Youngest spawn was a preemie and spent a bit of time in the NICU. The NICU is a very intimidating, sometimes disturbing place where tiny scraps of humanity are swathed in wires, surrounded by machines, and serenaded by irregular beeps and hums. Often, things are done to them that are uncomfortable at best. But every time I was there, holding her and trying to get her to nurse, there were people scattered about the place in rocking chairs, holding babies in spite of the wires and tubes and needles, talking to them and humming to them and scolding them gently for not taking nourishment and telling them how beautiful they are.

And not a single one was actually owned by any of those tiny humans. They volunteered to come love them when their families couldn’t.

And the babies’ vitals settled down and they would nurse better and sleep better and grow. And for those tiny humans who were not going to go home with their families, they never had a moment when someone wasn’t holding or touching them.

Consider doing this, if you can. It heals. And it’s beautiful.