What a great idea for your blog !  You know how into cuddling your nephews are!  Particularly in the middle of the night for the bigger one who still wakes up and tells us that he needs a parent in his bed.  Hope you are surviving without Ad!

When my 6 week old son was in the ICU with pneumonia, all we could do to help him was to hold him (couldn’t even nurse at that point), so that’s what we did, as much as possible.  I’m glad to hear programs like this exist.  How beautiful!

I wish the NICU my son was in had this program. Even the babies with loving families spent a LOT of time in their warmers/incubators. Many families just don’t have the ability to spend days, weeks or even months sitting in the NICU with their baby for hours a day. There are other children to take care of at home and jobs to go to. I stayed with my son for 7 days, 4 of those I couldn’t hold him, I just sat there and watched him and held his hand. When he was asleep and I watched the nurses run from baby to baby doing their cares and charting and maybe, for a minute being able to just hold and talk to them. My arms and heart ACHED to hold those lonely little ones. So many were ‘feeder/growers’, preemies who had overcome the big obstacles and were just working on gaining weight. It would have been so easy to find volunteers to hold and talk to those healthy, but small, babies.
This article is making me think about writing my son’s neonatalogist and asking her about a ‘cuddler’ program in the NICU for selected babies. They do it in the well-baby nursery but not for the babies that really NEED it.

PS. I realize there would be some work involved. Clearing volunteers medically and getting consent form parents before allowing non-relatives access to neonates.

I did this in college!  Thanks for reminding me, I had completely forgotten about it!  I had such a desire to hold babies (couldn’t wait to start a family of my own) so signed up for this.  It was wonderful.  Such a great idea.  Glad it’s still being done in this day and age with so many limitations and restrictions….

This is something i would LOVE to do!

Fourteen years ago we watched many a “cuddler” in the NICU in our hometown.  We were lucky enough to spend LOTS of time with or preemie twins and had Grandma there to help, too.  We saw many preemies whose parents couldn’t come lay for hours, without being cuddled.  This is a great thing for all involved!

I have always wanted to do this.  Having a niece that was born at 1lb 1oz and live to this day is a nine year old I know the good it does.  I watched also the nurses in the hospital.  They were so great and loveing.  Maybe this is just the push I need.  I do still have a 3yo but I also grew my own childcare!!

I am a retired nurse and Grandmother to 5 grand daughters. Rocking, holding and cuddling has been my forte.  My youngest is now 11 and the oldest is in college and not ready for my great grandkids yet!  LOL! I live NW of Chicago and was surprised to see the article came from a Chicago paper.  I just recently volunteered to be a “cuddler” but was told that the hospital (a very large Medical Center in Illinois) didn’t accept volunteers for that purpose due to legalities!  I’m not physically capable of doing much else but I sure know how to cuddle, rock and love babies.  Wish I knew some way around that rule.

Really liked this post.  Would love to know more about how to get involved.  My hubby and I have tried to have our own baby for years but with no luck.  We are now looking at adopting.  This would be a great thing for me…I love holding babies!

I think Baby cuddlers is something wonderful!  I would love to volunteer for this but all the hospitals in my area do not do the baby cuddlers.  I live in the Northwest Suburbs of Chicago.  Can anyone fill me in as to where I can volunteer?