Effects of Facilitated Tucking On Duration and Frequency of Crying During Rest among Hospitalized Premature Infants: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Background: Infants born prematurely experience more self-regulation problems in comparison to term infants. Increasing crying in premature infants can disrupt sleep and awaking pattern and it can increase stress. This study aimed to determine the effects of facilitated fetal tucking on duration and frequency of crying among premature infants. Materials and Methods: This randomized, clinical trial was carried out in the Al-Zahra Hospital of Tabriz, Iran. Thirty-two premature infants (33-36 weeks) were selected for the study. The initial selection of the participants was based on the simple random sampling. Then the participants were allocated to groups using randomized block procedure. Every infant was studied for 4 days and in 12h period every day (8 A.M to 8 P.M) in this sequential study infants were randomly assigned 2 days in free-body posture and 2 days in facilitated fetal tucking posture. Films recorded in the 12 – h periods. Results: The mean of crying time for facilitated fetal tucking group was 17.50 minutes and at the free-body posture was 23.35 minutes. The frequencies of crying in facilitated fetal tucking group were lower than free-body posture group. Also statistically significant difference was observed between durations of crying (p=0.009) and frequencies of crying (p=0.01). Conclusion: It is concluded that the fetal tucking posture reduces duration and frequency of crying during rest times among infants born prematurely which leads to an improvement in sleep and waking cycles and reduces stress in premature infant. It provides to premature infant’s self- regulation and adaptation to the surrounding environment.