Premature babies usually have to be seperated from their parents directly after birth to be supplied in an incubator.
Often their lungs are not yet mature, so they have to be artificially ventilated. Respiration, heartbeat, oxygen saturation etc. are observed in the incubator. Many preemies also need a stomach tube because they don`t have a sucking reflex like normally born babies.
During this time, it is very important for the parents to have physical contact with their baby: This not only strengthens the bond to the parents, but also stimulates the senses. It is at least equally important to offer the baby acoustic stimuli by the voice of the parents: From the 26th week on it reacts to the parental voice, turn to the source of sound and usually need to be ventilated for a less long time!
