The importance of physical touch for newborns cannot be overstated. It has been found by medical experts to be imperative to the optimal cognitive and physical development and well-being of infants. For parents that have to step away from their newborns, that integral human contact needs to be supplemented by a different caretaker. 

For the smallest patients at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center, that’s a big job that needs to be fulfilled. To answer the call, Marcia Garrett has taken the lead of Cape Fear Valley’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Cuddler program, a program dedicated to connecting infants in the NICU with life saving touch. For two years, Garrett has taken on organizing volunteers and dedicating her time as the Cuddler Coordinator. 

Cuddler volunteers are trained in a model based on the ‘Eat, Sleep, Console’ (ESC) program. Developed at the Yale School of Medicine, the ESC Program focuses on the baby's ability to eat, sleep and be consoled and was instituted at Cape Fear Valley in March of 2022. 

The ‘Console’ part is where the cuddlers shine. This practice expedites healing periods and results in less medication administered to fragile infants. “It’s making sure that as much as possible that if they’re not sleeping, they’re in an arm because they heal quicker,” shared Garrett. 

Typical volunteer duties include soothing babies by holding and rocking them, talking, singing or playing with them. For these babies waiting to go home, a comforting touch and the presence of another person is more than enough. 

“There’s no greater gift than being handed a baby in your arms and you can’t do anything else. You can't get up, you’re stuck,” said Garrett. “And I think that’s a gift, because that’s a peace, it’s a time where you just stop. It's just me, and a baby and it is peace that I can just focus over, pray over and love on and encourage that baby.” 

In addition to the care of infants, cuddler volunteers work hard to assist nurses and help the day roll smoother. “The whole point is it’s not about us, the truth about being a cuddler is that you have to have a servant’s heart, and serve those nurses, because they’re the heroes,” said Garrett.

Garrett consistently redirects her successes back to her ‘village,’ the tremendously accomplished NICU nurses, staff members and her husband Mike Garrett. The NICU nurses and cuddlers are fiercely devoted to their jobs. “They’re so protective of those babies, and I’m protective of them,” shared Garrett.

Garrett and her colleagues have made strides to improve not only the Cuddlers’ training program, but also the interviewing process itself. It is a one-of-a-kind volunteer experience, and verifying the best fits for the job is no easy task. 

“I do everything I can to make sure that the right people are up there,” said Garrett, sharing that the calling to be a cuddler is not for everyone. Garrett is dedicated to ensuring the infant patients receive only the best of care. “It is unique, it's not like any other volunteer job. You have your hands on the most vulnerable of humanity,” she said. 

Garrett’s efforts with the Cuddler program are of paramount importance, as the positive effects of physical touch for these infants start from the first weeks in the NICU, and last until the infant has grown. The program provides a way for cuddlers to step in and make a difference for these infants in critical care. 

Garrett’s tenacity and passion raises hopes for the future of professionals and care teams in the medical world. For Marcia and her husband Mike, there is no mountain too tall to scale for the NICU. Garrett’s passion for the NICU and the Cuddlers program is equal parts admirable and infectious. “If you are blessed enough to be able to do [work] where your passion lies, that is a gift,” said Garrett. “That’s where my passion lies, and I’m blessed enough to get to do that.” 

Volunteers are welcome to join the program, but there are a few prerequisites. All cuddlers must be at least 21 years old and must fill out a volunteer application and complete an interview before approval. 

For more information a link can be found on the Cape Fear Valley Health website, at capefearvalley.com/volunteers.