Sault Area Hospital recruiting baby ‘cuddlers’

Sault Area Hospital is training volunteers for its neonatal intensive care cuddler program.

The initiative pairs babies requiring specialized care with volunteers who will cuddle and spend time with them while they receive treatment.

Parents who may be receiving medical care themselves, or those with large families who cannot be with their newborn as often as they’d like, can opt to have a volunteer cuddle their baby when they can’t.

"They will cuddle the babies, they will possibly read to the babies, they will console the babies, as well,” said Monique Kevill, patient care manager of women & children’s health at the hospital.

“The program is voluntary, so the parents they will opt in, but if they don't want to have someone cuddle their baby, they don't have to."

Kevill said the program is particularly useful in situations where substance use disorder is involved.

“Sometimes with substance use disorders, where babies are born to parents with substance use disorders, we have a program called ‘eat, sleep and console,’ and we try to do the eat, sleep and console before we try and use narcotics for any kind of withdrawals the babies may be having,” she said.

Karen Guzzo, director of women & children’s health, said similar programs can be found at hospitals across Ontario.

"It was an idea that the manager from women and children's health decided that it would be beneficial in our area and it would help with some of our babies who are struggling,” said Guzzo.

Sault Area Hospital has received around 50 applications from those wanting to volunteer as a cuddler.

As of now, 38 volunteers moving through the orientation process.