Let them grow quietly

Newborn babies are such a tiny and delicate creatures that we’re sometimes even afraid to hold them. When it comes to premature infants, these concerns intensify, mainly due to their low weight, and especially if they're connected to all kinds of tubes and machines.

A premature infant has systems that haven't fully matured. Additionally, they suffer from significant parental deprivation and experience very intense stimuli compared to full-term babies, due to prolonged hospitalization in an incubator, noise and beeping from machines, overwhelming lighting, and more.

Unlike full-term babies, premature infants continue to develop outside the uterus. This is when the brain grows and develops more than at any other time in the life cycle (between weeks 28-40). The early birth itself and exposure to an abnormal environment different from the womb affects their long-term development. This is a critical period during which we want to prevent as many "disruptions" as possible in order to promote proper development.

Noise reduction project at the Hillel Yaffe NICU - wall decals and a pleasant environment

Simultaneous exposure to multiple high-intensity stimuli puts the premature infant's nervous system in a vulnerable state, accompanied by changes in their senses of touch, movement, hearing and smell. In recent years, stress has been increasingly recognized as a risk factor for premature infant brain development. Noise and bright light are among the factors that increase stress levels. Research shows that exposure of premature infants to high-intensity light and noise is reflected in medical indicators such as increased heart rate, decreased oxygen supply, increased intracranial pressure, crying, startling, sleep disturbances, longer hospitalization, delayed bottle feeding and more. Additionally, motor difficulties and emotional, social and behavioral challenges may develop in the future.

An article published by a Boston hospital, in collaboration with Harvard Medical School, found that noise affects the cardiovascular system (increased heart rate and blood pressure), respiratory system, sleep, cerebral blood flow, and has additional long-term effects on the premature infant's neurological development, especially in language and hearing.

Hillel Yaffe Medical Center's NICU decided meet this challenge head on by posting signs and publications instructing visitors to minimize noise and maintain a quiet and pleasant environment to raise awareness among both parents and medical staff.

"The developmental team in the NICU is a multidisciplinary team, including an occupational therapist, nurse, physical therapist, and dietitian, responsible for reducing stress among the premature infants. The team focuses on the premature infant's development, quality of life, and proper functioning in all areas of occupation as an infant, child and future adult. As part of the education we provide parents, we explain the importance of ensuring a quiet environment and reducing stress. Noise can wake premature infants from deep sleep and startle them, so it's important to maintain a quiet and pleasant environment and allow them to recover both medically and developmentally. The sooner we do this and reduce environmental stimuli - noise and light - the more we'll help reduce cognitive and emotional difficulties that occur without treatment," said occupational therapist Ronit Raidiboym Falach from the Hillel Yaffe NICU.