Premature babies at a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in the United Kingdom got the therapy they need in the form of crocheted octopus toys. Hospital officials said these cuddly toys provided comfort to preemies and kept them calm while inside their incubators.
The use of crocheted octopus toys to soothe premature babies could benefit around 15 million babies who are born earlier than expected every year. The World Health Organization reported that premature babies are at risk of experiencing breathing problems, developmental delays and feeding difficulties. Some babies at the hospital's NICU, however, got better when they were given the cuddle crocheted octopus toys.
"When we heard about the difference a cuddly octopus can make to our tiny babies we were impressed and, after research, eager to introduce them to our little patients," Poole Hospital services matron Daniel Lockyer said. "It's incredible that something so simple can comfort a baby and help them feel better."
The soft tentacles of the crocheted octopus reminded premature babies of the comfort provided by the umbilical cord when they were still inside the womb. according to CNN. Babies who had the crocheted octopus in their hands no longer pulled out their incubators' tubes and monitors.
UCLA associate professor Dr. Valencia Walker said babies are interacting actively with the placenta when they were still in their mother's womb. Doctors admitted they can never replicate the sensation offered by the womb of the mother but they can always use the crocheted octopus to create a semblance of that sensation, as per Daily Mail.
Over a dozen NICUs in Europe have joined the Octopus Therapy Project. The Poole Hospital in the United Kingdom is the very first participant of the project.
Prematurity or the birth of a baby before it has reached the 37-week gestation period has been identified as the second top cause of deaths among newborns, according to Kidspot. This data, however, is expected to get better now that doctors have discovered the benefits of crocheted octopus toys.
