WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — One in 10 U.S. babies is born prematurely each year, often facing health challenges due to incomplete development. 

What You Need To Know

  • Pre-term birth rates in the U.S. are rising, though specific causes remain unclear, according to the CDC

  • Cedars-Sinai’s less invasive ventilator technique reduces the wait time for skin-to-skin contact from three weeks to a few days

  • Research shows preterm babies with more skin-to-skin contact score higher in neurodevelopment by 12 months

A new technique at Cedars-Sinai is giving these newborns — and their parents — a better start.

Kangaroo care, a practice where parents hold their baby against their bare skin, has shown benefits for premature infants. However, babies who need a ventilator typically can’t experience this bonding until weeks or even months later. Cedars-Sinai joined with other hospitals across the state to find a solution and facilitate earlier skin-to-skin contact.

Jennifer Newman gave birth to her baby Judah at 24 weeks, when he weighed just one pound. She visits him in the NICU daily to bond.

“It’s really just about holding him, talking to him,” Newman said. “I bring books and I read to him every day. You know, he has grown accustomed to my voice and to my husband’s voice.”

When Judah was born, he needed a ventilator and a team of medical professionals to care for him, she recalled.

“The first time they put him on my chest, it was a team of, I think, five different nurses and everybody — respiratory therapy — just kind of crowded around,” she said. “It was so emotional, and he did great.”

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Amanda Williams, a clinical nurse specialist at Cedars-Sinai, said the hospital has introduced a less invasive ventilator that allows earlier skin-to-skin contact.

“When we started, it was taking up to three weeks for babies to be held the first time,” Williams said. “Once we started using the ventilator consistently, it’s down within the first few days of life.”

Research underscores the importance of early contact. A recent Stanford study found that preterm babies who experienced more skin-to-skin contact showed higher neurodevelopmental scores at 12 months compared to those who did not.

“It helps with brain development because the baby’s able to sleep more soundly,” Williams said. “Oxytocin is released, which provides comfort, reduces postpartum depression. It helps not only the baby but the whole family.”

Knowing and feeling these benefits, Newman comes to give Judah skin-to-skin contact for hours on end, every day.

“He’s just been a fighter throughout it all,” she said. “And I really attribute it to being able to hold him.”