Dads bond with their hospitalized newborns through books
11-Jun-07 |
Sharing a bedtime story is a treasured ritual for families. But when an infant is hospitalized fighting for survival, for weeks or even months, all normal family routines suffer. Now, thanks to a donation of books and carts by Scholastic, Inc. to the March of Dimes NICU Family Support program at the Doernbecher Neonatal Care Center, even families with a critically ill infant can take comfort in reading to their child.
The soothing sound of a parent’s voice can be important in establishing the parent-infant relationship, according to Jennifer Horner, March of Dimes NICU Family Support Specialist. But when that infant is in a NICU, separated from parents by medical equipment and an incubator, it’s a challenge to build the usual bonds.
“Putting a library of books at the bedside to read to baby, as well as to big brother and sister, will make it easier,” Horner said. “Thanks to Scholastic, it’s now part of the array of information and comfort the March of Dimes NICU Family Support program provides to families of premature babies and other critically ill newborns,” she explained.
About 1 in 10 newborns wind up in a NICU because they are born too soon, too small or with a birth defect. The experience can be overwhelming for families. The goal of the March of Dimes NICU Family Support project (www.marchofdimes.com/nicu) is to make the journey through newborn intensive care smoother and less traumatic. The project is an important component of the March of Dimes Prematurity Campaign, a nationwide effort to address the growing crisis of premature birth.
The Doernbecher Neonatal Care Center is the newest site to receive the three-part donation of Bedside Reading, Sibling Program, and Transition to Home Program, which provides the gift of a children’s book when the baby goes home from the NICU. Altogether, Scholastic will donate about 140,000 books and supplies over three years to March of Dimes NICU Family Support sites across the country.
Scholastic, Inc. joins MedImmune and Children’s Medical Ventures as a national sponsor of March of Dimes NICU Family Support.
The March of Dimes is a national voluntary health agency whose mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects and infant mortality. Founded in 1938, the March of Dimes funds programs of research, community services, education and advocacy to save babies. For more information visit marchofdimes.com/oregon.
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