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Babycare in the
hospital
Babycare lambskin incubator
pads are used in many countries for specialist nursing of premature babies.
They are shaped to fit incubators and have a shorter wool length than the
standard Babycare.
The incubator pads were developed as a result of the findings from the Cambridge
Research project where health care professionals felt premature and sick
babies would benefit from a Babycare lambskin.
The Cambridge Project:
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A 1983 Cambridge University Child Care and Development Group project on very low birth-weight babies nursed on lambswool fleeces showed:
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Very low birth weight babies made significant weight gains.
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Babies on fleeces settled more quickly and cried less.
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Natural wool was found to be superior to artificial fleeces which shed fibres, had poor texture and made the child damp.
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Parent-baby bonding was enhanced.
Extracts from the Lancet:
“In addition to this hospital-based study on premature babies, we conducted
a pilot study on normal-term infants at home.
All the mothers kept their babies on lambswool for at least 12 hours a day
demonstrating the acceptability of this kind of bedding, and the indications
were that when compared with controls these babies cried less, settled more
quickly to sleep after feeds and lay quietly attentive for longer before
feeds.”
“No untoward effects from being nursed on lambswool were observed. In particular,
no baby was found with wool fibres in its mouth or up its nostrils.
No mother expressed dissatisfaction that her baby was being nursed on lambswool
and a number of the control group asked why their babies were not on it”.
The results consistently show a significant improvement of weight gain for
babies nursed on lambswool.
We have previously speculated that the contact provided by lambswool may
have a calming effect on infants similar to that seen with swaddling. The
present results would be compatible with the idea that when nursed on cotton,
these babies are under some stress which is reduced by lambswool.”
“We have had some experience in the unit with artificial fibre imitation
wool mats. The ones we have seen have an altogether different, slippery
texture compared with wool and the skin of babies lying on them often becomes
damp as the artificial rugs do not absorb moisture for evaporation.”
Scott, S., Richards, M.
Nursing Low-Birthweight
Babies on Lambswool.
Lancet 1979; 1:1208 -
Lambswool is safer
for
Babies. Lancet 1981; 1:556.
