A mommy or mother can touch a baby inside a NICU.
When your baby is in the NICU you can often touch and hold your baby, although it also depends on how stable your baby is.
Touch might be limited in the NICU to your baby due to extreme fragility and medical stability.
Some premature babies have immature nervous systems and can become easily stressed or tired by movement.
And nurses and doctors may temporarily limit physical contact with the baby in the NICU until the baby's vital signs stabilize.
If direct touch for your baby is restricted in the NICU, you can still bond with your baby in the NICU by talking, reading aloud, or even leaving a scented cloth near your baby,.
You should always check with your nurse or doctor first to see what kind of touch is safe for your baby in the NICU.
If you're allowed to touch your baby inside the NICU, you will often do gentle holding, hand hugs (containment) and Kangaroo care.
Kangaroo care in the NICU is skin to skin contact where you hold your baby on your bare chest, which helps to regulate the baby's heart rate, breathing and temperature.
For hand hugs (containment) in the NICU, if your baby is too fragile to be held or stroked, you can place your hands gently and still on either side of the baby or on the baby's head and chest.
And for gentle holding, even with breathing tubes or IV lines, many babies are ready for gentle touch or holding when cleared by the doctor and medical team.
It can be hard to be told that you can't hold your baby, but if the NICU staff state that you can't hold your baby, don't take it personally as they are following medical protocol and it's in the best interest of your baby.
Not being allowed to touch or hold your baby in the NICU, is to prevent the baby from becoming more ill or possibly dying as your baby is in the NICU to recover or in some cases for more serious issues.