NICU Babies’ Moms Get Special Mother’s Day Gift

Moms of a Kansas City hospital’s preemie patients were gifted a special memento in honor of Mother’s Day this week. Photographers teamed up with March of Dimes and Saint Luke’s Hospital to capture precious moments, in a skin-to-skin bonding session.

The Moms, whose babies are patients in Saint Luke’s Hospital’s newborn intensive care unit (NICU), were practicing kangaroo care, which has been known to boost health benefits for both baby and mother. Kangaroo care involves holding a baby against a bare chest. It is recommended by health experts to help improve weight gain, heart stabilization, brain development as well as increase physical and emotional bonding.

 “Mother’s Day — especially a mom’s very first with her new baby — can be hard for many families with children in the NICU,” Stacey D. Stewart, March of Dimes president, said in a release. “Our NICU Family Support program works with Saint Luke’s Hospital and more than 100 other hospitals around the United States to offer the support families need to have the best possible experience when their baby is in the NICU.”

Some of the photographers had also spent time with their own children in the NICU, which made for an even more emotional session. The hospital is also hosting a kangaroo-a-thon from May 9 to 14 to encourage mothers to practice kangaroo care with their babies.

“From providing the chance to build a loving bond by using the sense of touch with kangaroo care, to commemorating milestones like Mother’s Day, the March of Dimes is proud to partner with hospitals like St. Luke’s to give every baby and every family a healthy, loving start,” Stewart said.