The first hour of life is vital to good mental health of the newborn.

-During the first sixty minutes of the newborn must avoid medications that interfere the early affective relations

– the premature and affected by diseases associated with disability or serious patients with major risk factors are

-mental health during the neonatal period is essential to prevent mental disorders throughout life

Bilbao, 2011-December the newborn obtained during its first two years of life the affective and emotional security necessary to be able to properly explore their environment, so the emotional attachment between mother and infant during this period is of vital importance.

So it has been perceived as Dr. Gabriel Saitua Iturriaga, medical assistant of Neonatology of the service of Pediatrics of the Hospital de Basurto, who, during a special conference held Friday at the Euskalduna Palace to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the gynaecology service of the health centre has detailed what aspects related to difficulties in the ability of interaction of the newborn child will have a negative effect on the relations of affective attachment with their parents.

During the process of linking and affective attachment are activated in mirror neurons involved in gestural imitation, copying and keeping on top the affective model of caregiver that usually corresponds to the native ”, said the expert. Therefore, that the emotional and affective disorders such as depression, lack of support in the couple and the crisis of couple will have negative impact on the future behaviour of their children.

The first time, the most important

Although the emotional attachment is a long process, there are moments of high sensitivity in the immediate postpartum and the first days of life. In the Hospital de Basurto had been incorporated, in this way, different actions that facilitate interpersonal interaction, and promoting the linkage and attachment between mother and son, all of them focusing on the emotional accompaniment during pregnancy, birth and immediate postpartum.

During the first hour of life of the newly born avoiding medications that interfere early affective relations, giving also a period of at least one hour for rest and affective communication with parents in the immediate postpartum ”, said Dr. Saitua. this, looking to start in that period breastfeeding through physical contact early skin because, in addition to improving the interaction between mother and the newborn to establish a breastfeeding is reduces crying time and keeps the baby hot ”, pointed out.

Risk factors

During the first hour, observed the first expressions of emotional interaction between parents and the newborn, especially taking into account certain factors of risk both parents and the child. in the case of parents, we tend to take into account factors gloom and depression, little emotional support in couples, consumption of drugs, psychiatric diseases, poverty, rootlessness and marginality ”, has indicated the Saitua.

In the case of the newborns, premature and affected by associated with disability or serious pathologies are patients with major risk factors. In perinatal care work in the conviction that a proper primary care mental health during the neonatal period is essential to prevent mental disorders throughout life ”, added Dr. Saitua.

Custom care

To conclude his presentation, Saitua pointed out that in the area of delivery/postpartum and neonatology unit we treat individually in the affective communication difficulties associated with preterm birth and other conditions related to other biological pathology, as well as disadvantaged psychological and sociocultural risk ”.

This individualized care refers to care of aspects such as environmental adaptations (light, noise, rhythmic activity in care, promotion of sleep and rest) and postural care (treatments in flexion, containment of the movement, nesting, postural comfort at the supports, prono and lateral), trying to concentrate all of the interventions to a minimum handling and facilitating recovery.

Work with the methodology of neonatal care focused on development for high risk children admitted to the neonatal unit as a model of primary preventive treatment mental health for the critically ill newborn and his family ”, concludes Dr. Saitua.