Dolev Bota was 25 weeks pregnant with her first child when she was rushed to Shaare Zedek Medical Centre due to a premature placental abruption. After 12 hours of labour, she gave birth naturally to a baby boy weighing just 850 grams. Critically premature, he was immediately taken to the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) for ventilation.
Seeing her son so tiny, fragile, and surrounded by medical equipment was overwhelming. But then, something unexpected changed everything.
“A few days after the birth, Dr Itamar Nitzan offered me a device he’d invented—the Skincubator, a mobile incubator that lets you hold your baby skin to skin, even while they’re ventilated,” Dolev shared in an interview with YNET. “The moment he was placed on me, all the fear disappeared. I felt safe. I finally felt like a mum.”
For over a month, Dolev held her baby on her chest for 5 to 7 hours a day. “The Skincubator gave me peace of mind. It removed the fear of hurting him and helped me connect. I was discharged after a week, but I kept coming every day just to hold him.”
Backed by hospitals across Israel, the Skincubator is transforming neonatal care. It allows safe, extended parent-baby contact, which improves heart function, reduces stress, and strengthens emotional bonds. Parents like Orly Bukovza, who used it after giving birth at 27 weeks, echo the impact: “It changed everything.”
By bridging the gap between medical necessity and emotional connection, this Israeli innovation is helping families bond from the very beginning—when it matters most.