Pregnancy is a tough time, but sitting on the sidelines watching a surrogate mother go through it for you can be just as hard. Which is why this baby belt from Huggies that allows a mom (or a dad) to "feel" any kicks and movements the fetus makes is such an amazing idea. The Huggies Hugbelt isn't anything new — they introduced it back in 2013 — but a new video of a mother and her surrogate might break your heart.
But those stray tears (we're not crying, you're crying) are worth it this week. On Jan. 21, Huggies is donating $1 every time someone watches the video to their No Baby Unhugged program, which provides hospital volunteers who visit newborn intensive care units (NICU) with the opportunity to hug premature babies.
Although every parent wants to sit in the NICU with their children, eventually the nurse kicks them out and tells them to go and get some rest. Volunteers come in throughout the day to fill in those gaps and hold the babies, which is so important for development and healing. Seriously, us humans are nothing without snuggles.
Dr. Amy Hair, the director of the neonatal nutrition program at Texas Children’s Hospital, told The Huffington Post, "It’s like holistic care for the babies. They’re so fragile when they’re in the NICU ― some are the size of a Coke can ― and their parents are, understandably, afraid to touch them.”
How do you not want to pay for someone to hug babies? Watch the video, please.
This most recent video features Sharde, a cancer survivor, and acquaintance Antoinette, who, according to another friend, "selflessly dedicated nearly a year of her life to helping" Sharde and her husband Jake have a baby via surrogacy. That friend felt that Sharde was missing out on the things most birth parents experience when preparing for baby and she wanted her to be able to bond with the twin girls.
That friend had also seen Huggies' Fathers Day Argentina ad, which featured the HugBelt, and was hopeful that the company would be able to help Sharde have that experience as well. "They (Huggies) were incredibly gracious and generous in helping us bring this idea to reality," the friend noted.
If you're a sucker for a happy ending, this video will make you feel all the feels — and knowing that you can watch the video over and over again for a solid heartwarming cry (and don't we all need one this winter?) in addition to giving a premature baby a cuddle? It's a little too much.
Huggies No Baby Unhugged program not only gets volunteers into hospitals to hug infants, it also provides hospitals with a specially designed preemie diaper (premature infants are so delicate that regular materials could be just a little too much for their teeny tiny bodies), so it's a good cause to keep on your radar if you want to help families get through a tough time.
And as for Sharde and Antoinette? After such an incredible experience, they'll surely have one amazing story to tell the twin girls someday soon.
