Putting the focus on bonding between parents and their children, FirstHealth’s Clarke NICU at Moore Regional Hospital celebrated Kangaroo Care Awareness Day on May 15.
The international recognition day highlights the power of skin-to-skin contact to connect parents with their babies, especially the tiniest infants who spend extra time in the NICU before heading home. Kangaroo Care can help maintain a baby’s body temperature, regulate heart and breathing rates, support weight gain, and promote frequent breastfeeding.
The theme of the 2026 Kangaroo Care Day is “Stillness is Strength.”
Laura Valleni, neonatologist at Moore Regional Hospital, said the staff at FirstHealth Moore Regional puts special focus on skin-to-skin contact as they partner with parents during a baby’s stay in the NICU.
“The theme for 2026 is a perfect reminder to slow down in our hectic world. When parents hold their baby skin to skin, the world slows down,” Dr. Valleni said in a press release. “Stillness creates even more space for bonding, regulation, rest and growth. We are thankful to work with parents and help them be a key part of their baby’s development in the NICU.”
Pictured: Baby Nolan and his mother, Mary, pose for a photo at the Clarke NICU at Moore Regional Hospital.
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Contributed article/photo.
