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HUG Your Baby included in Nurse's PhD Project in Japan

Yasue Ota has just been awarded her PhD in Nursing from Juntendo University in Chiba. We are delighted that she incorporated HUG Your Baby into her PhD implementation project to enhance nurses’ ability to promote mother-infant bonding.

Background: Nurses can play an important role in facilitating mother-infant bonding during the early postnatal period. But often nurses do not meet this goal.  This researcher worked to develop a user-friendly, accessible, web-based training to enhance nurses’ ability to facilitate mother-infant bonding.

Methods: First, nurses and mother-baby dyads were observed. Next, semi-structured interviews with those nurses was conducted, a literature review was performed and the web-based  program was developed. The web-based program included: 1) Completion of HUG Your Baby’s Japanese online program (J. Tedder) to enhance nurses’ knowledge about infants’ behaviors; 2) training in effective communication skills and childrearing support to enhance mother-infant bonding and; 3) review of case studies to apply knowledge and skills to clinical practice. The ICE Model Theory (F. Young) and the Reflective Approach Model (G. Gibbs) were applied to the design of this educational program. The program was pilot-tested with ten midwives at a birth center.

Results: There was positive feedback from nurses about the course’s length, its interest and its level of difficulty.

Conclusion: This comprehensive educational programme for nurses has the potential to contribute to facilitating nurses’ responsiveness to infants and mother-infant bonding during the early postnatal period.


Publication: Yasue Ota, Mari Takahashi (2016). Nurses’ support to facilitate mother-infant attachment during the early postpartum period. Japanese Journal of Maternal Health, 56(4), 618-625.