outside of www.permanente.net. Kaiser Permanente has no control over the content or the availability of these sites, and is not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of such Web sites. Web links are provided as an educational tool, and should not be relied upon for personal diagnosis or treatment. A link or reference to a web site should not be construed as an endorsement of the site or its contents. Any medical content that you feel may be important to your health should always be discussed with your Kaiser Permanente physician.