[Narrator] This is David Deutchman.

Shh.

[Narrator] This is David Deutchman.

That's better.

[Narrator] For the last 12 years, David has held

over 1200 babies at Scottish Rite Hospital.

Hey David, when can I raise my voice?

After the titles appear.

[Narrator] At Children's Healthcare of Atlanta,

you'll find David volunteering as a baby buddy,

a person that spends time holding babies

who are delivered prematurely

or require special medical attention.

When I first came to work for the hospital,

they gave me a little baby to hold

and the child life person walked by and said,

"Hey, you hold babies?

“I've got a job for you."

And I just loved it.

I became nicknamed by a few nurses as the baby whisperer.

Alright, buddy.

I'd be given a baby who was screaming and crying.

You'd be amazed how quickly they can calm down.

[Narrator] Because the babies stay in the hospital

for a long period of time,

most parents can't stick around,

mainly because their maternity leave runs out

or they have other kids at home.

That's where David comes in.

David has gone on to hold countless babies

in the neonatal intensive care unit,

providing not only companionship

but other medical benefits as well.

Just ask Nurse Angie.

We find that holding also can help mitigate some pain,

so when our babies have heel sticks done

and they're being held, they react so much better

than when they're not held.

David has done this for so long now,

when he takes a baby into his arms,

you can see the baby relax because David's so relaxed.

So, you feel the baby's in good hands.

(peaceful music)

If you're a retiree I would say to you,

“Get off your butt and do something.”

Volunteer doing something,

and there are a lot of different ways of doing it;

doesn't have to be in a children's hospital.

I know it meant a lot to the moms and the dads, too,

but what it meant for me,

I really feel like I'm the one who benefits.

(peaceful music)

(beeping)