Literacy promotion at the Montreal Children's Hospital.

The foundations for language and literacy are set in utero when babies hear the tone of their mother's voice (1). There is strong evidence of a positive relationship between early literacy experiences and language and academic outcomes (2). Unfortunately, many parents do not know about the benefits of reading to and with young children, and many children enter school without the basic skills needed to learn to read and succeed. Physicians who have contact with young families are in a distinctive position to promote reading, though despite its evidence base, it has not yet become a universal intervention. A short description of the projects at the Montreal Children's Hospital is provided.

The experience of mothers whose very low-birth-weight infant requires the delivery of supplemental oxygen in the neonatal intensive care unit.

PURPOSE: This study examines the experience of mothers whose very low-birth-weight infants require the delivery of supplemental oxygen during their hospitalization in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). SUBJECTS: Eleven mothers of very low-birth-weight infants who have received various supplemental oxygen delivery methods in the NICU for a minimum of 7 days were selected for interview. DESIGN: Qualitative descriptive. METHODS: One semistructured interview exploring mothers' experiences surrounding oxygen delivery methods was conducted. Qualitative content analysis was undertaken to describe mothers' experience. PRINCIPLE RESULTS: Four themes emerged related to the oxygen therapy and the various methods of delivery: Oxygen therapy is a positive, worries about the adverse effects for my baby now and in the future, a learning experience, and the delivery of supplemental oxygen is a barrier to mothering. CONCLUSION: Mothers balanced the positive aspects of oxygen therapy with their fears of the negative consequences. They were able to adapt to the equipment and trajectory of having their infant on supplemental oxygen delivery methods. Mothers were particularly distressed by the physical barriers created by oxygen delivery methods (ie, unable to hold, hear, or see their baby). Nurses in the NICU should support mothers' positive reframing as a way of coping, provide education about the consequences of this therapy, encourage mothers to touch and hold their infants, and provide opportunities for them to see their infants' faces.

Parent picture-book reading to infants in the neonatal intensive care unit as an intervention supporting parent-infant interaction and later book reading.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the effects of a parent book reading intervention in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) on parent-infant interaction and on the incidence of parents reading to their infants 3 months post-NICU discharge. METHODS: A nonrandomized, participant blinded intervention study using a historical control group (CG) was conducted. The intervention group (IG: n = 59) consisted of parents of infants admitted to the NICU after the introduction of the parent reading program. The CG (n = 57) consisted of parents of infants discharged from the NICU in the 3-month period before the introduction of the reading program. Questionnaires were mailed to participants 3 months after their infant's discharge and completed verbally, over the telephone. Groups were compared on parenting activities and reading. In addition, a thematic analysis of qualitative descriptive data provided insight into the parents' experiences with reading to their infants. RESULTS: Sixty-nine percent of IG parents reported that reading helped them feel closer to their baby, and 86% reported it was enjoyable. Parents reported an increased sense of control and normalcy and increased intimacy with their infant. Twice as many parents in the IG reported reading 3 or more times a week to their infants (55.9% IG; 23.3% CG). CONCLUSION: Study results support the use of a parent book-reading intervention in the NICU to enhance parent-infant interactions and promote reading.