Cuddler Jillian Evans-Ziegler, on the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at L+M Hospital.
L+M Hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is home to babies who require specialized medical care, including those with neonatal abstinence syndrome. Ready to soothe these babies – holding, cooing and calming – are volunteer NICU “cuddlers” like Jillian Evans-Ziegler of East Lyme.
“I’m privileged to do this in their first few weeks of life,” Evans-Ziegler said. “It’s a dream. It’s pure joy to hold and soothe these little babies.”
Originally from Wales, Evans-Ziegler earned a nursing degree from Oxford University. She came to the United States, and eventually southeastern Connecticut, when her husband, now deceased, was recruited by Pfizer. Evans-Ziegler is retired after working nearly 20 years as a nurse in Connecticut’s Birth to Three program, where she helped young children with development skills.
L+M has about 10 cuddlers on call. “Jillian is among our most devoted,” said Shelly Warrender, L+M’s manager of Volunteer Services. “She’ll often cuddle a baby in the afternoon, go home, and return in the evening to cuddle that same child again. She’s amazing.”
Kristen Fulton, RN, NICU nurse manager, called Evans-Ziegler “a tremendous help” to the staff, including nurses and neonatologists. “If we have an inconsolable baby and our team is busy caring for other newborns, a cuddler like Jill is a godsend,” Fulton said. “Jill has just the right demeanor, and we’ve seen over and over how the babies respond.”
While she doesn’t serve in a clinical role, Evans-Ziegler knows how to read the monitors and can see babies’ heart and respiratory rates coming down when she comforts them.
In some cases, babies are alone because their mothers are incarcerated and no other family member visits. Once a child is healthy enough, they are frequently placed in foster care. Evans-Ziegler often comforts these babies for a month to six weeks, building a powerful bond.
“I have a Welsh accent,” she noted, “so, at times, it really seems as if they know it’s me coming back.”
The joy of providing a child with a loving touch, however, carries the risk of heartache. “There are many times I have tears running down my face because these babies didn’t ask to be born like this,” Evans-Ziegler said.
In the end, however, joy outweighs sorrow. “It’s like meditation,” she said. “When I practice yoga, I’m in a state of mindfulness and absolute inner balance. Being in the NICU gives me a similar feeling.”
The hardest part, of course, is saying goodbye.
“The nurses all know to give me a heads-up at least 48 hours before the baby is discharged,” Evans-Ziegler said. “Still, when I say goodbye, I’m in tears. I say the same thing to the baby every time. I tell them that I want them to have a good and happy life. I say, ‘Thank you for letting me love you.’”
