Mothers and Their Children Look at Baby Pictures: The NICU Experience in Retrospect

Abstract

Photographs of Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) patients are frequently given to parents to promote bonding, but little attention has been paid to how families respond years later to viewing these special baby pictures. This study examines how 71 mothers of 3 to 7-year-old developmentally normal (DQ ≥ 80) children who weighed less than 1,500 g at birth describe this experience. Compared to a group of mothers whose children were full term at birth, the NICU mothers described personally feeling and perceiving their children as more fearful (p < .05), inquisitive (p < .0001), worried (p < .01), thoughtful (p < .0001), and tearful (p < .05). The responses of NICU mothers were significantly more highly correlated with their perceptions of their children's responses than were the mother-child correlations observed in a comparison group. The NICU children were reported by their mothers to ask about the NICU equipment, pain, being alone, their physical scars, and if their being "bad" caused their need for intensive neonatal care. Recommendations are provided on how pediatric care providers can assist NICU parents anticipate questions and respond to their children's concerns as they view these potentially distressing photographs.

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