This New Wireless Technology For NICU Babies Means Mamas Can Get Skin-to-Skin

For families who've had a premature baby who had to spend time in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), baby is under round-the-clock monitoring, connected to a collection of wires and tapes that go directly to the skin. While critical for doctors and nurses in monitoring these babies, the wires and tapes makes it challenging for new parents to access, hold, and ultimately, bond with their babies. It even makes it harder for healthcare professionals to access the baby.

A lab at Northwestern University has developed a flexible, skin-like, wire-free sensor that not only replaces traditional clunky wires, but it's just as accurate. This is a huge development for doctors and nurses but also for the parents, as it gives moms more of an opportunity for that important skin-to-skin contact. See how the sensors work ahead.