{"id":176166,"date":"2017-12-16T10:01:22","date_gmt":"2017-12-16T15:01:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=176166"},"modified":"2017-12-13T00:05:27","modified_gmt":"2017-12-13T05:05:27","slug":"nicu-help-premature-babies-holding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/nicu-help-premature-babies-holding\/","title":{"rendered":"These unsung heroes of the NICU help premature babies just by holding them"},"content":{"rendered":"
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“Baby cuddlers” comfort tiny, often premature babies at various neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) across the country. Their unique calling has been the focus of many news reports, because, to many parents and hospital staffers, these volunteers are heroes. Here, Live Action News will highlight several of these volunteers, who are actually helping babies to lead healthier and better lives.<\/p>\n

Carol Sharp<\/strong><\/p>\n

Carol Sharp has been cuddling babies for ten years. When WKRG<\/a> caught up with her, she was cuddling babies born to mothers addicted to opioids at\u00a0USA Children\u2019s and Women\u2019s Hospital.<\/p>\n

She told the reporter that her babies like to be held tight, but that she sometimes feels helpless, because “you can’t do enough for them.”\u00a0Tragically, these babies suffer the effects of withdrawal right after birth, including crying continuously, sweating, and tremors.<\/p>\n

These babies need a lot of specialized care, and volunteers like Sharp are often called upon to show up in the middle of the night to comfort them.\u00a0But as the reporter in the video states, “It’s a cuddler’s loving embrace that is the best medicine for these troubled babies.”<\/p>\n