Abstract
Over 15 million premature infants are born annually around the world. It has been optimistically yet incorrectly proposed, that healthy preterm infants without major complications eventually catch-up developmentally to term infants. Research shows these preterm infants remain increasingly disadvantaged on many neurodevelopmental outcomes. Parental touch, especially during skin-to-skin contact (SSC) has the potential to reduce the adverse consequences of prematurity. SSC is an evidenced based strategy that increases parental proximity and provides an interactive environment known to enhance infant physiologic stability and affective closeness between parent and infant. Evidence suggests SSC activates oxytocin release in mothers, fathers and infants.
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