SAN ANTONIO — The San Antonio Baptist Health System has a special team of volunteers who are helping babies addicted to opiods.
They come to the NICU to cuddle the babies as part of the treatment team. Among them: Judy Moake, a retired special education teacher at Northside ISD, who now spends her time volunteering at the NICU.
For her, the opportunity is mutually beneficial.
“The only thing I miss about retiring is those kids and this is a way of filling that need,” Moake said. “Their big smiles—that's the best thing in the world, when you know you're doing something right and they're responding with you with a smile. It's wonderful.”
Dr. John Isaac, medical director of the hospital's NICU, said volunteers like Moake are increasingly vital. According to him, more and more young babies are going through drug withdrawal syndrome.
"If you see a person going through a drug withdrawal, it's a miserable time. It's a miserable feeling," Isaac said. "A lot of these babies are in terrible pain and discomfort.”
According to the CDC, the number of children born with neonatal abstinence syndrome quadrupled between 1999 through 2014. The volunteers cuddling the children are helping them heal.
“Not only is it helping these babies not go on medication, but they get out of here quicker,” Isaac said. “Also, it supports their weight gain and growth. And, long-term, it helps their neonatal outcomes be much better.”
Moake said it’s gratifying to know she’s making an impact in the babies' lives by simply holding them.
“I feel like there's a real closeness to God when I hold a baby and that's what I love. It brings me peace. It feels like I really help them,” she said.
If you would like to find out how to join the volunteer program, visit here and select the "Families and Visitors" tab. Then, click on "Volunteer with Us" in the drop-down menu.
