I n 1958, James et al recognised that umbilical cord blood gas analysis can give an indication of preceding fetal hypoxic stress. It has since become widely accepted that umbilical cord blood gas analysis can provide important information about the past, present and possibly the future condition of the infant. Umbilical cord blood gas analysis is now recommended in all high-risk deliveries by b...

We report on the development, validation, and utility of a measure assessing individual differences in activation of the parental care motivational system: The Parental Care and Tenderness (PCAT) questionnaire. Results from 1,608 adults (including parents and nonparents) show that the 25-item PCAT measure has high internal consistency, high test-retest reliability, high construct validity, and ...

Parents may experience profound stress when their infant is extremely premature or has exceptionally low birth weight. This article presents several approaches that clinicians and ethics consultants can use to reduce this stress when a parent is single and alone, as well as when both parents are present. Offering parents additional options, taking preventative measures, and using approaches bas...

The growing popularity of caring is evident throughout the nursing profession. Research into the phenomenon caring, however, necessitates that caring as an ethic be distinguished from pseudo caring actions and experiences. Codependence and codependency are proposed as being of a pseudo-caring nature. Research interest into this field of study needs to be kindled.

With a secure foundation in basic research across mammalian species in which fathers participate in the raising of young, novel brain-imaging approaches are outlining a set of consistent brain circuits that regulate paternal thoughts and behaviors in humans. The newest experimental paradigms include increasingly realistic baby-stimuli to provoke paternal cognitions and behaviors with coordinate...

The admission of children to hospital for minor medical problems is frequently influenced by family and social circumstances. This study compared the infant care practices of families of children admitted to hospital for gastroenteritis (n = 76) and families caring for children with gastroenteritis at home (n = 76). Mothers of children who were admitted to hospital were more likely to use medic...

Several studies have suggested a matrilateral bias in allomaternal (non-maternal) infant and child caregiving. The bias has been associated with the allomother's certainty of genetic relatedness, where allomothers with high certainty of genetic relatedness will invest more in children because of potential fitness benefits. Using quantitative behavioral observations collected on Ngandu 8- to 12-...

Up to 42% of nearly 10 million under five deaths occur in neonates with prematurity being a principal cause. This paper presents the outcome of a cross sectional qualitative study conducted among 14 hospital staff engaged in infant care in Kintampo, Ghana. Confidential interviews were used to evaluate their knowledge and practice of preterm care. Critical steps in caring for normal and preterm ...

abstract background: preterm infants constitute a large proportion of the newborn population in the neonatal intensive care units (nicus). parents, as the main members of the care team, are not adequately supported as the focus is chiefly on infant care. the present study aimed to evaluate the effect of a family support intervention on the stress levels among the parents of preterm infants in n...