Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston, TX, is the first hospital in the United States to introduce a revolutionary device called the Skincubator to its Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). As part of a groundbreaking clinical trial, the device is being studied as a means to allow premature babies to undergo skin-to-skin time with their caregivers much sooner than previously possible, allowing them to receive all the vital benefits that are known to come from skin-to-skin contact.
Skin-to-skin care in the early days of an infant’s life is known to help stabilize their heart rate, breathing pattern, encourage growth, relieve pain, and support healthy sleep and brain development. It also helps regulate the nervous systems of both baby and mother, supporting breastfeeding and emotional bonding. But because of the equipment and other complexities of transferring a medically-fragile premature baby, prolonged skin-to-skin care in a NICU setting can be a challenging task.
The Skincubator is a wearable device that makes the transfer of these infants significantly easier, allowing for stable and secure placement of babies on respiratory support to their caregiver’s chest for hours at a time. The Skincubator is also a game-changer for parents in the NICU, who can now comfortably relax, sleep, and even pump while baby remains on their chest.
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