Soft beeps, whooshing sounds, and the hum of human activity, punctuated by occasional alarms, create a familiar tapestry of sound for babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Yet, above the mechanical pulse, a different frequency occasionally takes hold. It is the melodic, unmistakable murmur of a human voice—a sound that breaks through to find its tiny audience.
“On the night you were born,” the voice might begin, “the moon smiled with such wonder that the stars peeked in to see you and the night wind whispered, life will never be the same.”
“On the Night You Were Born” is one of many books a student volunteer might read while supporting a swaddled infant with one hand and turning pages with the other.
The voice represents a growing chorus of volunteers at The University of Texas Medical Branch who come to the NICU to read to the patients. In the last few months, more students from the John Sealy School of Medicine, the School of Health Professions, and the School of Nursing have added their voices to the effort.
What started in September 2022 when Dr. Maria Franco Fuenmayor and other NICU staff decided to join the international Books for Babies Read-A-Thon has blossomed into a year-round reading program.
“We started by querying staff and students, asking, ‘Is this something that you would participate in? If we opened the doors and said, hey, you can come read to babies, would you do it?’” says Franco Fuenmayor, a neonatologist and assistant professor of pediatrics.
They added an interest form to the UTMB daily announcements in the summer of 2022 and received more than 200 responses.
Franco Fuenmayor then reached out to SMART Family Literacy with a request for books. SMART Family Literacy, a Galveston based nonprofit, promotes early child literacy and education through hands-on science, math, art, reading, and technology (SMART) programs. They distribute thousands of books to cultivate a love of learning.
With books and volunteers in place, the read-a-thon took off. Even after the event ended, the reading continued, and SMART Family Literacy continued to provide books.
Franco Fuenmayor says 59 student volunteers checked in to read during one recent busy week. A new initiative allows student readers to earn hours toward graduation requirements. Student engagement increased after Franco Fuenmayor appointed a medical student, Nidhi Subramanian, to coordinate student volunteers coming to read.
“UTMB medical, nursing, public health students, and employees are always eager to support the Galveston community, and I believe this is what truly makes a difference for the NICU Reading Program,” Subramanian says. “For medical students in particular, programs like the NICU Reading Program allow us to see that care extends beyond simply treating a patient. Each time I read to the babies, I knew I was supporting them in a different and meaningful way by promoting early language exposure, providing comfort, and fostering human connection.”
Subramanian and Franco Fuenmayor advocated for the NICU Reading Program to be an official school of medicine “Passion Driven Service- Learning Project”. They made scheduling easier, which has led to an increase in volunteers across all UTMB schools.
While the reading program primarily targets family literacy, it also provides extra human interaction for the infants. Affective touch, defined as a gentle, pleasant touch, is crucial in infant development and is especially important to preterm infants.
Babies can spend weeks or months in the NICU. For parents, reading can add a sense of normalcy to a situation that is not at all what they envisioned for their newborns.
“They are not at home,” Franco Fuenmayor says. “They are not being able to be parents in the way that they imagined. But you can be a mom reading a book to your baby. Even if your baby is intubated, you can read to your baby. It’s a bonding opportunity and the babies benefit a lot. If families start shared reading in the NICU, the likelihood that they continue shared reading just skyrockets.”
Research has long supported the importance of early literacy. To encourage continued reading, SMART Family Literacy provides a book for every patient discharged from the UTMB NICU. In September of last year, SMART Family Literacy awarded UTMB the 2025 Children’s Literary Program Award. A few months ago, an individual donor offered to cover other program expenses.
Occupational therapists Shawna Ocaranza and Allison Migliore and NICU nurses Julie Breaux and Christy O’Donohoe were also instrumental in the growth of the program from the beginning, Franco Fuenmayor says.
“There are even people from administration walking over, saying ‘I have like 30 minutes, can I go read to a baby?’ I’m like, yes, yes, you can,” Franco Fuenmayor says.
Subramanian wanted other students to know the benefits of sharing time with the infants.
“Spending time with babies, who doesn’t love that?” Subramanian says. “Knowing that we can do something as simple as reading a book to foster early learning and development in infants is incredibly meaningful and beautiful.”