Cuddles needed: UNC-Rex seeks volunteers to snuggle newborn babies
The UNC-Rex Birth Center is looking for volunteers for a rewarding job -- cuddling a newborn baby in their neonatal intensive care unit.
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Most newborn babies enjoy a short hospital stay, but not those in intensive care. Doctors say, when a newborn has to stay in the hospital long-term, the cuddles benefit babies, parents and volunteers.
"A lot of our babies tend to have long periods of stay," said Marie Ambroise Thigpen, a doctor in the UNC-Rex NICU. "If they're born prematurely, they can be here for a couple of months."
"This is exciting for me -- to get to come and snuggle babies," said Ready.
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Experts say snuggling and cuddling is vital in the NICU, which can be a stressful environment for babies.
"It's bright and it's noisy...we have to draw blood from them," Thigpen said.
Research supports cuddling as a remedy. Even baby monitors prove that cuddling lowers newborns' heart rates.
"It decreases pain, it decreases the baby's stress and it helps promote healing," said Nicole Ross, a registered nurse. "It helps with brain development, and it helps decrease their length of stay."
"I just feel like I've done something great for the babies to hopefully relieve their stress and improve their day," Ready said.
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