Baby Cuddlers: Infants Benefit — But So Do Hospital Volunteers
(Bonnie Miller Rubin, Chicago Tribune) Holding a baby barely larger than her hand, Barbara Whitfield coos to the infant, his translucent eyelids fluttering slightly before surrendering to sleep. But in the neonatal intensive care unit at Rush University Medical Center, it would be difficult to tell just who in this duo is more serene. "How many people get to surround themselves with this kind of peace?" she asked, tightly wrapping a receiving blanket around the 4-pounder. "A few hours here will carry me for the rest of the week." Forget yoga class, massage or meditation. Whitfield, 62, has discovered tranquility as a "cuddler" -- a volunteer who helps babies born too soon thrive in those first scary weeks.
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