>The reason that premies need extra sleep in US NICU's is because of all
>the stress they are bombarded with.  Premies disorganize much more
>quickly than older babies, and do need special handling.  However,
>places where kangaroo care is constant find that the premies wake more
>frequently, and breastfeed much earlier.

Having had two of my kids in NICUs it was painful for me to
watch the lights, hear the beeps and alarms, and even imagine
what all those heel sticks, and rather ungentle handling are
like for these sensitive, vulnerable babies. We did a lot of
kangaroo care for our kids (for my first NICU baby, 12 years
ago, it was before we had a name for it, it just seemed the
natural thing to do.) By our last child, now 6, we had a name
for it and had read the literature, but sitting there in the
NICU  as the parent, not the professional, it still just felt
like the natural thing to do.

to all of us who work to educate and empower parents and
to educate HCPs, hang in there. We do have an impact, one
baby, parent, HCP at a time. Sometimes we influence people
in the most unexpected ways.

  Naomi Bar-Yam

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