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Chelsea and Chris Verdier had their son Oliver at 28 weeks and ended up having to stay in the UAMS Health NICU for 83 days. Reading to Oliver is what got them through such a difficult time and now they hope to help parents going through the same thing For the past three years, they have donated nearly 800 books in honor of Oliver to the NICU. Oliver is now able to run to bring his parents books. His parents say that they believe reading to him has been the reason he has defied all the odds the doctors set for him.
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Sara E. Peeples, M.D.:
We want to do everything medically to take care of those children. Part of that medical care is not just feeding, nutrition and respiratory management. It’s the developmental care that we provide.
Laura Monteverdi:
Language is nutrition in the NICU. Reading, talking and singing to a baby can boost family bonding, soothe, improve memory, and help develop a premature baby. That’s the reason behind the annual read-a-thon at UAMS. It was held today as part of the NICU Awareness Month.
Bob Clausen:
One family joined the nurses and doctors as they made their rounds for a good reason. They spent 83 days with their son Oliver in the NICU. Mattison Gafner joins us now in the studio with more on their story.
Mattison Gafner:
Bob and Laura, they participate and help give back by donating books that helped them heal their baby boy Oliver. They also hope to share a message of hope to the parents who still experience seeing all the tough emotions that come while sitting in the NICU.
Chelsea Verdier:
When you have a premature baby, it’s very scary.
Gafner:
Chelsea and Chris Verdier had their son Oliver at 28 weeks. For the first two and a half weeks of his life, they weren’t able to hold him. But when they finally could, they picked up books and never put them down.
Chelsea Verdier:
We would take turns sitting next to isolette and read to him, and it just became a habit for us.
Gafner:
Spending 83 days in the UAMS NICU before their son was able to come home, reading became the central focus. His doctor shared how reading promoted bonding, comfort and development skills in premature newborns.
Chris Verdier:
I think it really made us bond as a family.
Gafner:
That’s when they knew they wanted to give back to the NICU unit that had given them so much, giving them hope and a healthy son.
Chris Verdier:
And to walk out together with your baby? I mean, it’s a huge milestone.
Gafner:
For the past three years, they have donated nearly 800 books in honor of Oliver to the NICU and helped pass them out during the NICU Awareness Month Read-a-Thon event — a full-circle moment.
Chelsea Verdier:
We were those two parents in the room with our baby, so it’s nice to be on the other side of that and to encourage parents.
Gafner:
Oliver is now able to run to bring his parents books. His parents say that they believe reading to him has been the reason he has defied all the odds the doctors set for him. Reporting in studio. I’m Mattison Gafner for KARK 4 News.
