8  •  2019  •  Developmental Observer

Aims

For premature and full term infants who need help from a venti-
lator for breathing, it can be difficult to hold the infant skin-
to-skin and often depends on the nurses who are present at the 
time. Lying skin-to-skin is a way to treat premature babies. The 
specific aims of this project were:

1. To increase the opportunity for skin-to-skin contact for as
many infants as possible, as early as possible, including those
intubated.

2. To develop a formal guideline: How to move the baby from
bed/incubator skin-to-skin with parents in a safe way to help
the families, nurses and physicians.

Methods

The literature recommends disconnecting the intubated infant 
when moving the infant. The project set out to show that mov-
ing an infant to their parent for skin-to-skin while still connected 

to the ventilator is possible. A literature review was done, and 
based on that, plus many in-depth discussions with NICU staff, 
a set of procedures and guidelines were developed. The steps and 
procedures were documented with photographs showing how 
simply and beautifully one can move an infant from bed/incu-
bator to their parent. The guideline: How to move the baby from 
bed/incubator skin-to-skin with parents in a safe way was complet-
ed in two years, and the nurses and doctors work together to use 
it and make skin-to-skin a reliable part of the infant’s treatment 
process. 

Conclusion

Skin-to-skin care is an important component of NIDCAP care 
recommendations and a way to strengthen the family centered 
care. With the development of the guidelines on how to safely 
move intubated infants into skin-to-skin positioning, the unit 
now has the opportunity to offer skin-to-skin holding to all 
children in the unit.

How to Move a Ventilated Baby From Bed/Incubator to 
Skin-to Skin In a Safe Way 
Hoeeg J

Neonanalklinikken, Rigshospitatet 
Copenhagen, Denmark