There are few things as satisfying and heart-warming as cuddling an adorable newborn baby—and if you happen to live in North Carolina a local hospital is in need of your skills in newborn baby cuddling.
As reported by @CNN, Raleigh, North Carolina’s UNC-Rex Birth Center NICU is seeking volunteer cuddlers for the pre-term newborns or those who were born with addiction or other health issues. Cuddlers are a crucial part of the care provided at the hospital because cuddling is vital to helping the newborns overcome the obstacles they’re facing.
Nicole Ross, a registered nurse and the Newborn Screening coordinator at UNC-Rex Birth Center, explained the need for newborn baby cuddlers this way:
“It decreases pain, it decreases the baby’s stress and it helps promote healing. It helps with brain development, and it helps decrease their length of stay.”
Volunteer Kelli Ready stated her pleasure to care for the newborns:
“This is exciting for me, to get to come and snuggle babies. I just feel like I’ve done something great for the babies to hopefully relieve their stress and improve their day.”
Cuddlers have greatly improved the care provided to patients and their families at UNC-Rex, by starting a trial program for volunteer cuddlers a little over a year ago. Based on the program’s success they are looking into expansion. UNC-Rex is not the only hospital in the cuddling business, as several hospitals across the country already have similar programs.
Roommates, would you sign up for some newborn baby cuddling?
