Abstract
This study examined interactions between 20 mothers and their low birthweight infants, as observed in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), and focused on how mothers held their babies and the infants' actions. The mothers and babies had experienced separation by the use of incubators. Holding was a very important modality of interaction between mothers and infants who had experienced separation. The rate of holding was compared between the time immediately after reintegration and immediately before leaving the hospital. During the former period, the rate of horizontal holding was highest, but at the latter point in time the rate of face-to-face holding was highest. This trend suggested a process by which types of holding continued to increase. In addition, frequencies of infant actions increased between the former and latter periods. This indicated a close connection between the process in which mothers add horizontal holding to face-to-face holding, and increased in frequency of infant activities. In consideration of this association, events which occurred before and after holding were used to infer meaning from context. Horizontal holding and face-to-face holding therefore appeared to have different functions.
