How hugging and talking to preemie babies helps mom and dad feel better
Effects of home-based integrated sensory stimulation program to preterm infants on parents’ depression and anxiety: a randomized controlled trial
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Paternal anxiety dropped more than maternal anxiety—by a huge margin.
Most research assumes mothers bear the brunt of postpartum stress; this flips the script, showing fathers may benefit even more from sensory engagement.
Practical Takeaways
During every feeding, spend 5–10 minutes gently touching your preemie’s hands/feet, talking softly, making eye contact, and letting them smell your skin.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Paternal anxiety dropped more than maternal anxiety—by a huge margin.
Most research assumes mothers bear the brunt of postpartum stress; this flips the script, showing fathers may benefit even more from sensory engagement.
Practical Takeaways
During every feeding, spend 5–10 minutes gently touching your preemie’s hands/feet, talking softly, making eye contact, and letting them smell your skin.
Publication
Journal
Global Health Action
Year
2025
Authors
Wenjing Zheng, Rassamee Chotipanvithayakul, T. Ingviya, Fang Guo
Related Content
Claims (7)
Parents who do gentle sensory activities like touching and talking to their preemie during feeding for six months are much less likely to feel depressed after leaving the hospital.
Dads who spend time touching, talking to, and looking at their premature babies during feeding feel much less anxious after six months than dads who don’t.
Even if parents don’t do the sensory activities perfectly every day, just doing them during feeding a few times a day still helps them feel less stressed and depressed.
When parents use touch, voice, eye contact, smell, and feeding to connect with their preemie at home for six months, their anxiety and depression stay lower for the whole six months.
When parents gently touch, talk to, and look at their premature babies during feeding for six months, it helps both moms and dads feel much less anxious and stressed out.