The effect of a 'containing' position in a hammock versus the supine position on the cutaneous oxygen level in premature and term babies.

We evaluated the influence of positioning, and particularly a containing position in a hammock compared with the supine position, on the respiration of the newborn. Recordings of the transcutaneous oxygen level of 40 preterm babies and 10 full-term babies placed in their incubators alternately in the two positions have been analyzed. We found no significant differences between the means of the oxymetric indexes in the hammock and in the supine position, even when the babies had different gestational ages and birth weights. The advantages of the containing position for the neuromotor and relational development of the newborn in the first year of life in comparison with the effects of supine placement, which should be avoided as much as possible in the premature, are pointed out.