- Touch is essential to the development of babies[2] but for the 1 in 13 babies in the UK that are born premature[3], with skin twice as thin as a full-term baby[4], it can be a challenge.
- 82% parents who spent time on a neonatal unit with their premature baby felt nervous to touch their little one with more than half citing skin fragility as the main reason.
- Pampers wants to empower parents to feel confident in caring for their premature baby by creating essential moments of touch and bonding. Their Pampers Preemie Protection Nappy is specially designed to be extra gentle on even the most fragile of skin whilst also having a customisable fit to accommodate for medical lines and leads.
- Ahead of World Prematurity Day (November 17th), Pampers is working with first-time mum, broadcaster, author and world champion dancer, Oti Mabuse, whose daughter was born at 28 weeks, to share her experiences on a neonatal unit and help raise awareness of Pampers Preemie Protection nappies.
LONDON, Nov. 7, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Premature babies' skin is two times thinner than that of a full-term baby which makes it highly sensitive to touch. Despite this vulnerability, touch is vital for premature babies as it's the first sense a baby develops. These moments of touch and skin-to-skin contact can support their development as it increases levels of oxytocin[5], an essential hormone to create a familial bond.
Although touch helps premature babies, parents can feel concerned around its impact on babies' skin and therefore be prevented from having these essential bonding moments. The new research conducted by Pampers found that 82% of UK parents with babies born prematurely felt nervous to touch their baby whilst in neonatal care, with 52% citing the fragility of their skin as the main reason.
Fortunately, with the right information and support from neonatal professionals, parents can build confidence and be empowered to become partners in their babies' day-to-day care with essential interactions that support bonding. This approach is known as Family Integrated Care (FiCare), an important advancement in neonatal care, which positively impacts infant development, and improve the mental health of parents.
FiCare includes skin-to-skin moments such as nappy changes, which enable parents to feel more confident when having essential interactions. 92% of parents surveyed agreed that being involved in nappy changes whilst on a neonatal unit helped them to bond with their baby and 78% agreed these special moments of touch had a positive impact bonding in the longer term.
That's why Pampers continues to support Bliss, the UK's leading charity for babies born premature or sick. Caroline Lee-Davey, Chief Executive of Bliss says, "We are strong advocates of Family Integrated Care and know the positive impact that it has on both babies and parents. We are so proud of our long-standing partnership with Pampers, whose nappy donations help to ensure parents and babies don't miss out on essential interactions, including nappy changes, even whilst on a neonatal ward".
Pampers Preemie Protection nappies were developed with neonatal nurses and parents to be extra gentle on even the most fragile of skin. Designed to fit around medical lines and leads, the nappies aim to make nappy changing easier for parents and nurses and support up to 6 hours of leakage protection to help keep babies' delicate skin protected.
Since 2017, Pampers has donated more than 2 million of their Pampers Preemie Protection nappies to UK hospitals and parents. This World Prematurity Day (November 17th), Pampers is partnering with broadcaster, author and world champion dancer, Oti Mabuse, whose daughter was born at 28 weeks, to help raise awareness of Pampers Preemie Protection nappies by sharing her prematurity experience.
Oti Mabuse says: "It's coming up to my little girl's first birthday and it's incredible to look back and think about her entry into the world less than a year ago. A neonatal unit can be a daunting place for any parent, but thankfully the nurseswere so supportive and encouraged my husband Marius and I to be involved in her day-to-day care. I'm so proud to be partnering with Pampers as we used the Pampers Preemie Protection nappies whilst on the neonatal ward. We are so grateful that they allowed us to have those special moments of touch and bonding during nappy changes, whilst keeping her delicate skin protected."
To find out more about touch, its role for premature babies, and Oti's own story, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtrAUVXZ_F8 .
If you'd like to help raise awareness this World Prematurity Day, then you can show your support too. For every Pack of Pampers nappies and nappy pants purchased in Boots between Nov 6th 2024 and Jan 2nd 2025 Pampers will donate 1 premature nappy to UK premature babies in the UK (T&Cs apply). Please visit pampersforpreemies.pampers.co.uk for more information.
To find out more about Bliss and Family Integrated Care, please visit: https://www.bliss.org.uk/health-professionals/family-integrated-care/what-is-ficare
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At Pampers, we believe in the power of working together - with parents, experts and our valued partners - to make babies' world better, today and in the future. That's why, for more than 50 years, parents have trusted Pampers to care for babies' happy, healthy development. Pampers is a part of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) and is the #1-selling nappy worldwide. Every day, more than 25 million babies in 100 countries around the world wear Pampers. Pampers offers a complete range of nappies, wipes and training pants designed to provide protection and comfort for every stage of baby's development. Visit www.pampers.co.uk to learn more about Pampers products, our latest innovations and for a chance to win rewards.
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P&G serves consumers around the world with one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Always®, Ambi Pur®, Ariel®, Bold®, Braun®, Daz®, Fairy®, Febreze®, Gillette®, Head & Shoulders®, Herbal Essences®, Lenor®, Olay®, Oral-B®, Pampers®, Pantene®, Tampax®, Venus® and Vicks®.
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About Bliss
Bliss exists to give every baby born premature or sick in the UK the best chance of survival and quality of life. We champion their right to receive the best care by supporting families, campaigning for change and supporting professionals, and enabling life-changing research. Bliss was founded in 1979 by a group of concerned parents who discovered that no hospital had all the equipment nor the trained staff it needed to safely care for premature and sick babies. Determined to do something, these volunteers formed a charity to give vulnerable babies the care they deserve. More than 40 years later, Bliss has grown into the leading UK charity for the 90,000 babies born needing neonatal care every year.
Registered charity no. 1002973
[1]Pampers Prematurity Research September 2024 UK; Sample 302 Parents of children aged 0-4 born prematurely
[2] Aslam MD, et al Development of Fetal Senses: Implications in Intrauterine and Postnatal Life
[3] https://www.bliss.org.uk/research-campaigns/neonatal-care-statistics/prematurity-statistics-in-the-uk#:~:text=How%20many%20babies%20are%20born,before%2037%20weeks%20of%20pregnancy).
[4] Visscher M, Narendran V. The Ontogeny of Skin. Adv Wound Care (New Rochelle). 2014 Apr 1;3(4):291-303.
[4]Aslam MD, et al Development of Fetal Senses: Implications in Intrauterine and Postnatal Life
[5]Vittner, D et al. Parent Engagement Correlates with Parent and Preterm Infant Oxytocin Release during Skin-to-Skin Contact. Advances in Neonatal Care. 2019 19 (1): 73-79
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtrAUVXZ_F8
Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2550122/Pampers.jpg
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