We know that babies who are born premature are at greater risk of neglect simply because they have greater needs—more irregular sleep patterns, more frequent feedings—and that those needs can be enough to overstress an exhausted new parent. But if an infant doesn’t have a caregiver’s reciprocal eye contact, stimulating facial expressions, snuggles, and kisses, hormonal and neurologic damage can occur, and that can prevent a child from growing and developing normally. When a baby is not being cared for, she doesn’t grow well, even if she has enough nutrition.
