Such human contact can come in many forms such as holding or rocking, infant massage, skin-to skin or kangaroo care and facilitated tucking but most importantly, all these forms of touch have many benefits for a baby.
I’ve mentioned the No Baby Unhugged program from Huggies a few times now since first seeing the touching commercial (insert link to commercial) and learning more about the initiative. However, I haven’t held a baby in a while and baby boy being due only in December, I don’t think you have to have children or held a baby lately to talk and understand about how hugs and basic human touch are essential and beneficial for babies. That was, until I started doing some research and actually talking about this concept with mothers around me.
Many mothers around me have had premees. My stepsister is even a premee, born at 26 weeks, and weighing a little over a pound. While talking to these mothers and fathers having gone through a premature birth, the one thing they all have in common is not having been able to hold their new-born child before days or even weeks. Having to see them through an incubator glass, struggle for their lives, but get better and stronger day after day until they could finally hold and caress them. However, a research I’ve found, though it’s from 2012, points out that 15 million babies were born prematurely that year and that kangaroo care alone could save 450,000 lives.
Kangaroo or skin-to-skin consists of holding a baby, clad only in a diaper, against your bare chest. This can be done by the mother, father or even family members or volunteers. The skin to skin contact is what provides the healthy benefits to the child. This is not only important and essential during the first hours following a birth but for the days and weeks following as well. This type of contact not only helps to soothe a baby but can help boost its immune system as well as improve oxygen levels.
Many hospitals across Canada have volunteer programs that focus solely on providing hugs to babies. Shouldn’t this open our eyes to the importance of hugs? With its No Baby Unhugged Program, Huggies is helping fund and also inform mothers, family and hospitals about the importance of human contact. I think this is an initiative that should be supported by all because there is no downside to hugging a newborn baby and most of all, some parents don’t get to have that chance with their own right after birth because of health complications. I’m certainly hoping on this, no matter the outcome of the birth of my son, please just let me hold him as soon as he enters this world. What is your birth story? Did you get to hold your child?
