ABSTRACT
The function of the team should be to enable the babies to live autonomously, without ever thinking of them as anything other than human subjects. In some neonatal intensive-care unit (NICU), the auxiliaries are “baby-whisperers”; their mission, in addition to their normal caregiving, is to “enchant” the babies. They get to know them very well, they often manage to express what the babies are feeling, what they want, and they find it easier to speak of their character or their habits than the doctors do. During the ward rounds, the caregivers talk about the parents. In adult ICUs, the visiting hours are regulated far more than in NICUs. Only babies can benefit from the presence of the parents throughout the day. If the parents accept the transition to palliative care, they may or may not agree to participate in it, or they may wish to participate in so far as they are able.
