Thursday, June 15, 2017

Healthy Mom&Baby Partners with Huggies® to Educate Parents on Diapering Principles to Improve Their Relationship with Their Newborn

Did you know that the simple task of diapering can promote a baby’s health and wellness? With Father’s Day coming up, AWHONN nurses, in partnership with Huggies®, seek to inform new and expecting parents on how to change their newborn’s first diaper using nurturing, developmental care rituals that foster growth and well-being in both full-term and premature babies. This week, Healthy Mom&Baby published the “Diapering That Nurtures Your Baby” booklet that invites parents into the science and habits of developmental diapering to make the most of every change and transform their care from routine to revitalizing. The booklet features expert nurse advice from AWHONN, using key pointers from Every Change Matters™, the first diapering review that provides clinical insights within the context of skin and developmental care, authored by the Huggies® Nursing Advisory Council.

During a baby’s first weeks, a parent can expect to change up to 12 diapers a day!  Multiply that over years and that can amount to thousands of diapers! Healthy Mom&Baby nurse adviser, Dr. Charlotte Wool, Ph.D., RN, explains why the common routine of diapering provides developmental opportunities for bonding, attachment, closeness, stress reduction and comfort.

Diapering that nurtures babies may enhance their:

  • Development
  • Physical growth
  •  Emotional well-being
  •  Family bond
  •  Sleep

Increasing mindfulness between a parent and their baby is teaching the parent to take their actions off of autopilot and pay attention to each and every moment with their baby. When parents hold their baby, it is not just a safety measure; it is also a reassuring touch. Parents can strengthen the bond with their baby through smiling and regularly hugging and touching their baby.

Diapering is also a great opportunity for parents to learn how their baby communicates through their facial expressions, body movements and sounds, such as cooing or crying.  Recognizing the meaning behind each of their baby’s expressions will help parents care for their baby more effectively. Plus, when parents are relaxed and engaged, their baby feels that bond.

For media interviews, contact:
Mary Elizabeth Elkordy for AWHONN
202-261-2447
melkordy@awhonn.org

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About AWHONN
Since 1969, the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN) has been the foremost authority promoting the health of women and newborns and strengthening the nursing profession through the delivery of superior advocacy, research, education, and other professional and clinical resources. AWHONN represents the interests of 350,000 registered nurses working in women’s health, obstetric, and neonatal nursing across the United States. Learn more about AWHONN at www.awhonn.org.

About Healthy Mom&Baby
Powered by the nurses of AWHONN, Healthy Mom&Baby magazine and website is nurse-expert-authored health and wellness advice, from preconception and pregnancy to labor, birth and parenting. More than 1.2 million women a year receive the quarterly magazine, read the free online magazine flipbook and gain practical advice and information from nurses at Health4Mom.org. Follow Healthy Mom&Baby on Facebook and Twitter. Healthy Mom&Baby is published by AWHONN in partnership with Maitland Warne.

About the Huggies® Nursing Advisory Council
Members of the Huggies Nursing Advisory Council and co-authors of Every Change Matters™: A Guide to Developmental Diapering Care are:

  • Sharon Dore, RN, BScN, M Ed, PhD, Clinical Associate Professor, McMaster University, Ontario, Canada
  • Media Esser, NNP-BC, APNP, Neonatal Nurse Practitioner, Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
  • Felicia Fitzgerald, BSN, RNC-OB, C-EFM, Perinatal Outreach Educator, Chicago, Illinois
  • Kelli Kelley, Founder & Executive Director, Hand to Hold, Austin, Texas
  • Joanne Kuller, RN, MS, Neonatal Clinical Nurse Specialist, UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital, Oakland, California
  • Sue Ludwig, OTR/L, Founder & President, National Association of Neonatal Therapists, Cincinnati, Ohio
  • Debianne Peterman, PhD, MSN, RNC-NIC, NE-BC, Vice President, Clinical Education and Development, TriStar Health, Brentwood, Tennessee

To learn more about Every Change Matters™, visit www.huggieshealthcare.com.

About the Huggies® Brand
At Huggies, we understand few things are as powerful as baby’s first hug. That’s why we designed our diapers to feel the same way. With an exceptional product portfolio of diapers and wipes, Huggies has been helping parents provide love, care and reassurance to help babies thrive for 37 years. Working in partnership with nurses, Huggies is dedicated to uncovering insights and delivering solutions that advance newborn care, reflecting its long-standing commitment to creating a better future for babies. To learn more about Huggies, visit www.huggies.com and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.