New parents often feel helpless with their newborns but the feeling intensifies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) with constant activities around their child. Reading to baby is one-way parents can build confidence in their ability to support their infant when so much feels out of their hands
With that in mind, on 23 June 2022, the physicians and nurses of the unit at SKMCA launched the NICU Reading Club to encourage parents to read to their babies during their time in NICU. Books are provided from our little library or parents could bring their own books.
SKMCA is committed to supporting families throughout the journey through this initiative along with information leaflets on how and why reading promotes infant brain development, family bonding, and reduces infant and parental stress linked to intensive care hospitalization.
In addition to bonding reading to infants promote brain development for languages, vocabulary, as well as listening and memory skills.
Reading should take place when babies first wake up, just before going to sleep or immediately after a feed when they are calm.
Parents are encouraged to read to their babies two or three times a day for at least five minutes. The time increases as the infant grows.
This initiative also encourages our SKMCA family to support parents through the volunteer reading program. SKMCA clinical or non-clinical team members are encouraged to volunteer some of their break time to participate by picking up a book from the library and reading to the children in NICU.