At the Utin and Neonatology department of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Fatebenefratelli Hospital in Benevento Mrs. Pascuccio, mother of a baby girl born very prematurely in the same department, donated about thirty cute crocheted “octopus balls” for Octopus Therapy.
These soft, sweet, colorful “polpetti” are made entirely of cotton (a natural fiber) that can be sterilized without altering the properties of the product. The “polpetti” must have tentacles 21-22 cm long to give the newborn the sensation of holding the umbilical cord in his hands, of feeling safe and in company without the anguish related to separation from the mother.
The idea was born in 2013 at Aarhus University Hospital (Denmark), where doctors noticed that the oxygen saturation, heart rate and respiratory rate of premature babies in incubators improved dramatically when the premature babies were allowed to squeeze the tentacles of toy octopuses with their little hands.
Furthermore, the nurses in the department had noticed that the little patients were calmer and did not tear the tubes, wires and probes that were connected to their little bodies. The Sacred Heart of Jesus Fatebenefratelli Hospital in Benevento immediately joined the initiative, with the hope that new “little octopuses” could arrive as soon as possible so that every premature baby could have his or her “playmate”.
Mothers, grandmothers and women who are skilled with crochet and who want to help these little heroes can embroider colorful characters as long as they are made of cotton because they are easily sterilizable, have tentacles of 21 - 22 centimeters in length, fiber padding washable at 60°C, and with a very tight embroidery mesh to prevent the padding from coming out.
“I thank the Pascuccio family for this commendable initiative,” said Dr. Raffaello Rabuano, director of the Pediatrics/Nipiology/Neonatology and NICU departments at the Sacro Cuore di Gesù Hospital (Fatebenefratelli) in Benevento. “Octopus Therapy is in addition to the other therapies we implement for our little warriors: “Kangaroo mother care (also known as kangaroo therapy or marsupial therapy), Fkt, etc. etc.”
We allow the cotton “meatball” to be kept on the mothers – concludes Rabuano – to impregnate it with their own scent, thus allowing the child to overcome the traumatic moment of separation and maintain an olfactory contact with their mother”.
Article published on March 14, 2023 - 13pm
