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PAGE 7-PLAIINDEALER HERALD, WEDNESDAY.OCTOBER 17,1#^ gains popularity as therapy for adults By United Pw« International FARMINGTON, Conn. - Anne Hartman gently rocks the tiny 2- pound baby with its few tufts of hair and hands the size of quarters. "This is therapy for me as well as him," says Hartman, whose own offspring are fully grown. In the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, treatment isn't limited to monitoring the heart rates, pulses and breathing of the infants strug­ gling for survival in their isolet­ tes. To combat special developmen­ tal problems, volunteer "cud- dlers" hope to speed healing and compensate for the lack of a warm, nurturing home environ­ ment by holding, feeding, stroking and soothingly talking to babies whose parents cannot be with them all the time. Patricia Thurston, the nurse- coordinator of the program at the University of Connecticut Health Center, said the project was organized in 1980 whed a premature baby girl rejected food after intestinal surgery. "We realized the baby was associating eating with pain, and turned her head away when anyone approached her," she said. "While a child development specialist recommended intensive doses of love and handling, the nursing staff didn't have that much time to spend with a single baby. "That's when the Cuddlers pro­ gram started, . with volunteers holding and feeding the baby who started associating her bottle with positive feelings." That infant is now a healthy 5- year-old. Her response inspired the staff to expand the program to other infants, the premature and those recuperating from surgery. "It's very important they receive some'of the same stimula­ tion and handling as a normal in­ fant," said occupational therapist Alisa Palmeri. "Families can't always provide it, particularly when they live far away." "We see these experiences as essential," she said. "The cud­ dlers provide the babies with a consistent parent surrogate." The infants the cuddlers lavish affection upon rangfe in weight from 1 pound, 2 ounces, to normal- size newborns recuperating from operations.. Many are irritable from blood tests and other un­ conformable procedures. They sleep for longer periods than normal infants and are less receptive to the sight and sound stimulation necessary for normal growth, said Elaine Geary, the other coordinator. While most of the volunteers picked to be cuddlers have had ex­ perience with babies, few are prepared for the overwhelming array of medical equipment, tub­ ing and monitors in the unit -- or the fragility of the premature whose cries are so weak they can hardly be heard. "It was a little overwhelming at first," Hartman said, "but I've gotten used to it." The cuddlers first wash their hands and arms in a sterilized solution and don hospital garb. Geary and Thurston teach them how to open the isolettes and remove the babies. Despite the crowded quarters, volunteers like Hartman settle in­ to rocking chairs with newcomers like little Joseph Lennehan, weighing 2 pounds and wearing a wool cap to protect his head. She will remain Joseph's cuddler throughout his stay. The enthusiasm of parents is particularly gratifying to the cud­ dlers. "These women really love what they're doing," said Judy Bard, of Pittsfield, Mass. "Knowing so-* meone was with Gregory when I / couldn't be really meant a lot." Her son, now 10 months old and 21 pounds, weighed Just over 2 pounds when he was bom. The hospital was a two-hour drive from Bard's home. When financial circumstances forced her return to her nursing position, Bard said, "I thought it was a wonderful idea for someone to be with Gregory, a woman whose sole purpose was to hold and love my baby, rather than waking him up to draw blood or for some treatment." Unlike Gregory, some patients are too sick to leave their isolettes at all. In those cases, the cuddlers are encouraged to reach in to gently stroke and talk to the babies. of (0 * o l 2 ft § S 8| * Zrfj/i \ \ * i-. A 4* ?5 $ </> <*. SLUSO fli n m vt Hm *"r"C ™ m " S ' I I I ' z " s --© S si s It r