Swaddling Baby For Preemies
You already know that babies far better during the first few months if they’re swaddled. This makes them feel more like they are in the womb, and it helps them to sleep better. These babies may still have things like colic, but they are far less likely to feel unsafe and frightened if they’re swaddled up to the letter. Swaddling baby is something that you should be extra careful about if you have a preemie, as they benefit from this more than full-term newborns as they are thrust out of the womb completely too early and are not ready for the world.
Preemies that are in Isolette don’t need extra blankets. These babies are not able to regulate their own body temperature just yet, so the Isolette does this for them. Adding extra blankets will make them too hot. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t start swaddling baby at this time. Your NICU nurse can give you instructions on hand swaddling. This is gently placing one hand over the top of the head and using the other to gently push the legs up under the feet so that they feel as if they’re loosely confined. You never do this too tightly, but just enough so that they feel safe and secure. The swaddling baby technique has been proven to calm preemies.
There are also special blankets that some NICU hospitals use for swaddling baby not ready for the open air. These are commonly small pads with ties or straps. The baby lays on it, but it doesn’t cover them like a blanket. Instead, the ties are used to pull the sides of the pad up around the sides of the baby just a bit. This gives them the feeling that they are tucked in and around without adding extra heat and covering the baby doesn’t yet need.
Once the preemie can come out of the Isolette, you can go about swaddling baby in a more conventional way.
The nurses can show you how they like to do it, and you can then talk about what you know about swaddling. The best thing about NICU nurses is that if they are doing something different to what you would normally do, they have a good reason for it, and they are good at explaining it to you. Preemies are not like full-term babies in many ways, and some things just have to be done otherwise. However, swaddling baby just out of the Isolette is not that much different than what you would do at home with a full-term baby.
Swaddling baby, even preemie, will be the norm when you get your baby home out of the NICU. Remember to make sure the feet are secure but not bunched up too much. Furthermore, keep one arm free and have the other tucked in gently. This is the best for infants. Your baby will love the swaddling for a while, but there will come a point when they no longer need it and when they’ll start to hate it. Keep an eye on baby and you’ll know when swaddling baby is no longer a comfort to them. Don’t worry though, this just means that they are adjusting to the world just fine.
