CHARLOTTE, N.C. — This year, Novant Health is taking part in a nationwide Babies With Books Read-A-Thon. The hospital is offering all sorts of books to families inside the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). While it's clear the newborn babies will benefit, the hospital says parents also benefit.
Novant Heath's NICU looks like a library during the Read-A-Thon, with books everywhere and parents reading to their newborns. Joseph Piligian and his wife Amanda just welcomed their newborn son to the world and part of their bonding includes reading the Dr. Seuss classic "Fox in Socks".
“I can get really animated. It lets them hear my voice and it gives me a way to sort of feel close and connect with him," Joseph Piligian said about reading to his son.
Miranda Holland with Novant Health says this is the third year the unit has participated, offering plenty of books that families can read to their infants.
"It can help with their brain development, language development," she said. "Our critically ill and preterm babies are at risk for not having normal development in that way, so reading to them can help with that.”
The benefits of reading books for parents are all about stability, Holland added.
"Sitting and reading to their baby is something that they can do to bond with their baby that gives them a little bit of normalcy in a situation that's very abnormal and very stressful," she said.
“It's basically an accuracy reading competition for myself," Joseph Piligian added. "It allows me to kind of get into that mode while I'm in the NICU and sort of take my mind off of everything that's going around and sort of focus on that moment with my son."
Contact Myles Harris at mharris5@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.