Webcams can help improve early bonding between parents and premature babies, a study has found.
Researchers from Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) analysed the views of parents and professionals using webcams to assist the process.
The majority of parents quizzed in the study, published in BMC Pediatrics, benefited from seeing their baby 24 hours a day, seven days a week in neonatal units.
The team interviewed 30 mothers and fathers and 18 professionals, including nurses, midwives, nursery nurses and doctors, in a Scottish hospital over a six-month period.
READ MORE: Traffic pollution 'damages body's ability to fight off infections'
Parents said webcams gave them an increased feeling of closeness, enhanced emotional well-being and improved post-birth recovery. The technology also increased the involvement of family and friends through shared images from the post-natal area.
Those interviewed said webcams allowed them to "feel that they were with their baby" even during periods of separation.
They also said they became more responsive to their babies' needs, and seeing their child helped mothers produce breast milk.
One mother of an eight-week-old premature baby said: "When I had my little boy I couldn't see him straight away, whereas this time, having the camera means I can see her constantly, she's right beside my bed, really. Also, with things like expressing milk, I've found that a lot easier."
A small minority in the study, however, said the ability to see their baby round-the-clock heightened their anxiety rather than decreasing it, as the majority of parents reported.
READ MORE: Traffic pollution 'damages body's ability to fight off infections'
A father of a six-week-old premature baby said: "It's a double-edged sword using the webcam, I would say. You can see what's happening but you don't always know what's happening."
The study suggested webcam technology can offer an important solution to periods of separation.
Dr Susan Kerr, of GCU's school of health and life sciences, said: "Our study appears to encourage the early bonding process between parents and their babies.
"The study is one of a few worldwide to have evaluated the use of webcam technology in neonatal units.
"Further work is required to assess the cost-effectiveness of webcam technology and also to evaluate its use in the family home following the mother's discharge from hospital; currently it is only available in the hospital.
READ MORE: Traffic pollution 'damages body's ability to fight off infections'
"While mothers are commonly discharged after a few days, their premature baby may remain in neonatal care for weeks or even months.
"Webcam access at home could mean the difference between stressful anxiety and peace of mind for new parents."
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here