A premature baby's brain oxygen levels stable need to remain stable while in the NICU. The best way to keep the levels stable is the preemie being held by his or her parent. Because this is not always possible, a therapeutic bed for preemies has been developed that mimics the parent's heartbeat and breathing for the times the parent cannot be in the NICU.

A medical device known as Calmer was developed by Drs. Lisa Holsti and Karon Maclean of the University of British Columbia. According to News-Medical.net, Calmer is a "pillow-sized therapeutic bed covered in soft fabric" that fits directly into the incubator in the NICU. The goal of the device was to mimic the breathing and heartbeat of a preemie's parent, which has shown to be the most calming for the baby in stressful and painful situations. By keeping the baby calm in these situations, his brain oxygen levels stay stable.

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According to a new study published in the journal, Nature, the brain oxygen levels need to remain stable for premature babies as "abnormally high or low levels" can have negative "neurodevelopmental outcomes" in preemies.

In a small group trial with 29 NICU babies, researchers from the University of British Columbia tested the Calmer on a random selection of preemies. According to UBC News, one portion of the group was provided the Calmer when it was time for a blood draw and the other portion of the group was provided a caregiver who held the baby with a soother, which is the normal protocol when the preemie undergoes a painful procedure.

What the researchers found was that in both groups during the blood draw, the brain oxygen levels remained stable.

According to the study, parents or caregivers provide the most comfort to premature babies when they undergo something like a blood draw or a heel lance because "human touch" helps to relieve the pain felt during the procedure. However, by providing a realistic heartbeat and breathing sensation for the baby, skin-to-skin contact is mimicked. This in turn keeps brain oxygen levels stable and gives a preemie the best chances of not having "cognitive impairments, language impairments, or behavioral problems," according to a study published in the National Library of Medicine.

With parents not always available to be on hand for a procedure, especially during the time of COVID, according to UBC News, having a device on hand that helps to calm preemies is key to keeping them healthy when they are in a fragile stage in life. And while more long-term research is necessary to determine if those who use Calmer have the same neurodevelopmental outcomes as those who were primarily held by parents or caretakers, the news thus far is extremely positive for premature babies.

NEXT: Simple Tips To Transition A Premature Baby From The NICU To Home

Source: News-Medical.net, UBC News, Pain Reports, National Library of Medicine, Nature