Relationship between Maternal Touch, Maternal Self-Confidence, Infant Length, and Feeding Volume in High-Risk Infants: Touch on the Mind

Abstract

Background: Childbirth is a physical and emotional experience. In particular, mothers of high-risk infants often exhibit low maternal self-confidence. Through interactions in the form of touch, maternal sensory stimulation provides comfort for both mother and baby. This study aims to investigate the association between maternal touch in the early postpartum period and the growth of infants as well as maternal self-confidence.Methods: Thirty-six mother-infant dyads in a level III-IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) were analyzed. Maternal touch on various body parts (extremities, face/head, and trunk) was observed, and infant length and feeding volume were assessed by direct measurement of the medical records. Maternal self-confidence was assessed using a questionnaire. Along with descriptive statistics, we conducted correlation and Mann-Whitney U tests.Results: Although maternal self-confidence decreased over time, that of mothers with a high level of contact with the infant’s face/head or extremities decreased significantly less than that of mothers in the low-contact group. For the baby, the feeding volume of infants with a high degree of maternal contact on their extremities or trunk increased significantly compared with that of the low-contact group.Conclusions: Mothers’ self-confidence may not improve as the infant grows, but can be strengthened by enhanced touch on the infant’s face/head. Touching the infant’s trunk is related to infant feeding. The research findings emphasize the importance of early maternal touch in the NICU environment and recommend the provision of maternal touch to appropriate body parts to achieve the desired objectives.