The Power Of Hugs: My Huggies® Hug Plan & Giveaway!

Those of you who know me IRL can attest that I’ve always been a hugger. Every chance I get, I’ll wrap my arms around those I love and give them a big squeeze. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that I plan to do the same with bebe once he’s born in March. To be perfectly honest, I’ve already kickstarted hug time. Every morning I cradle my arms around my rapidly expanding belly and give him a gentle embrace. To my surprise, he responds immediately — I’m convinced he feels my love even at 32 weeks (that or I’m cramping his condo space lol). That being said, I can’t wait for my very first real, skin-to-skin hug. Which is why I’m really excited to celebrate National Hugging Day on January 21, 2017 by filling out a Hug Plan and running a special little giveaway (more on that below)…

 

What Exactly Is A Hug Plan?

Informed by research around the power of skin-to-skin for babies by Dr. Christine Chambers and Dr. Marsha Campbell-Yeo, the Huggies® Hug Plan is a two-page document (download it here for free) that you fill out to ensure your baby receives hugs according to your wishes. Much like a birth plan, the Hug Plan outlines your preferences — that way your doctor, midwife, and/or nurse know you want skin-to-skin hugs immediately after birth. I’m planning on hugging my little one before his cord his cut, before he’s cleaned off with a towel and during the “golden hours” (for 1-2 hours after he’s been diapered). And I’m putting hubby down as the alternate hugger because we both believe that there’s nothing more powerful than hugging your baby for the very first time (grab some tissues before watching this video)…

Why Is A Hug Plan Important?

You see, I’ve always understood the importance of hugs intrinsically, but now there’s research that shows how powerful hugs can actually be for bebe. Benefits like helping lower a baby’s response to pain, stabilizing his/her heart rate and oxygen level, improving his/her social skills, aiding brain development, improving breastfeeding and helping him/her recover faster with as little as 2-minutes of skin-t0-skin care! All of these findings (and many others) are outlined in The Power of Human Touch for Babies white paper, developed by the Canadian Association of Paediatric Health Centres in partnership with Huggies Brand. Essentially, the brand is not only developing soft diapers for our babies every day, but they’re also helping raise awareness of the benefits of hugs for baby. Amazing, right?! As an expecting mom I’m a huge supporter of this initiative so filling out a Hug Plan was definitely a no-brainer for me.

Baby’s First Hug

You, too, can show your support for hugs and receive a free pack of Huggies diapers by becoming a No Baby Unhugged mom online here.

National Hugging Day Giveaway

Although I’m a firm believer of hugs every day, I am super excited to partner with Huggies® Brand Canada to celebrate National Hugging Day (January 21st, 2017) by giving THREE new or expecting moms a Huggies® Hug Box each! The Hug Box, which contains an assortment of Huggies diapers and wipes, is specially designed to hug a pregnant mom’s belly. To enter, just leave a comment below and tell me what you think of the world’s first Hug Plan (you can read more about it here) OR share your first skin-to-skin experience if you already have a newborn. Make sure to also fill out the Rafflecopter entry (that’s how the winners will be randomly selected).

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wishing you all the best of luck and hope this post inspires you to hug your little ones. I know I’m counting down the days to my very first hug!

This post was sponsored by Huggies® Canada. As always, all reviews and opinions are my own. If you’re a new mom or mom-to-be like me, I highly encourage you to visit nobabyunhugged.ca to download the Hug Plan for free to ensure your baby receives hugs, according to your wishes.