Houston father Dorian Ojemen became the first dad in Texas to hold his premature twins skin‑to‑skin while they remained connected to life‑support tubing, using a new wearable device called the Skincubator, according to Hoodline.
The twins, Silas and Simone, were born at 26 weeks gestation on August 7 at Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital. For nearly two weeks the newborns could only be touched through small openings in traditional incubators. Hospital staff then introduced the Skincubator, allowing Ojemen to hold the infants directly while the device maintained a warm, humid environment and organized the respiratory tubes, catheters and monitoring lines.
Developed by medical‑device firm Neocare, the Skincubator is a non‑electrical wearable system designed for infants under 2,000 grams. It addresses the heat‑loss and line‑displacement risks that have historically kept parents at arm’s length from their most vulnerable newborns. A 2026 study of the Skincubator 2.0, cited by Hospital News, examined its use during infant transfers and reported high parent‑satisfaction scores.
Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital, a flagship quaternary pediatric facility within the Texas Medical Center, is the first U.S. hospital to introduce and clinically evaluate the Skincubator in its 118‑bed Level IV NICU. The ongoing clinical trial, led by Dr. Jaclyn Ruggiero of McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston, aims to enroll 60 premature infants born between 25 and 30 weeks gestation and weighing under 2,000 grams. The trial is slated to run through September 2027, with FDA approval for broader commercial use still under consideration.
Both parents emphasized the importance of skin‑to‑skin contact. Tiffany Ojemen, an obstetrician‑gynecologist and the twins’ mother, said the holding helps regulate heartbeats, relaxes the babies, and strengthens the parent‑child bond. Her comments align with World Health Organization guidance recommending at least eight hours of daily skin‑to‑skin contact for preterm infants, a practice linked to lower mortality and sepsis rates.
Statewide, premature births remain a pressing concern. FOX 7 Austin reported that Texas recorded 43,344 premature births in 2024, representing 11.1 % of all live births—about one in nine infants. Houston’s preterm birth rate was 12.1 % in 2024, earning the city an F grade for maternal and infant health outcomes, while Harris County’s rate stood at 12.0 %.
Local families see the Skincubator as a hopeful development amid these challenges. FOX 26 Houston highlighted the emotional impact of Ojemen’s experience, noting that skin‑to‑skin contact, often called “kangaroo care,” can stabilize heart rate, improve breathing, and foster stronger bonding.
What’s next: The clinical trial will continue enrolling eligible infants through September 2027. Researchers will monitor safety, parental satisfaction, and infant health outcomes, while hospital officials anticipate that successful results could pave the way for wider adoption of the Skincubator across NICUs nationwide.
Sources: hyperlocalloop.com, hoodline.com
