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Marit Kval Hagemoen
gave birth to twins
three months
prematurely. She
experienced a great
deal of difference in
the follow-up that she
received from different
hospitals.
"Our boys were very sick, and during
the first few months they were seen
at three different hospitals. The trai-
ning and follow-up that parents were
given for how they should handle their
premature babies and understand them
were very different at these hospitals,"
said Kval Hagemoen, who is a member
of the board of directors of Norway's
Association for Parents of Premature
Babies.
She is grateful for all the help she recei-
ved, particularly from Oslo University
Hospital, where the early training was
good and made parents feel more secure
in a special and challenging situation.
Learning to understand a
preemie
"It surprised us that it really was possible
to decipher and read the body language
of the boys right after their birth - even
though they weighed only 860 and 930
grams. They had to be on a ventilator
for several weeks and were hospitalized
for nearly five months. This was stressful
and worrisome. There were so many
wires and medications. At times the boys
were connected to 10 or 12 machines.
Fortunately we had good follow-up and
we were taught how to understand our
babies. For example, they reacted positi-
vely when they heard familiar voices and
had gentle body contact. That calmed
them down and their oxygen demand
went down," she said.
At the hospital the new mother learned
to interpret small differences in the body
language of her babies.
"Premature babies can seem calmer and
quieter than other babies. But even if
they don't cry, it doesn't mean that they
are doing well. Our boys were connected
to a respirator and that was why they
were unable to cry. You can see that
other premature infants who are not on
a respirator do cry. Among other things,
we learned to watch for marbling of the
skin. This means that they are not doing
that well. Dilated nostrils, hiccups and
yawns can all indicate stress – and were
all signs that helped us to decipher the
kids," Kval Hagemoen said.
"At the Oslo University Hospital we felt
confident, and we were allowed to be
involved with caring for our twins just
few days after their birth. We were very
happy about this, and it also help build
our confidence in the situation. At the
same time, it was also a good way to get
to know the boys," she added.
Would like home visits
Kval Hagemoen is glad that the
Norwegian health care system now has
a greater focus on following up with
parents and children. She also has the
sense that officials are considering the
possibility of providing home visits by
qualified nurses.
"Right after we got home with the boys,
we had a home visit by a nurse. It was an
incredibly positive experience and eased
our burden," she said.
Text: Elisabeth Øvreberg
University of Tromsø –
Labyrint E/11
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7
Allowing parents to bathe their baby is very important, says Marit Kval Hagemoen who herself has two prematurely born boys.
Photo: UNN
Prematurely born babies are frail and their skin is very thin. Only moderate body contact is allowed. Photo: Privat
The babies who were part of the project, were all born weig-
hing less than 200 grams. Photo: Private