Anxiety in Neonates

prmenrs, RN · Mar 9, 2007

I think it would look like a hyperalert baby. I used to call it the Pop-eyed premie look. If the baby is overstimulated a lot over a period of time, they get this wide-eyed OMG look. Might happen if parents (and others) ignore avoidance cues (finger splays, salutes, gaze avoidance, etc.) when interacting w/baby. Sometimes when parents come in, they want to "play" whether the baby does or not, and insisting on direct eye contact.

Look @ info on developmental nursing care. This site has a good summary: http://www.rwh.org.au/nets/handbook/index.cfm?doc_id=719

Here is a quote: "...protect from over-stimulation

handling can effect physiological stability and cause hypoxaemia, especially in the extremely premature, unstable or ill neonate

provide 'time out'/ recovery time when the infant demonstrates avoidance or 'stress' behaviour. Signs of stress behaviour include

colour changes: mottled, dusky, cyanosed

apnoea, bradycardia, desaturation

hiccoughing, sneezing, yawning, gagging, regurgitating feeds

tremors, twitches, frantic activity, arching, frowning, gaze averting

completely flaccid trunk, extremities & face

easy fatiguability..."

dawngloves, BSN, RN · Mar 9, 2007

Do you mean preemie stress signals?

Elvish, BSN, DNP, RN, NP · Mar 12, 2007

Here is a quote: "...protect from over-stimulation
handling can effect physiological stability and cause hypoxaemia, especially in the extremely premature, unstable or ill neonate
provide 'time out'/ recovery time when the infant demonstrates avoidance or 'stress' behaviour. Signs of stress behaviour include
colour changes: mottled, dusky, cyanosed
apnoea, bradycardia, desaturation
hiccoughing, sneezing, yawning, gagging, regurgitating feeds
tremors, twitches, frantic activity, arching, frowning, gaze averting
completely flaccid trunk, extremities & face
easy fatiguability..."

This sounds exactly like the methadone baby we have in our NBN right now. Parents sometimes don't understand that if she's acting like what prmenrs mentioned above, then passing her around, trying to play with her, & generally making a lot of noise is NOT going to help matters. It bothers me a great deal to see what these babies have to go through....and being in the loud bright nursery doesn't help. (Can you believe there are people at our hosp that have a problem c lowering the lights at night??)