Babywearing NICU Nurses Show Preemie Babies Extra Love While Their Families Are Away

Giving birth to a baby on the NICU can be difficult. The hardest thing is that parents are not in hospital with their child. Newborns, like premature babies, need a lot of cuddling time. Many parents cannot be in intensive care every minute of the day. This is why BES has taken a viral photo of a nurse in Germany cuddling a premature baby wearing baby clothes.

Nurses in Germany are praised by the world for overshooting the goal of making premature babies at the NICU feel loved and cared for. Photos have circulated around the world showing nurses in Germany carrying out their daily tasks while carrying baby carriers so tiny babies can cuddle. Parents of children at the hospital have flooded the comment section to express their gratitude for the nurse’s love and support. “My biggest stress and worry is that my is baby in hospital,” one commented.

“He was born at 32 weeks,” she said. “And I can’t tell you how many times I’ve told my husband that one of us needs to know that he needs to be cuddled and touched. NICU nurses are amazing human.”

“He’s been here for a very long two months. They gave him a lot of love. I am grateful to them for that.” This is a common feeling among parents who are grateful to the NICU nurses who have been there for their babies for a long time.

Babywearing, also known as kangaroo care, is not a new concept. Prior to the invention of the stroller, women carried their children in this way for centuries. Babywear has advantages similar to skin contact. “The caregiver can be seen, heard, smelled, touched, tasted, provide feeding and the motion necessary for continuing neural development, gastrointestinal and respiratory health, and to establish balance (inner ear development) and muscle tone is constant,” said pediatrician Dr. William Sears. Despite the benefits, many hospitals do not use baby clothes as a care product. Nurses say they are understaffed and that carrying a baby slows them down. Babies are not transported in this way because they are at higher risk and require constant monitoring and special equipment. The hope is that parents will at least learn more about the benefits of baby clothes, and if they do, they can bring their precious premature babies home and make up for lost time. But the benefits are more than just cuddling a premature baby.

You will be glad to know that your baby will get an extra cuddle from its nurse, even if you are not there.