Abstract

Infants born before the end of 37 weeks of pregnancies are defined as being premature, or preterm. Many among of this babiessurvivor have to live with learning disabilities, sight problems and/or hearing impairment. Developmental care" is a term used for the different approaches used while premature infants are in the neonatal intensive care unit; this medical care provides for the developmental needs of the newborn. Developmental care includes the modifications both in the physical environment and in the health care of the newborn. The objective of developmental care is to promote the infant's neurodevelopment by reducing stress, increasing the infant's comfort and facilitating sleep. In this review, effects of the neonatal intensive care unit to the infant and developmental care will be discussed.