Many babies are born addicted prescription or illicit drugs their mothers took during pregnancy, which means the first days of life become a battle to stay alive. Addicted newborns might spend weeks, if not months, in the hospital. Some are alone in the fight — their mothers are oftentimes fighting their own demons and are too unwell to care for a baby.
Which means they need CUDDLES. Yes, you heard me right. Cuddles. Due to their addiction, they are going through withdrawl and being held actually has been proven to help - causing them to need less medication and less time in the hospital.
Most local hospitals have volunteer programs — a quick Internet search should tell you everything you need to know and applications are usually available online. There's also always the option of calling the hospital and asking for volunteer services.
Not every hospital has a newborn cuddling program, per se, but there might be other ways to help out in the NICU. Sacred Heart Children's Hospital being one of these places!
Source: Good Housekeeping