You Can Volunteer To Cuddle Drug-Addicted Babies To Help Them Recover

Jul 30, 2018

If you've ever dreamed about making an impact through volunteering, this may be just the opportunity you've been hoping to find. It takes no special skill, just a heart full of love and compassion. You can become a lifeline to some precious infants whose lives are on the line all across the nation.

Drug-addicted babies are born each and every day. Through no fault of their own, these special little ones with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) come into the world with unique needs. One of those needs is a strong desire to be held and cuddled as they deal with the extremely difficult symptoms of drug withdrawal.

That's where hospital volunteer heroes come into the picture.

The CDC reports a staggering 383 percent increase in cases of NAS in the last couple of decades. As the incidence has risen, the need for willing volunteer cuddlers has increased as well.

Rising to the challenge, compassionate groups of cuddling volunteers have been gathering in hospitals nationwide. They come alongside the overwhelmed nursing staff to help give these infants a chance at survival and a decent quality of life.

Jane Cavanaugh, a nurse from Pennsylvania, felt the need to start a volunteer program to help babies born addicted to drugs. She established just such a group at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. Cavanaugh explained to media outlets that these babies need longer than average cuddling and attention to make it safely through the withdrawal process.

Leaders of other cuddle volunteer programs concur. Increased amounts of human touch can allow these babies to come out of withdrawal more quickly without needing as much medication. Rather than inconsolable and agitated the drug-addicted babies who are part of cuddle programs tend to be calmer than those who don't have this benefit.

It's even been shown to make their after-birth hospital stays shorter.

If you want a chance to help these struggling infants feel more secure, there may be a cuddle program at a hospital near you. Many states have established them. You an do a quick online search to find the cuddle program nearest you and find out how you can volunteer to make a difference in the lives of some of society's most vulnerable members. Cuddling is essential for the proper physical and psychological development of all babies.

Skin-to-skin contact is part of the natural bond between humans and their offspring. Unfortunately, when a parent is unable to provide for this basic human need, a newborn child can suffer. This natural need is heightened for drug-addicted infants.

Both men and women have stepped up to the plate when it comes to being volunteer cuddlers. An Atlanta hospital even has one volunteer affectionately known as the "ICU Grandpa." He loves stepping in to help parents and staff keep newborns comfortable. These caring individuals truly deserve our deepest respect and admiration! Their selfless actions can give babies born with extra challenges hope for the future.

Are you interested in becoming a volunteer cuddler? If this article has inspired you to show love and compassion to others, pass it along to help raise awareness of this tremendous volunteering opportunity.