Swaddling Hospitalized Neonates/Infants

Swaddling a Neonate

Some anthropologists believe that humans once had a gestational period of 12 months. They believe that as the human race evolved and our brains grew larger, the gestational period decreased to nine months. This is why the first three months of a baby’s life is known as the “fourth trimester” (Karp, Happiest baby on the Block). A newborn should essentially be viewed as a fetus, and a premature baby is still a fetus. The female womb provides more than nutrition to the developing fetus. It protects it’s eyes from light, it provides moisture to it’s developing skin, it provides warmth as a baby cannot regulate their body temperature until six months of age, and it provides security by containing the fetus in tight quarters, preventing a trigger of the moro reflux, causing a flight or fight response in the central nervous system. 


Swaddling (the first “S” of the 5 S’s for Calming by Dr. Harvey Karp)

• swaddling is the cornerstone of calming
• provides nurturing touch, prevents activation of moro reflex, focuses babies attention
• Reduces gas, colic

Medical reasons to swaddle:

• Preterm babies and un-swaddled infants are at risk for neurological stress
• Preterm infants have a lower pain threshold than older infants, swaddling reduces over-stimulation and increases positive coping
• “Babies given milk, but never held or touched often wither and die”, (Karp, Happiest Baby on the Block, 2002)
• NICU is noisy and bright making sleep difficult (negatively affecting infant learning, using infant energy inefficiently)
•  Sensory stress affects heart rate, oxygenation, and respiratory rate
• Sensory stress has long-term effects on neurological & cognitive development

(http://www.medtronic.com/content/dam/covidien/library/us/en/disorder/neonatal-stressors/Guide-Stress-in-the-NICU.pdf)

Many NICU babies and hospitalized infants are left un-swaddled because traditional swaddling:

• makes it difficult to access cords/leads under blankets
• makes it difficult to change a diaper quickly and efficiently
• skin to skin contact is valued during nursing & feeding
• loose blankets increase risk of SIDS
• swaddling too tight is unhealthy (joint stiffness, hip dysplasia)
• too much touch/stimulation increases stress (wrapping, unwrapping, wrapping)

The Woombie Med Pods solve all of those problems. 

• The peanut shape of the swaddle provides containment for comfort, but allows range of motion in hips and shoulders. 
• We’ve added slits for easy access to back, chest, and side body
• The double zipper allows medical professionals easy access to feet for blood draws, ankles for IVs or ID scanning, toes for pulsox, and diaper changers
• The Woombie is fitted and encloses the infant safely so there are no loose blankets

​Woombie Med Pods

• prevent neurological stress via swaddling
• prevents overstimulation of wrapping & unwrapping (and unnecessary tactile stimulation)
• prevents emotional trauma, attachment disorders
• assists in pain management during invasive procedures by keeping infant contained, preventing the trigger of the moro reflex (fight or flight response in the central nervous system) (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4420379/)
• increases infant sleep for improved feeding, growing, and cognitive development
  

(https://medicalxpress.com/news/2014-11-babies-cognitive.html)

Woombie Gel Pod
The human gestational period is 38-42 weeks. Some babies are born as prematurely as 24 weeks. They’re whisked away from their mothers, put in a loose diaper in an incubator, or laid in a crib surrounded by stiff “infant positioners”. The neonate is no longer free to move the way they would in the womb. They’re no longer comforted by warm tissue, amniotic fluid, gentle rocking of mother’s movements and they’re separated from the postpartum mother therefore they cannot nuzzle into the fat of the postpartum female form, including stomach and breasts. There is perfection in the design of the mother/baby bonding opportunities after birth that these premature infants miss. 


Woombie Gel Pod:

• Allows range of motion
• Allows infant to reposition itself and move freely as if in-utero
• Provides containment via swaddle sack
• Arms/hands are free for self-soothing or “hands to heart” position
• Neonate can cross midline while swaddled in a woombie, thus strengthening the corpus callosum
• Prevents hip displaysia
• Provides comfort via the weight of the gel when on it’s side
• Reduces neurological stress
• Allows easy access to infant chest, feet, ankles, or diaper area for medical care

Family Centered Care
The Woombie Med Pods, including the Woombie Gel Pod, provide a sense of comfort for parents who are unable to hold their babies due to absence, diagnosis, infection control, or treatment obstacles. The Gel Pod helps the new mother feel she’s providing an inutero environment for her neonate that her body was unable to for it’s full 38-42 weeks of pregnancy.

Parents can hold their babies without fearing they’ll tangle up wires, pull off monitors, or hold baby in an uncomfortable position because they can’t feel it’s body underneath a pile of blankets.
Skin-to-skin contact, aka “Kangaroo Care” is easier to provide due to the ease of the front zipper. The gel pod allows the baby to turn itself to a side-body position without exerting valuable energy, and align itself with its caregiver’s chest and stomach for physiological synchronization. 
(https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3468719/)