Skin to Skin and Heart Rate Variability

The objective of this study is to monitor heart rate variability in preterm infants receiving respiratory support, including conventional mechanical ventilation, during skin-to-skin care. We hypothesize that skin to skin care will be associated with a more mature pattern of parasympathetic activity as measured by various domains of heart rate variability. Specifically, the standard deviation of the normal-to-normal interval (SDNN), the root mean squared of successive differences of normal-to-normal intervals (RMSDD), and the standard deviation of deceleration (SDDec) will decrease in infants that are receiving skin-to-skin care across all types of respiratory support compared to infants who are lying in their isolette.