How to help
your NICU baby

Maybe you're one of those 30 parents that googled “Do NICU babies know their mom” this month, because you worry about bonding with your NICU baby. Or perhaps you searched for more information, because you want to know how you can improve the health of your baby now he or she receives intensive care.

Laying skin-to-skin with mothers (often called Kangaroo Mother Care) as well as with fathers several times per day improves the physical health of NICU babies. Several scientific studies have proven the benefits of skin-to-skin in the NICU. Because of skin-to-skin in the NICU, preemies and low-birth-weight babies have better chances to survive, and heal and grow faster^CONY.

In this skin-to-skin position, you basically serve as a human incubator - a better one. Your chest can decrease or increase their temperature when the baby feels hot or cold^CC and because your baby can hear your heartbeat and sense your breathing, their heart rate and breathing stabilizes. They relax and process more oxygen. They are literally able to catch their breath^NY. Often, they are so relaxed that they fall asleep on the parent’s chest, thereby conserving calories^HALU. And through increased skin-to-skin contact, breastfeeding will be easier established and prolonged^NY. A calm baby can find the nipple more easily and keep on drinking mother milk, which is the best source of energy for your baby.

Laying skin-to-skin in the NICU is also the best way to form an emotional bond with your baby in in the NICU^FLNY.Your body will produce big amounts of oxytocin. This is also called the cuddle hormone or love hormone. It makes you less stressed, happier and more loving. This oxytocin also reduces the chance of developing a postpartum depression^FLNY.

ECG adhesive wires can be a bit of a problem during NICU skin-to-skin moments. Stress about getting caught in the wires or pulling a wire should not stand in the way of relaxed NICU skin-to-skin moments. That’s why you should ask your nurse to use the wireless Bambi Belt for monitoring your NICU baby’s vital signs.

The other most important advice we can give to parents of a NICU baby such as yours is: “Don’t be a bystander!”. Hospitals that practice “Family Integrated Care” require parents to be present in the NICU for a minimum of hours and to care for their baby^FR. NICU nurses encourage, support and teach parents to feed, change diapers, bath, and provide oral medications^MC. This FICare approach leads to healthier babies. They grow faster^CHFROB, have less stress^CHFR and receive less antibiotic treatments^MC. Their mental and psychomotor development is better^FROB. Their NICU stay and hospital stay are shorter^MCPT and they are less likely to be readmitted^CHPT. So, by taking over tasks in the NICU, your baby will be able to go home with you earlier.

When you as a parent are able to take over all care tasks in the NICU (with the exception of ventilation, adjustment of monitor settings, and administration of IV fluids and IV medications), you feel more confident and less stressed^PACH. Mothers are more able to breastfeed and for a longer period^FRCHMC. In addition, the hospital staff gains more trust in you as primary caregiver, which results in earlier discharge^NY.

The Bambi Belt may help to simplify Family Integrated Care by eliminating wired vital signs monitoring.
We forsee that parents are less afraid to pick up their loved one. They’re more able to take care of their newborn baby and more easily hold them skin-to-skin. Staff get to safely monitor babies without being afraid of harming babies’ skin. In these ways, the Bambi Belt may reduce stress in babies, parents and staff and improves the parent-child bonding.