Question

- How might having a preterm child affect the transition to parenthood for the child’s parents? How might this be different if the child is a first vs. a second child?

- What are some elements of an ideal parenting environment for a preterm infant?

Answer 1

Having a preterm child can cause a certain psychological problems when it comes to the parents. These effects usually last for the first year and then start to get better. Even the research studies have suggested a rise in the psychological problems of the parents after having a preterm baby as compared to the normal delivery. One of the reasons why this is caused is because having a preterm baby is generally unexpected and this can at times cause the parents to have too much of a psychological load all of a sudden, something which they may not be really ready for.
Studies have suggested that the psychological effects can depend on a variety of sociological and perinatal variables and factors like age of the parents, relationship status, mode of delivery, Birth weight of the baby etc. One of the factors also is whether the baby is the first born or second born. One of the reasons why this factor plays a major role is because parents go in with a certain expectation of stress when it comes to their second born and hence are likely to underestimate the problems they face while raising their second born.

There are several elements regarding the environment for a preterm infant when it comes to parenting, some of which are explained as follows. The weight and development of the child needs to be kept in check. This can be done according to the guidelines by the respective doctors on the physical and mental development of the child. The doctor should be made aware of any of the problems that the infant might be facing in case of inappropriate development, so that the infant gets appropriate medical care.

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