"When I do interact with the parents, I can say, 'My boy was here, and he's the tallest guy in the family now, and it turns out fine,'" Christou said. Parents like Christou can also offer insight and empathy. So I thought, 'Oh, here, it's a baby fix for me and a service for the babies.'" You want to be both places at the same time. I need another baby to cuddle.' I can still remember what it was like to have him here and a toddler at home. "When he was about 10, I heard about the program and said, 'I want to go. "My second son was a NICU patient," Christou said. Using their experiences and cuddling skills, they’re able to provide parents with a sense of relief and security. Part of what makes the cuddler program at Rush special is that many of the volunteers are parents who have had kids in the NICU themselves. We're good.' So we both kind of calmed down, and then it was back to just snuggling." "I sat down with this little guy, and he starts up and I'm like, 'Oh, my gosh. “I was nervous coming back after the pandemic," said Thea Christou, a volunteer cuddler. "We brought back our eight core cuddlers - the ones who have been here 25, 30 years - and then slowly added on our student cuddlers," Fredericks said. The Chicago couple said reading books helped them bond with their son who was in the NICU for the first five months of his life. Like many hospitals around the country, Rush temporarily suspended its cuddler program during the COVID-19 pandemic. It resumed after health officials signaled it was safe. That really does stimulate parts of the brain. "'How are you today? What would you like to have for breakfast?' Just kind of ask them questions in a joyful tone. "We had a brilliant psychologist here who talked about how to talk to babies, that you should ask them questions," Fredericks said. But we want to lessen that by letting them know that we have someone that has trained, is educated, is screened."Īfter undergoing extensive training, these volunteer cuddlers step in to hold, rock, sing, read and just talk to the little ones - interactions that studies show help reduce infant stress, pain, and aid in improving their overall physical health. "The whole idea of families can't be here all the time, and we understand that, and we know they feel terrible when they can't be here all the time. "We saw a need: the fact that we could not expect families to be here all the time, and the babies had needs 24/7," said Judy Fredericks, NICU cuddler program coordinator and wellness liaison for the Rush Center For Clinical Wellness. When families are away from the hospital's neonatal intensive care unit, or NICU, volunteers comfort infants by giving them a good cuddle. She maintains a large garden on her property which she opens annually to visitors.When it comes to infants, many claim to be baby whisperers, but only a few truly have the magic touch.įor over 35 years, Rush University Medical Center in Chicago has been helping infant patients and their families through a volunteer cuddler program. In addition to volunteering at Rush, Vivian’s other passion is flower gardening. She has two children, five grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. Vivian has always been involved in leadership roles helping others at Lauderdale United Methodist Church, Lauderdale Community Development Club, Lauderdale Garden Club and 50+ Club just to name a few. Vivian is a dedicated and loyal person, and I am so thankful she chooses to share her time and talents at Rush” “If she sees a job that needs to be done, she will tackle it. “Vivian has a very caring heart,” said Alice Raines, Volunteer Director for the Rush Volunteer Auxiliary. She has become a dedicated Auxiliary member greeting patients and visitors at the information desk, giving directions and assistance, and enjoying the friendship of other hospital volunteers. After her retirement from the United States Postal Service, a friend encouraged her to volunteer at Rush. She has logged over 2500 volunteer hours including serving two terms as Auxiliary President. MERIDIAN, MS - Vivian has been an active member of the Rush Foundation Hospital Volunteer Auxiliary for 14 years.
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