A new pilot study led by Prof. Welma Lubbe, director of NuMIQ in the Faculty of Health Sciences at the North-West University (NWU), has highlighted the potential benefits of a structured parenting education programme for mothers of preterm infants in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). The findings were published on 1 December 2025 in the journal Children.

The study evaluated the NeuroSense PremmieEd Parenting Educational Programme, a South African-developed intervention designed to help parents better understand the behaviour and developmental needs of their preterm babies. Conducted in two public-sector hospitals in North West, the research explored whether the programme could improve maternal knowledge and reduce parental stress during the infant’s NICU stay.

The study involved 60 mothers of preterm infants, who were divided into three groups: a standard-care group, a group that received an educational booklet, and a group that received both the booklet and a facilitated in-person education session. Mothers completed questionnaires measuring their knowledge of preterm infant behaviour as well as their stress levels before and after participating in the programme.

While overall knowledge gains were modest, the mothers who received both the booklet and the facilitated session showed the greatest improvement. This group also experienced the smallest rise in stress levels – an important finding given that parental stress increased across all groups during the NICU stay.

Prof. Lubbe explains that these outcomes reflect the realities of high-stress NICU environments, particularly in resource-constrained public-sector hospitals. “Parents of preterm infants face emotional, physical and informational challenges. Even small improvements in understanding their infants’ cues can empower parents and foster early bonding,” she says. “Facilitated educational support appears especially valuable in helping mothers feel more confident and less overwhelmed.”

Although the improvements were not statistically significant, the pilot provides encouraging evidence that structured, contextually relevant education – particularly when paired with personal guidance – may help parents engage more effectively in their infant’s care. The study also identified important barriers to participation, such as early discharge, transport difficulties and high parental stress, which will inform refinements to the programme.

Prof. Lubbe emphasises that this pilot marks an important step towards developing scalable, low-resource interventions tailored for public-sector NICUs. “These early findings suggest that with further refinement and broader testing, the NeuroSense PremmieEd programme could contribute meaningfully to supporting parents of preterm infants, improving both caregiving confidence and long-term developmental outcomes,” she says.

Future work will focus on expanding the programme, adapting content for different literacy levels and cultural groups, and examining its potential benefits beyond the NICU stay.

Prof. Welma Lubbe