The preemie babies are some of the most critical and the tiniest of patients to take care of. It can be very difficult to provide comfort and support to them with these large tubes and wires connected to their little bodies.
Babies can be soothed through suckling, whether it’s a pacifier, breast, bottle or finger. It brings a sense of comfort to them in a world that can be overstimulating and unpredictable.
So how can we help preemie’s soothe with a pacifier when they have feeding or breathing tubes inside their mouth?
Harriet Miller a nurse in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women and Babies, has created an adaptive pacifier to help soothe these preemies.
This pacifier is being used in many NICU settings around the country, but they want to make them accessible to patients in all settings, such as in clinics, emergency departments or during a medical transport. They have a petition written to the American Academy of Neonatal Nursing to get this implemented and they need your help. Click here to sign the petition in support of this amazing tool to help our preemies everywhere.
