NICU Family Experience

2014 - present

 

Our initiative for 2014 was to improve the comfort of parents at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital NICU while providing skin-to-skin holding (Kangaroo Care) to their newborns. Kangaroo Care is a caregiving technique used by parents that is proven to improve not only the health of the baby, but also the emotional health of the parent. The Foundation purchased items such as wraps to secure the infant to the parent, educational DVDs for families and nurses explaining the benefits and proper techniques for Kangaroo Care, and four comfortable recliners for the unit in hopes of encouraging more parents to choose Kangaroo Care when visiting their baby.  These recliners are particularly friendly for the NICU environment.  They slide easily into various seating positions to allow engagement with the babies and their multi-directional wheels facilitate unemcumbered sharing and movement through a usually crowded unit.