Episode 22: Practical Parenting - A Focus on Touch in the NICU, Part 1.

I am thrilled to announce the Mighty Littles Practical Parenting series, which will come out monthly on the Mighty Littles Podcast. The goal for this series is to give parents the practical parenting tips they need to feel successful - starting with parenting in the NICU.

The first 4 Practical Parenting segments will be focusing on the importance of touch and connection in the NICU. I have partnered with Kim Walls, the founder of BEB Organic. Kim’s passion is to strengthen human connections through the science of touch. Born into beauty as the daughter of a renowned skincare founder, Kim is a purposeful innovator with a track record of bringing unprecedented advances to the world of skincare and wellness. 

Kim Walls

Founder BEB Organic and author of Mindful Touch

In part one of our series on touch, you will meet Kim and find out a little bit about her background and passions. We talk about how Rose Oil can decrease water loss from the skin as well as why it is important to avoid hormonal disruptors in your products.

We move on to talk about practical tips for how parents can interact with their infants in the NICU. What type of touch do preemies need? How can you best interact with your baby? When can you touch and interact with your baby? And how to give hand hugs to your baby. I have included a couple of videos here to show some initial touches in the NICU.

For babies in the NICU, giving firm steady touch is helpful for preemies. Here is an example of a head hug on a 25 week baby in the first 2 days of life. Video: @beyondthebeeps

This is a great way to interact with your premature infant before you get the green light to start with Kangaroo Care. Place your finger in your baby's hand, ...

I hope you enjoy this series as much as I have enjoyed putting it together for you. Look for part 2 of this series in November, where we focus on Kangaroo Care (skin-to-skin care) in the NICU.