Kristie McNealy, MD

Bonding with your baby in the NICU can be difficult, especially if your baby is very small or sick, and can’t be held or handled often.  Kangaroo care, holding baby skin-to-skin, has enormous benefits both babies and parents in the NICU, including improved bonding.  Unfortunately, sometimes medical treatments including the use of phototherapy to treat jaundice, can limit the amount of time parents are able to hold their baby.

Not too long ago, I heard a fellow preemie mom discuss how adamant she was with the NICU staff about being able to kangaroo her baby while she was hospitalized, knowing they could find a solution to providing her baby with phototherapy while she was being held.  I think it was the very next day that I happened to receive an email from a PR contact containing information about GE Healthcare’s BiliSoft blanket.

Bili blankets are unique, because they allow phototherapy to be administered continuously, while still allowing parents to hold their baby. The blankets consist of a flexible rectangular pad that contains LED and fiberoptic lights. The baby can be swaddled with the bili blanket, allowing them to be held and fed while receiving phototherapy. BiliSoft can be also be used within an isolette, or under a radiant warmer, meaning the baby can easily be transferred from its bed to a parent’s waiting arms without discontinuing therapy or changing out phototherapy units.

My own preemie daughter received phototherapy using multiple banks of external lights, limiting the amount of contact we could have with her. But, the BiliSoft unit is portable, and can also be used at home, which is something we actually experienced with our son when he had high bilirubin levels after being discharged from the hospital. Being able to treat his jaundice at home made the situation much less stressful for our family, and being to feed and soothe him while using the blanket greatly increased the amount of time he was able to receive phototherapy each day!

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