Special care babies and their developing relationships

Description:

Special care babies are at the centre of a complex system of relationships involving both family members and professionals. Prematurity, disability and life-threatening situations create a crisis, which is likely to have a different meaning for each participant. This book focuses on the important relationships which are essential for the survival and development of these infants. Anne McFadyen looks critically at the system which saves the lives of infants and shows that many factors influence the outcome. She is concerned to make sense of the confusion and ambivalence felt by both parents and professionals whose lives come together and whose needs often conflict in the context of neonatal intensive care. She explodes the myth of the cosy relationship between the hospital and the family, drawing attention to the clash of belief systems which often impedes the infant's progress and the development of relationships. The book explores institutional, cultural and family beliefs about prematurity and infant care, and shows that there are important differences between the beliefs and needs of parents and those of the staff. The author argues that these differences must be acknowledged and resolved, since they are at the heart of the relationship between two crucial systems which have the power to influence the baby's survival and the rest of his or her life. Anne McFadyen backs up her argument with descriptions of babies, parents and staff as they relate to each other, and with clinical material from her work as a child psychiatrist. Special Care Babies and their Developing Relationships will be essential reading for paediatricians, nurses, child psychotherapists, psychiatrists and social workers, as well as for parents of special care babies.

subjects: Family relationships,  Infants (Newborn),  Neonatal intensive care,  Parent and infant,  Psychological aspects,  Psychological aspects of Neonatal intensive care,  Parent and child,  Newborn infants,  Parent-Child Relations,  Psychology,  Intensivpflege,  Familienbeziehung,  Psychische Belastung,  Neugeborenes,  Bewältigung,  Eltern,  Nouveau-nés,  Soins intensifs,  Aspect psychologique,  Parents et nourrissons,  Relations familiales,  Parents et enfants,  Mental Health,  Psychotherapy,  General,  Newborn Infant,  Family