Name: Hospital cuddle carers help premature babies
Uploaded: 2025-11-13T06:36:27.233Z
Duration: 1 min 39 s
Description: Volunteer cuddle carers at the Mater Hospital in Brisbane are providing comfort to premature babies and relief to their families, working alongside medical staff to support their growth and recovery.

Volunteer cuddle carers at the Mater Hospital in Brisbane are providing comfort to premature babies and relief to their families, working alongside medical staff to support their growth and recovery.

South Brisbane

At Marta Hospital in South Brisbane, volunteer cuddle carers play an important role in supporting premature babies and their families. These carers provide comfort to infants while allowing parents to take much-needed breaks during what can be an emotional and unpredictable time.

The program has more than a dozen volunteers working across a seven-day roster, with strong community interest resulting in a lengthy waiting list. Parents and nurses alike value the support, knowing that babies receive care and affection even when families need to step away.

Hospital cuddle carers help premature babies

For first time parents Joanne and Mark, baby Johnny clearly couldn't wait to meet mum and dad. He was extremely new, maybe about 10 weeks too new. But he's thriving as well for his situation. Just got to go with the ride. You don't know, you don't choose, but the hospitals have the most amazing staff and support. Like many little ones, the hours, days and weeks are a delicate operation. Doctors, nurses working around the clock to ensure home is the next port of call. Marta's volunteer cuddle carers are a vital piece of the puzzle too. A really nice feeling to be able just to walk out, get some fresh air, grab a cup of tea, collect your thoughts because it's a bit of an emotional roller coaster and know that someone's there cuddling your baby. Carla's daughter Liliana was born premature 23 years ago and cuddle carers helped her. Now it's all about giving back. I'd love to be able to do it every day. I love being able to help the parents and also the nurses. The nurses have a really big role in trying to get these babies home. To have that person who's able to pick them up and give them a cuddle if they need it, but also for the families to be able to step away if they need to, knowing that there is someone there for their baby. There's more than a dozen cuddle carers working across a seven day roster and because there's so many caring Queenslanders wanting to help, there's a lengthy waiting list. So to have that support, so you can go home and get a rest and know that your baby's in safe hands and getting love, it's just amazing. Brendan Smith, 10 News.

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