Our country is in the midst of an opioid crisis, and sadly, children are right at the center of it.

As drug addiction rates all over the U.S. continue to skyrocket, more and more babies are born with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). Now, new volunteer programs are allowing people to help give love to these babies who are born addicted to drugs.

These infants were exposed to drugs while they were in the womb, and they go through an excruciating withdrawal process after birth. Volunteer cuddlers who are specially trained can do a lot to help these babies get through it.

Pennsylvania nurse Jane Cavanaugh decided to start one of these programs at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital after she noticed substance abuse rates climbing in her state.

“These babies going through withdrawal need to be held for extended periods,” she said. “They need human touch.”

Maribeth McLaughlin, chief nursing officer and vice president of Patient Care Services at a Pittsburgh hospital, agrees with her.

“[Cuddling] is helping them manage through these symptoms,” she said. “They are very irritable; they are hard to console. This is about swaddling them and giving them that comfort and safe, secure feeling.”

Cuddling is incredibly important for the development of a baby, with the latest research saying that holding a baby is more crucial to brain development than previously assumed. These benefits are compounded for babies who are going through drug withdrawals.

We applaud these volunteer cuddlers for trying to help these babies in need. Find out more about them in the video below, and please SHARE this story so your friends and family can see this as well!