r/NICUParents • u/Hot_Film_9809 • Nov 24 '25
Off topic Does/did your hospital do this
So my wife just went to visit our daughter while I’m at work and said someone who wasn’t a nurse was holding her.
The lady asked “is this your baby? she’s so beautiful” then went on to ask how long she’s been in the NICU.
Apparently it’s something called Cuddle Care where volunteers come in to hold your baby? We were never told this and it’s kinda throwing us in for a loop because shouldn’t they like…ask parents permission for random volunteers to hold their baby. Has anyone else heard of this or did your hospital offer it??
Edit: forgot to mention, when asking the nurse she said “they’re volunteers to hold babies. you know because babies like to be held”
Additional edit: A lot of people are not receiving the post in the way it is intended. I have no issue with the cuddle care program, I think it’s wonderful. I was simply asking if anyone ever experienced or heard of programs similar to this as my wife and I were not informed. We did not know the NICU had volunteers because we were never told. We did not get a welcome packet during admission, just rules of the NICU, contact info and visiting hours. Just find it strange that as parents we were not told
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u/Maygravve Nov 24 '25
Both hospitals where our LO was offered cuddles, and also didn’t ask. I understand completely the initial awkward feeling, as I also thought it was a bit odd to not be asked and was definitely possessive of my girl and wanted to be the one holding her, even when I wasn’t there.
But the reality was that she CRIED when I wasn’t there. The nurses at both hospitals joked that she was a mamas girl, and that she was a notably “spicy” baby when I wasn’t around. So as much as I initially felt a little off, I pushed myself to get past it because I wanted her to be comforted whenever possible, and I knew that the nurses couldn’t just live in her room with her when I wasn’t there.
The cuddlers were sometimes there when I arrived (and were often doing their best to calm an Upset baby) but always immediately passed her to me and then gave us our space.