It is a sad reality that the more advanced technology becomes, the more disconnected we seem to become from one another. The most disheartening thing I have read about lately has been something called “Cuddle Therapy,” where people hire someone to hold them. Very sad that this is even a thing.
What is also a thing, and much more worthy in my mind: volunteering to hold premature or sick babies who receive extended care in neonatal intensive care units (NICU). For newborn babies, especially premature babies, human touch is critical in their ability to further develop, grow, and thrive. Dependent upon the community, there are not enough neonatal nurses to go around for these babies, especially if the parents live hours away (think rural areas), or is too ill to care for them. Sometimes, the child is a foster or has been abandoned.
In Idaho Falls, ID, a member of the community answered that need for cuddling for these little ones; a man named Larry does just that. He spends his Saturdays holding NICU babies at Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center (EIRMC). He’s been doing it for a number of years, so by all indications he receives way more than the time and affection he gives.
The power of human touch, is the subject of this week’s Feel-Good Friday.
Thanks to Nate Eaton, editor-in-chief of East Idaho News, for this story.
One scientific publication points to the fact that touch is our very first human experience.
Touch is our first connection to the world, and long before we can interpret voices or facial expressions, our skin speaks the language of comfort, fear, hunger, calm. It is through touch that we first learn whether the world is warm or cold, safe or threatening, loving or absent. […]
Touch calms the brain, not as a metaphor, but as a measurable, observable fact. And in a world that is growing more digital, more isolated, and more skin-starved by the day, this truth matters more than ever.
For babies, this is even more pronounced. According to Stanford Medicine’s Children’s Health site, “kangaroo care” which involves skin-to-skin contact with the preemies, helps to calm babies’ developing nervous system, making them relaxed and content. But medically, it also does wonders, such as higher blood oxygen levels, stabilizing the lungs and the heart, improved sleep, and weight gain. Skin-to-skin contact also increases levels of oxytocin, the bonding and love hormone that drives our ability to connect with other humans.
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When Eaton interviewed Larry in the below video, and asked what he did for the NICU, Larry said, “I cuddle babies. And the NICU babies are just the best babies in the whole world.”
Larry has been doing this for EIRMC for over 15 years (possibly up to 17 years, he said). He told Eaton he had never married and had no children of his own, but wanted to pour love and nurture into other humans. Larry said that since the age of 11, he had done this type of kangaroo care with his nieces and nephews, and they maintained a close bond. Larry affirmed, “We all need to be cuddled, every one of us! It’s really a great opportunity to serve. If you have some love to give, why not give it?” He went on:
I just come and cuddle them. When the program first started, if you look at the cuddling procedure… the cuddling process, babies who are cuddled will eat better, they’ll grow faster, they’ll breathe better, they’ll adjust to life better than people.. than babies who are not cuddled.
Eaton presented Larry with movie gift cards as thanks for Larry’s contribution to the babies, and the life of the Idaho Falls community.
WATCH:
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Most hospitals have a volunteer portal where people can apply to hold babies. If you’re looking for a low-stress but high reward volunteer opportunity, this could be it.
And give more hugs: you never know when someone may need that human touch.
Editor’s Note: At RedState, it’s not all about politics and policy. We like to bring attention to what’s good in the world, with columns like “Feel-Good Friday,” “Start Your Weekend Right,” and “Hoge’s Heroes.”
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