Watching your new baby cry or sleep fitfully can be hard in the best of times, and for parents with a baby in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), it can be overwhelming. For infants in the NICU, this is intensified by the immature neurologic status of prematurity, adverse effects of pre-natal drug exposure, and the intensity of medical procedures by soothing babies, but they are often too large for NICU preemies to hold or suck. WubbaNub pacifiers securely hold a preemie-sized pacifier onto a small stuffed animal, and the small stuffed animal, in turn, gives the baby enough leverage to help him/her hold the pacifier in his/her mouth. Thanks to a generous $2,000 grant from The Glaser Foundation, Valley Medical Center is able to provide WubbaNub pacifiers to all appropriate NICU babies enabling restful sleep, soothing babies during medical treatments, helping babies begin to learn to regulate their own neurobehavioral state, and highlighting the love and joy associated with a new baby for all parents.
The Glaser Foundation is a non-profit organization established by Paul F. Glaser in 1952. Since its inception, the Foundation has contributed to programs providing services to children, the elderly, the disabled, and to agencies involved in education, community services, medical services, medical research and the arts in King County and the immediately adjoining area.
I love it. This is a great service to our babies and their parents.
Hello! I wanna ask if there’s a volunteer spot at Valley to hold babies? My son was once a patient there for 2’month and I know how important it is to be there for them just to carry them or cuddle them.
Hi Pia,
We do not have a volunteer position to cuddle with babies, but there are many other positions. More information on our volunteer program can be found here: http://www.valleymed.org/volunteer/
Thanks,
Tara, Valley Marketing & Community Outreach