The “Baby Hugs” Volunteer Club
The baby hugger club was created especially to help babies of women who are victims of addiction. These women need to recover from their situation after giving birth. Likewise, babies born to women with this condition suffer terrible birth traumas. The benefits of skin-to-skin contact are well known. However, not all babies can enjoy their mother’s embrace at birth. Sometimes it happens due to force majeure in which maternal death occurs or there is some other impediment. It can happen that babies are abandoned in hospitals or shelters.
As is to be expected, only mothers are willing to keep their children in their arms for a long time. However, in the United States, a club of volunteers who volunteer as baby huggers has been created. It is a group of people who recognize the importance of personal warmth in the lives of newborns. Therefore, they organized themselves to offer the affection that these little ones so much need.
Needs of babies of addicted mothers
Skin-to-skin contact is the main need for any newborn. But in the case of children of addicted mothers it is even more important. These children come into the world under very difficult conditions. Furthermore, their mothers are not able to take care of them as they deserve.
The main consequence for these little ones is what experts call neonatal abstinence. This is because, during pregnancy, these babies were given harmful substances daily. Therefore, they developed adverse effects as a result of withdrawal.
In the United States, the number of babies who suffer from neonatal abstinence is about 20 per thousand born. Generally, both parents suffer from some chemical dependency and, therefore, the little ones are already exposed to a family with many problems. For this reason, many of them are not received with all the love they deserve.
The symptoms presented in babies with this condition are as follows:
- uncontrollable crying
- Convulsion
- vomiting
- Irritability
- tremors
- accelerated breathing
This crisis that occurs due to neonatal abstinence can be treated in several ways. However, the most efficient procedure is affection. These children need affection and hugs more than any other child. But it is not always possible to find a person available.
Hug Promoters
Mary Ann Malloy, chief of nursing at the Einstein Medical Center’s ICU in Philadelphia, says the best medicine for children of addicted mothers is skin-to-skin contact. In this unit, then, a volunteer club was created to hug babies with these needs.
The idea was promoted because the medical team is convinced that this kind of affection helps these children to recover. Babies get better because they feel safe and loved in the lap of their volunteer caregivers.
In cases where mothers simply cannot hold their children, these volunteers do a truly noble job. Since the project began to be implemented, the pharmacological care for these babies has been reduced. Time in intensive care after birth also decreased.
Who are baby huggers?
It’s been a while since the hospital’s medical staff promoted this type of activity. As we know, not all health professionals have the time to dedicate themselves to hugging newborns who need this affection. Therefore, the idea of training volunteers to carry out this work was encouraged.
Program participants are trained through four-hour courses. Training is important in these cases because the care these babies need is special.
Once trained, volunteer baby huggers can take three-hour shifts. We must emphasize that this work always takes place under supervision and in the presence of the medical team.
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