Study: Water therapy helps in the development of preterm infants

Dr. Hagit Friedman went with her daughter to a post-natal nursery and decided to investigate the effects of water on preterm infants: "Water activity can improve neural development of preterm infants"

Premature birth is often a complex event for parents, and often the start of a different journey of searching for ways which can improve their baby’s health and development. Apparently, water activities adapted to young babies born prematurely can strengthen nervous system functions and promote brain development, according to a new study. The study was conducted by Dr. Hagit Friedman, an expert in the development of the nervous system and a researcher at the School of Social Sciences and Humanities at the Kinneret Academic College and the Department of Nursing at the University of Haifa, Israel.

Dr. Friedman, who conducted the research on a voluntary basis, says: "When my little daughter was born, I looked for a framework for spending quality time with her, and found a baby swim group. During the lessons, I noticed the effect of the water activities on babies and their parents, and as a result I decided to study the subject for about two years, at the end of which I was certified to instruct infant water activities. From there, the research began in cooperation with several departments at Sheba Medical Centre at Tel Ha-Shomer: the rehabilitation pool, the paediatric neurology department and the hospital."

The study has been conducted over two years and involved 46 infants - 23 in the experimental group and 23 in the control group. The method was based on exercises for infants and premature babies, adapted to the developmental stage of the baby. Preterm infants were videotaped before and during water treatment, up to the age of 56 weeks from the date they have been conceived (i.e., up to the age of four months from birth on time). A developmental assessment of the baby was made according to the characteristics of the baby's spontaneous movements as well as other criteria.

The age of the participating premature infants was particularly chosen to be done in this stage in their life, in which the brain has the highest capacity to adapt and change due to its elasticity. This means that with specific stimulations new circuits in the cortex could be established impacting long term developmental abilities.

Dr. Hagit Friedman went with her daughter to a post-natal nursery and decided to investigate the effects of water on preterm infants: "Water activity can improve neural development of preterm infants"

Premature birth is often a complex event for parents, and often the start of a different journey of searching for ways which can improve their baby’s health and development. Apparently, water activities adapted to young babies born prematurely can strengthen nervous system functions and promote brain development, according to a new study. The study was conducted by Dr. Hagit Friedman, an expert in the development of the nervous system and a researcher at the School of Social Sciences and Humanities at the Kinneret Academic College and the Department of Nursing at the University of Haifa, Israel.



Dr. Friedman, who conducted the research on a voluntary basis, says: "When my little daughter was born, I looked for a framework for spending quality time with her, and found a baby swim group. During the lessons, I noticed the effect of the water activities on babies and their parents, and as a result I decided to study the subject for about two years, at the end of which I was certified to instruct infant water activities. From there, the research began in cooperation with several departments at Sheba Medical Centre at Tel Ha-Shomer: the rehabilitation pool, the paediatric neurology department and the hospital."



The study has been conducted over two years and involved 46 infants - 23 in the experimental group and 23 in the control group. The method was based on exercises for infants and premature babies, adapted to the developmental stage of the baby. Preterm infants were videotaped before and during water treatment, up to the age of 56 weeks from the date they have been conceived (i.e., up to the age of four months from birth on time). A developmental assessment of the baby was made according to the characteristics of the baby's spontaneous movements as well as other criteria.

The age of the participating premature infants was particularly chosen to be done in this stage in their life, in which the brain has the highest capacity to adapt and change due to its elasticity. This means that with specific stimulations new circuits in the cortex could be established impacting long term developmental abilities.