Years ago a nurse and I encouraged a mom in our NICU to hold her tiny son skin to skin that day.
She hesitantly repeated, “Today?”
We nodded.
She turned to me and said, “Whenever we do that today, will you bring me a box of tissues? Because this will be the first time I’ll really feel like his mother.”
I brought the tissues. Tears streamed down her face (and over her smile) the whole time she held him. He nestled in and slept soundly – the kind of sleep that happens best while skin-to-skin.
Helping this mom and her baby only took 20 minutes of our time. 20 minutes.
I walked away wondering how many times we forget (in our haste) to encourage such simple and powerful experiences.
She taught me something that day. And I wanted to share it with you – to remind myself and to remind us all. (I saw her years later while shopping at a nearby mall. She brought up that moment as a pivotal one for her, and a turning point, medically speaking, for her son.)
We walk past families sitting at bedsides all day long.
Today, intentionally look for a moment to help them parent their babies. As you well know, this will not only make their day, it will make yours.
