How Holding Your Baby Helps With Brain Development

Babies who find themselves in the neonatal intensive care unit have a lot to contend with, from medical interventions to IV lines and ventilators. Their health and safety is a top priority -- and that's precisely the reason some born prematurely and underweight or facing other health issues receive a higher level of care. Still, for the pint-sized patients, the NICU is a challenging place to start a life.

It's also ground zero for studying the impact of positive human touch -- like holding and soothing a baby -- on brain development.

"In the NICU we know that our baby's developing in an environment that is completely different from the womb," says Stefanie Steinberger, lead physical therapist for the NICU at Penn Medicine's Chester County Hospital in West Chester, Pennsylvania. "It is not dark. It is not fluid filled. Babies are subjected to gravity. They're subjected to noise, painful procedures -- lots of stimulation And the brain is supposed to be developing in an environment that's devoid of all of those things." When they're born, preterm babies' brains are smaller, not as developed with less visible folds and less nerve growth, than is typical for full-term babies, as a result of spending less time in utero. For premature babies in particular, an environment like the NICU -- "although it's necessary for life-saving measures, it doesn't always support normal brain growth," Steinberger says.

Adding to that, the sheer amount of time some infants spend in the NICU and the intensive nature of medical care delivered can make it harder for many parents -- some of whom have to take care of other kids and meet other personal and professional obligations -- to hold babies as much as they'd like. For that reason, NICU's around the country, including the one at Chester County Hospital, now have cuddling programs where volunteers give newborns TLC.

[See: 10 Ways to Make Your Childbirth Easier.]

"I just have a love for babies and helping them in any way," says Eleanor Parsons, a cuddling volunteer in Chester County Hospital NICU's cuddler program, which Steinberger co-coordinates. Volunteers in the program spend a full day in training learning things like how to receive, hold and handoff a baby on a ventilator or with IV lines -- practicing on dolls -- and techniques to calm babies, to relieve their anxiety and make them more comfortable and less stressed, as they go through some uncomfortable or painful procedures. "I've learned how to comfort them by holding their hands or their feet or just [making] soothing sounds close to their ears or things like that. You can really see it does make a difference, and some of these little babies are in here days or weeks or months," Parsons says. "For me, just the reward of feeling like I helped them is immense."

Research shows this kind of early contact is critical. For babies in the NICU, supportive touch -- like breastfeeding and skin-to-skin, or so-called kangaroo care, by a parent, or gentle holding and touch from a therapist -- is associated with stronger brain responses, as measured with an EEG (or electroencephalogram), a study published last year in Current Biology found. "It was actually able to counteract some of the problems that are caused by the NICU stay and by immaturity at birth," says Dr. Nathalie Maitre, a neonatologist and researcher at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, who led the research, which was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Previous research indicates early brain responses may predict future development. "Promoting optimal development and function in newborns hospitalized in NICUs may help establish the sensory building blocks of cognition, behavior, and communication," the researchers noted. And while preterm babies are especially vulnerable, full-term babies also benefit at a brain level (in addition to the impact on overall well-being) from lots of snuggling in their first days, weeks and months of life -- not to mention the lifelong positive impact love and affection has on kids of all ages.

[See: 10 Things No One Tells You About Breastfeeding.]

That starts with skin-to-skin care, or holding a baby's skin to a parent's skin when they're first born -- something that's now routinely advised (unless there's an immediate, pressing medical need that takes precedence). That kind of kangaroo care is especially key in the earliest hours and days. Breastfeeding can be a great way for moms to do this. And there's opportunities for dads to do this as well, while bottle feeding a child ( formula or pumped breast milk). "We talk to a lot of families about things like having Dad do skin to skin while he's feeding the baby a bottle," says Meghan Walls, a pediatric psychologist at Nemours Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Delaware. "It doesn't have to be Mom holding this baby to her chest all day long."

At home, taking advantage of downtime -- holding the baby say while you're reading, for example, can go a long way. "You'll be doing something that's fun and relaxing to you in the little spare time you have, but you're also going to be really letting your baby experience a connection that's critical," Maitre says.

As for keeping your baby with you while you're on the go, experts advise balance. For one thing, bleary-eyed parents need their rest -- not only for their own health but for the safety of the child. What's more, babies sleep a ton: Newborns typically sleep 14 to 17 hours a day. So while wraps or baby carriers like Baby Bjorn make be conducive to life on the go, it's important if parents choose to use them, to do so properly, as directed, and only when appropriate.

"Sitting devices, such as car seats, strollers, swings, infant carriers, and infant slings, are not recommended for routine sleep in the hospital or at home, particularly for young infants. Infants who are younger than 4 months are particularly at risk, because they may assume positions that can create a risk of suffocation or airway obstruction or may not be able to move out of a potentially asphyxiating situation," the American Academy of Pediatrics advises. "When infant slings and cloth carriers are used for carrying, it is important to ensure that the infant's head is up and above the fabric, the face is visible, and the nose and mouth are clear of obstructions. After nursing, the infant should be repositioned in the sling so that the head is up, is clear of fabric, and is not against the adult's body or the sling."

[See: How to Promote Safe Sleep for Your Infant.]

The point, experts say, isn't to be overzealous about holding babies (whether with arms or carriers) all the time. Rather, take advantage of natural opportunities to let human touch grow that bond, and bolster brain development at the same time. "It's really about making the effort to connect," Maitre says. Holding a baby to your chest, touching the baby's cheek and hair, "all that kind of wonderful touch communicates to the baby: This is a connection that pleases you both."

Michael Schroeder is a health editor at U.S. News. He covers a wide array of topics ranging from cancer to depression and prevention to overtreatment. He's been reporting on health since 2005. You can follow him on Twitter or email him at mschroeder@usnews.com.