Mother's touch has the power to heal

A McGill study has shown that a cuddle truly does lessen babies' sufferings. And, it works even on the extremely premature, infants born from 28 to 31 weeks of gestation. Skin-to-skin contact, known as kangaroo mother care, is especially important for under-developed preemies. The shorter recovery time helps maintain the pre-term baby's health, according to Celeste Johnston, associate director of research at the McGill School of Nursing. The study, published yesterday in BMC Pediatrics, looked at how quickly infants recovered from pain as measured by grimaces, heart rate and blood oxygen levels, during normal blood tests done by pricking the heel.