Premature babies healthier when parents help with hospital care, study shows

Babies in trial put on more weight in first three weeks and parents were less stressed

Premature babies do better if their parents are allowed to help care for them in hospital alongside the nurses, rather than being treated as visitors and left on the sidelines, a new study shows.

Many parents feel acutely anxious, stressed and out of control when their child is in a newborn intensive care unit and there seems to be nothing they can do for her. Inspired by the example of a hospital in Estonia that brings in parents to help with basic care of their baby, doctors in Canada organised a major study in three countries - Canada, Australia and New Zealand - to see what the effect is on the baby.