The opioid epidemic and related substance abuse reaches far and wide, with many newborns across the country left to endure the consequences. What follows is a unique, first-person account of a "Story From the Field" that highlights the experiences of one mother as she watched her adopted daughter suffer the effects of neonatal abstinence…

The article addresses clinical, neurodevelopmental, and psychological experiences of pregnant parents to build the case for shifting therapeutic approaches to promote the earliest possible connections between parents and their infant. The article emphasizes the rationale for therapeutic interface with families in pregnancy as it relates to stress…

This article presents the importance of multidisciplinary, family-centered care, and a developmental bio-psycho-social approach to treating feeding difficulties in a child with a complex medical history. Hannah spent the first 9 months of her life in the hospital and was discharged dependent on nasogastric tube feeding. Her journey to recovery…

Substance use and alcohol abuse during pregnancy are significant public health concerns. Neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) is a withdrawal syndrome that infants exposed to opioids may experience in the first few days of life. For most infants with NAS, exposure to opioids occurs during pregnancy while they are fetuses. Similarly, prenatal alcohol…

This article describes efforts of an Australian tertiary maternity hospital to translate infant mental health research into preventive perinatal and early parenting practice. Clinical practice confirms what is known in the literature: For expectant parents, there can be myriad obstacles to adapting successfully to parenthood and forming a…

Preterm birth is the leading cause of neonatal mortality and a major public health concern. Risk factors for preterm birth include a history of preterm birth, short cervix, infection, short interpregnancy interval, smoking, and African-American race. The use of progesterone therapy to treat mothers at risk for preterm delivery is becoming more…

Pregnancy is a time of heightened risk for domestic violence and of increased vulnerability to traumatic events. In this article, the authors explain how the experience of domestic violence during pregnancy threatens the newborn's healthy development as well as the parent-child relationship. San Francisco General Hospital's Perinatal Child-Parent…

Recent changes in genetics research have created new opportunities to improve the scope and quality of newborn screening services. Changes in newborn screening should be supported and directed by an organized program of research. The NICHD Research Initiative in Newborn Screening includes the development of systematic methods to identify…

The report presents accomplishments of a program to stimulate new and improved services to high risk/handicapped infants (0-3), with specific emphasis on new intervention and followup services to chronically hospitalized premature babies in intensive care nurseries (ICNs). Following a summary of project accomplishments (including the provision of…

This article describes hearing screening procedures and discusses implications and limitations of passing screening tests, being referred for rescreening, and failing the test. Follow-up intervention and evaluation that may be needed for children with hearing loss are discussed, and practical advice for professionals involved with screening and…

The role of public health nurses in the health care of infants and children prenatally exposed to drugs is discussed. Such nurses work in the family setting to promote health and prevent disease. Concepts of Kathryn Barnard have been used to develop policies and protocols for services to families with infants exposed to controlled substances. (GH)

Describes an innovative interdisciplinary program for hospital care and followup of premature infants at the University of Florida involving psychologists, counselors, and educators. Notes this growing population of surviving neonates has a high risk of developmental disability, which can be reduced by developmental intervention. (Author)

Outlines the difficulties parents face in the first year after childbirth and describes a postpartum intervention program. Obstacles faced by the program due to cultural prohibitions against acknowledging parental ambivalence to a newborn child are also discussed. (Author/DB)

This speech addresses the "What,""Why," and "How" of Brazelton Neonatal Assessment Training for school psychologists. "What" concerns the Brazelton Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale, its administration, and what it assesses. Based on the best performance, the infant's score on this scale is scored in the…

Save the Children was founded in 1932 as a nonprofit child-assistance organization to help children and families improve their health, education, and economic opportunities. This annual report presents information on the activities of the organization for the year 2000 and details its financial position. Beginning with highlights of the year's…