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During the transition from hospital to home and up to the first four months from due date, premature infants spend less time awake, and when they are awake, they are less alert and may be more fussy. When they sleep, they sleep for shorter periods of time (shorter sleep-wake cycles) and awaken to fuss before they go back to sleep at night.

This method of holding infants has rapidly evolved as a practice in intensive care nurseries to support parenting. Research documenting its physiologic and developmental benefits is increasing. More research is needed to demonstrate the effectiveness of this procedure as a component of developmental care in nurseries.

Providing a developmental care approach does not mean you must have all the latest positioning aids and the best technology for reducing light and noise in your nursery. Providing a developmental care approach means realizing that you are going to communicate with the baby and that the baby will communicate with you as you care for him. As you observe the baby and watch what he tells you, you can adjust your care to those messages. You will feel different about your care, and you will be enriched beyond your expectations.

With increased understanding of the feeding needs of high-risk sick neonates, nurses can facilitate adequate weight gain and promote earlier discharges. Disorganization in feeding is usually a temporary problem that caregivers and nurses can help resolve with adequate awareness. Immaturity, severity of illness, prolonged intensive care, and gestational age all contribute to it. Caregivers can successfully feed this disorganized feeder if they recognize the signs and implement environmental and protective measures to facilitate self-regulation, which will hopefully foster organized feeding behaviors.