Nicu cuddlers program

The task can also be emotionally demanding, says Pavis. Cuddlers free up nurses to do the more formal patient care aspects of their job.

One benefit for Pavis is that it helps set an example for her children. I could be 89 and holding a little one. Jeff Meade, managing editor of Perspectives, is a healthcare journalist with more than 30 years of experience in newspapers, national magazines, cable broadcast, health philanthropy and the Web.

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Click here for instructions on how to enable JavaScript in your browser. Filter your search by Category : Tag : Date. Jeff Meade Jeff Meade, managing editor of Perspectives, is a healthcare journalist with more than 30 years of experience in newspapers, national magazines, cable broadcast, health philanthropy and the Web. Advanced Search. Skip Nav Destination Article Navigation.

Close mobile search navigation Article navigation. Previous Article Next Article. Article Navigation. Section on Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine August 01 This Site. Google Scholar. Get Permissions. Cite Icon Cite. Table 1. When prompted by stimulus, sensory receptor cells send signals via a sensory nerve to the spinal cord, where more sensory neurons process the signals before relaying them to the brain.

And without positive touch while in the NICU, premature babies exhibited even more severely decreased brain activity when presented with neutral stimuli. A lack of proper somatosensory system function can worsen existing problems, particularly for premature babies. Early sensory processing allows the infant to learn from experiences such as touch, which forms the foundation for building perceptual and cognitive abilities.

The somatosensory system is one of the first to begin developing, and it mediates both social and biological interactions with the mother. Frequent medical procedures can interfere with this mediation.

These volunteers hold and rock the babies, and sing, read, and hum to them. Beyond obtaining hospital-required background clearances and vaccinations, cuddlers must be visibly compassionate, soft-spoken, and hardworking during interviews and training, and they also need to be prepared for the heartaches that occur in the NICU. Upon acceptance to the program, cuddlers learn about brain development, anatomy, infant development, and baby-holding techniques ranging from typical holding and rocking to a method called containment, during which cuddlers gently place a hand on a baby receiving a painful or routine medical procedure.

Parents, so far, have been pleased too, particularly those whose circumstances make it harder to return to the hospital every day, such as those without consistent transportation or single mothers, Steinberger adds.