Job advert for volunteer to cuddle babies in NICU

[columbosscruffycoat]

My local health authority has just advertised for volunteers to go and work in the nicu cuddling babies. It’s not a joke, it’s a genuine advert. I can’t imagine any parent would want some random person cuddling their poorly baby. I can’t believe the nhs has come to this. Just wondered what people think about this and whether it’s happening anywhere else in the uk. I’m in the northwest uk.

Link to ad?

It's my local health trust too.

I think the idea is that it's for when parents can't be at the NICU themselves. I had a look at the ad and it's only one small part of the voluntary role.

It I had taken one premature twin home, or if I was home with a disabled sibling, I would be so pleased someone gave their time to cuddle my baby.

I would too. I am sure they will be very carefully supervised

https://www.lep.co.uk/news/cutest-job-in-the-world-baby-cuddlers-wanted-at-lancashire-teaching-hospitals-neonatal-unit-4769810

Our daughter essentially spent the first four weeks of her life alone in the NICU, volunteers are vital so young babies can have more than just their immediate medical needs met.

So if you were bed bound you would genuinely be happier for your baby to be alone, than being held and comforted by someone?

They’ve closed the advert so there’s nothing to link but there’s several links there. Just Google it. Here’s the info on glassdoor. There’s was also an article on Lancs evening post but it’s behind a paywall. I’ll try and link it.

https://www.glassdoor.co.uk/job-listing/volunteer-baby-cuddler-lancashire-teaching-hospitals-nhs-foundation-trust-JV_IC3527416_KO0,22_KE23,73.htm?jl=1009432353682

Great Ormond Street has been doing it for years. Human touch is essential for babies development, some babies don't have their own parents to be able to hold them due to being unwell themselves. Skin to skin contact for babies has been proven beneficial too.

Animal shelters operate socialisation volunteers, human interaction is important.

Sign me up!

It’s not a new thing. The babies need to be held and parents can’t be there 24/7.

This is not a service for babies whose parents are visiting them every day.

I spent hours in NICU cuddling a baby boy who was born addicted to drugs and whose only comfort was being tightly swaddled and rocked while he was wracked with pain.

Both my kids spent time in NICU when they were born. Even back then there were volunteers who came in to hold the babies. Not the very very sick ones. But the ones in lower dependency. They were lovely and the parents and nurses massively appreciated them. Nurses don’t have time to cuddle the babies

Babies who are withdrawing from drugs need to be held and cuddled as they’re in so much discomfort but often their parents aren’t allowed to be on the ward unsupervised due to said drug use

It's so essential, and there may not always be parents able to be there around the clock.

I found a study on orphanages fascinating...the more crowded orphanages had 2 babies per cot, and these babies did much better as they had more human contact, even if it was from another baby and not a care giver.
The babies that got a cot each, with one staff member looking after far too many babies with no cuddle time, missed out on crucial development.

We are mammals, we all need touch.

I read a story about this recently. At the hospital I read about, volunteers are heavily vetted and tend to be retired women with grown up children of their own. The babies who need cuddling often have siblings at home which mean the parents can’t be there full time, and evidence suggests it’s really good for the babies to be held as much as possible. I thought it sounded lovely 🤷‍♀️

Key Responsibilities include cradling, rocking, and soothing babies, supporting parents and caregivers, offering a friendly chat, assisting with light housekeeping tasks on the ward and running errands for staff or parents as needed

I don't see what's really wrong with any of that? It sounds like they will be a good support to parents.

@MeowCatPleaseMeowBack thats heartbreaking

I would be very happy for my baby to be cuddled if I couldn't be there to do so. Babies need touch as much as possible when they're little and poorly.

Nah there are too many weirdos in the world, I wouldn't feel comfortable with this, even if they were supervised. I will admit I was funny with anyone holding my own children when they were newborns though who so I may just be a small minority. I'm sure there would be genuinely lovely people and of course nurses, doctors etc are people too and I didn't have a problem with them, so I suppose it's contradictory, I don't know I just wouldn't feel comfortable having people apply from an advertisement and come hold tiny vulnerable newborns. Maybe I'm being close minded.

Gosh, I'll be thinking about that overnight @MeowCatPleaseMeowBack . Thank you for doing that.

I was rushed to hospital from the children's hospital when my son was there. All I cared about was that there would be someone with him to mother him. Luckily my sister could dash there through the night but not everyone has someone who can do that. It's not hard to imagine some of the reasons babies in NICU may need more cuddles.

Human contact (esp skin to skin, but I suspect this won’t be expected for volunteers) really helps babies esp premature babies in scbu or nicu to regulate their temperature and maintain their heartbeat and breathing rate. It’s much better whenever possible for scbu babies to be held rather than in incubators. And ofc, many parents of scbu babies have older siblings or multiples (twins/multiples tend to be prem) - it’s an exhausting time so anything that can support parents has to be a good thing.

I think it's incredibly caring and a lovely thing to help with. Parents can't be in the NICU 24hrs a day and babies need to be held and have some human comfort.

Ahhhh. Maybe I answered too soon, I guess this does sound like a very positive thing.

Can't they find any family or friends to do it?