| Study of mothers vs. professionals giving massage:
The three previously cited studies describe the beneficial effects of
preterm infant massages administered by professionals. An
additional study was performed to replicate the results of increased
weight gain in the course of massage therapy of preterm infants and
utilize a cost-effective application of this method by comparing maternal to non-maternal administration
of the therapy. The results were published by Ferber et al. in Early
Human Development, 2002.
The study assigned healthy, preterm infants to three groups. In the
first group, the mothers performed the massage. In the second, a professional
female figure unrelated to the infant administered the treatment. The
third group was a control group which received no massage.
- Over the 10-day study period, the two treatment groups gained significantly
more weight compared to the control group. Calorie intake per kilogram did
not differ between groups.
- The study concluded that mothers were able to achieve the same
beneficial effects as
that of trained professionals, allowing cost-effective application of massage
therapy in preterm infants.
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