Premature Babies
Here are a variety of ways that premature babies can benefit from the Amby:
It is a continuum of the womb environment.
The Amby Baby Hammock gently moves your baby both up and down and side to side, creating the same simultaneous bouncing and swinging motion that he experienced while inside the womb and when carried in your arms. This gives your baby a better sense of well-being and contentment when not in your arms.
It prevents acid reflux.
It keeps your baby in a slightly upright angle to prevent the regurgitation of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease. The natural incline of the Amby Baby Hammock minimises painful acid heartburn and reduces the amount of milk your baby brings up.
It may reduce Apnea and Bradycardia (long pauses in breathing and slowed heart rate).
One of the most common causes of Apnea and Bradycardia is acid reflux, which irritates your baby’s breathing passage and triggers Apnea episodes.
It may help your baby grow faster.
Your baby is more settled and sleeps longer so he can use more of his energy for growth. He also brings up less milk so he has more to grow on.
It may reduce the need for medication.
Apnea and Bradycardia episodes and GERD often require medication to keep under control. Since the Amby Baby Hammock can minimise these problems, your baby may need less medication.
It continues Kangaroo Care when you are not there.
Research has demonstrated how Kangaroo Care (holding baby skin to skin much of the day) benefits babies. Nothing helps your baby thrive better than being held skin to skin in your arms. But when you can’t be there, the Amby baby hammock is the next best thing to give your baby a womb-like environment to thrive in.
Premature NICU babies find sleep in Amby hammock
Nurses and midwives find an invaluable resource in the Amby Baby Baby Hammock for unsettled premature infants.
Walk into the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in any hospital and you’ll hear the cries of inconsolable premature babies. This is a result of the any number of ailments premature babies suffer from, requiring the patience and expertise of the nurses who tend to them daily.
Among them is Sharon McDurmot, an RN who worked in a NICU for 25 years. McDurmot dealt daily with premmies suffering from everything from drug withdrawal to infections. These illnesses often leave the small infants in a constant unsettled state. Fortunately, the nurses in this NICU discovered a bed that can soothe even the most unhappy and sick premmie.
“If I have a baby I cannot calm any other way, I use the Amby hammock,” McDurmot said. “We have used it quite a bit on very crabby babies. I love it… it works very well for these babies.”
About premature deliveries
Newborns are considered to be premature if they are born before they are 37 weeks old. Although there are many risk factors that can help to predict which pregnancies are at risk for premature delivery, in most cases, no direct cause is found.
The more mature your baby is at birth, the more likely that it is that he will not have any problems, so that babies born at 26-29 weeks have a much better chance of complete recovery or with mild to moderate ailments. Babies born at 30-33 weeks usually do even better, and after 34 weeks, babies are usually only mildly immature and usually do very well.
Common ailments for premature babies include various infections, jaundice, heart defects, cleft palate, and various respiratory problems including apnea and reflux.
How the Amby Baby Hammock helps
NICU nurses say the Amby Baby Hammock is very effective in treating the many respiratory problems premature babies suffer from. The incline of hammock-style bed can be adjusted to suit your baby’s needs, making it easier for him to breath and sleep. In addition, the womb-like rocking motion of the hammock has also been used to soothe babies suffering from abdominal cramping which occurs after undergoing common surgeries.
Recommended by Dr. Sears for premature infants
The Amby Baby Hammock is also recommended in Dr. Sears’ book “The Premature Baby Book: Everything you need to know about Your Premature Baby from Birth to Age One.”
In his book, Dr. Sears focuses on the essential needs of babies – eating, sleeping, development, health, and comfort – and covers virtually every aspect of caring for the premature infant. Dr. Sears recommends the Amby Baby Hammock on more than one occasion in his book as a good resource for premature babies.
Visit his website www.askdrsears.com for more helpful resources for your premature baby.
If you feel your premmie would benefit from the Amby baby hammock while in the NICU, show it to your NICU nursing supervisor. He or she may be pleasantly surprised and willing to let your baby spend his alone time in the Amby. Your baby will also continue to love the Amby once you all go home together. However, the nurses may love the Amby so much because it has kept your baby so content that they may beg you to let the NICU keep it!