There may be many difficult times that we face in life but as a parent, one of the more difficult things we may have to deal with is having a premature child. Medical science has come light-years from where it was at one time, but it still can be difficult and can even be touch and go at times. There are a number of things that can be done in order to help protect the life of the child and to make sure that things go as good as they can. We often think about what medical science can do, but there is something parents can do as well.
One of the most important things for a parent to do when the child is first born is to experience skin to skin contact with them. It has been done for years but recently, there has been a lot of talk about just how good it is to experience this. When a baby is premature, it is just as important but if it is a multiple birth, it can be difficult to care for all of it on your own. That is where this story comes in, about a young boy who was helping his dad give the skin to skin care that his newborn twin siblings needed.
After the picture was posted on NINO’s Facebook page, thousands of people began sharing it and commenting on just how precious it was. The Facebook page talks about how this practice is nothing new, but the way that it was done in this family is something special.
One woman wrote, “I love this pic that big bro is involved of the care of the twins. Big bro won’t feel left out but an actual part to help his parents and siblings.”
“Other kids might feel left out and helpless when they can’t be part of this. So my hat off to the hospital and to big bro.”
Someone else who had a lot to say on the Facebook page about skin to skin contact was Swedish Professor Uwe Ewald. He said: “The parent’s chest regulates the temperature better than an incubator. Skin to skin contact helps the baby to breathe better. The child becomes more calm and gains weight faster.”
In the end, every parent must make a decision as to what is best for their child. You can’t deny, however, that this type of physical contact is something that can benefit both the parents and the newborn baby.
