Rocking ill babies is heavenly

One hour, Lindsay Morgan is learning a few new cuss words from people who shout into her ear and slam down their telephone receivers. The next, she's in nirvana, rocking in a warm room and singing lullabies to sweet-smelling babies whose parents she's never met.

Her life is full of contrasts, and that's fine with Lindsay, 26. Calling people to ask why their car loan payments are three months late isn't so aggravating, she says, when she knows that every Thursday she'll be holding babies in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit at Primary Children's Medical Center.

"When I walk through the door, the world just goes away for a few hours," says Lindsay, a cheery woman with chestnut-colored hair and pretty green eyes. "We spend so much time listening to bad news — Iraq, terrorists, the space shuttle tragedy. It's a real stress-reliever to sit and rock a baby who just needs to be touched."

Lindsay, who is single, is the youngest volunteer to rock sick babies in the NICU. "Most of the others are grandmothers with lots of experience," she says, "so I feel honored that I was chosen to help. I've always loved kids."

Hoping to share a few stories about her favorite pastime, Lindsay wanted to meet for a Free Lunch of pasta salad and soup at Salt Lake City's Red Butte Cafe.

A hospital candy striper in high school, she decided to return to volunteering several years ago and now eagerly anticipates the weekly break from her job as a bill collector.

"At work, people are never happy to hear from me," she says. "I get yelled at and I've heard every excuse (for a late payment) in the book. Coming up here is like heaven."

Lindsay doesn't know the medical histories of the babies she holds, but all have entered the world plagued by serious problems. Some have needed open-heart surgery or have multiple birth defects. Others have simply been born prematurely and need time to grow. All need to be touched, but their parents can't always provide around-the-clock comfort.

"A lot of times, the parents are from out of state and they can't always be here," says Lindsay. "Or maybe they have other kids to take care of, or they have to go back to work. It lessens their anxiety to know that somebody is up here, rocking their baby."