Blog

My NICU Story – Miracles Do Happen!

September 9, 2020 by

by Monique Matheson

Finding out I was pregnant was a bit of a surprise, but I soon came around to the idea and for my first trimester, everything seemed to be going well nothing at all was flagged and I was feeling really well.

But as I was having my 20-week scan, the doctor was really quiet and I quickly realised something was wrong. I was told my son was dangerously small and that I could lose him at any moment, so I might want to consider having an abortion. The word ‘abortion’ came as a huge shock to me. I had just seen my baby moving around I assumed happily so I felt that I couldn’t consider that as an option.

I was told my baby, who weighed just 186g, had Intrauterine Growth Restriction (IUGR) because my placenta wasn’t delivering enough nutrition. I went home disheartened and really upset. But tried to stay positive and focused on trying to give my baby all the nourishment he needed. I’m not sure if it was the high protein diet I put myself on which made the difference, but by 24 weeks, he was 339g and five weeks after that, he was over 600g.

At 29 weeks, when I was due to have yet another scan, I noticed my baby was moving less than usual, but I was too scared to tell the doctor when she asked. The scan showed he wasn’t that active without me even saying though, and the doctor said my baby needed to be delivered the next day.

I had to be transferred to Sunderland hospital, over two and a half hours away, because there weren’t any free incubators. I suddenly became very anxious as I didn’t know anyone there and I had never been there before but I was soon very happy to have been transferred there because I had never met so many lovely people in one place. 

At 7am, I went into the operating theatre with my mum. I had become so used to hearing bad news throughout my pregnancy that I was preparing myself for the worst. But then I heard a little cry, and I can’t describe how happy I felt to know he was alive.

I didn’t have much chance to see him because he had to go straight to intensive care. I was given a picture of my baby while I was recovering which made me feel both happy and sad at the same time. I was happy that he was finally here but it broke my heart to see him with an oxygen mask on: I had just given birth to a baby and I didn’t even know what he properly looked like. 

When I got to see him, he was the tiniest human I had ever seen, weighing just 1lb 10oz. And then the next day, when I went down to the unit, I could see his whole face – he didn’t have an oxygen mask on! The nurse told me that overnight he had been sucking on his oxygen tube like a dummy and his numbers were sky high, so they realised he didn’t need it. I couldn’t believe it – he had only been in the world for a few hours and he was already showing me so much strength, inspiring me to be strong too.

Being able to do his cares made such a difference. Just giving him a quick wash with cotton wool and swabbing his mouth made me feel like I was actually needed. He was so small that when it came to changing his nappy, I only needed to use my little fingers to lift up his legs. At first, I was really nervous because I was scared I might hurt him. But I would definitely encourage other parents to embrace every chance to be as involved as possible and not let fear get in the way because it really helped me to feel like a mum.

Similarly, if I could go back, I would tell myself not to be so stressed about the fact that I couldn’t breastfeed him. In hindsight, I can see that it was outside of my control, so there was no point in feeling guilty, especially because my milk did come in eventually. 

After eight days, we were transferred back to my local hospital in Leeds. I was anxious about having to get to know a new unit and new staff. But when I arrived and saw him there, he had been dressed in a vest and it made me so happy to see him in proper clothes for the first time and not just in a nappy. 

It felt like a step back when he was put back onto oxygen. Suddenly, there was a constant beep, beep, beep from his oxygen alarms. I had been quite naïve, thinking he would just keep getting better and better. I realised I had to take one day at a time,so I repeated a mantra to myself: ‘not every day will be the same’ to stop myself becoming too disheartened.

Two and a half months in, we had to transfer hospitals again when I moved back in with my parents. So it was yet another unit and another set of nurses to get to know. By this point, I was desperate to go home, yearning for a day when I could just be in my pyjamas.

But then, when it came to discussing my son being discharged on oxygen, I wanted my son to stay on the unit. It took a while to learn how to put it on and adjust the levels, but once I did some research and found out that it isn’t uncommon for premature babies to come home on oxygen, I felt more confident.

I was so grateful for having been involved with all his cares when it was time to come home.  While spending a night ‘rooming in’ at the hospital with him, I quickly realised there was a difference between feeding him all day and then getting a full night’s sleep at home to being with him all day and all night. I didn’t know who he was during the night. 

But as much as waking up three times to feed him was a shock to the system, it also felt just as it should be, like I was having the experience I was meant to have had from day one. I had been a mum for months by this point, but those night-time feeds were the final puzzle piece to fully feeling like one. 

Monique Matheson lives in the UK and has a YouTube channel; Independent_Mama_Journals where she talks about her experience having her preemie and his IUGR diagnosis.
To Follow and subscribe to her channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCW-MgVaV_kuN9VdGiucUH4g

Categories: Life in the NICU, Preemie Issues
Tags:

Our Preemie Story

July 31, 2020 by

By Aanchal Singhal and Pallavi Singhal

One or two,

Who knew

The desire for one,

Accidently led to two.

Not just sisters, or fraternal siblings,

But the first set of identical twins recorded in our family history.

Our parents anticipated for one,

But instead received two.

At 33 weeks we were ready to make our debut.

With a rush to enter this world,

we defied all odds

and set a chain of events, 

who would have thought.

Our bond is unbreakable,

bringing along double joy and double the trouble.

Being a preemie came with uncertainties and unknowns,

but we braved through the storm head on.

As we remained in the NICU growing stronger each day,

the nurses showered us with love and helped us with our stay.

As preemies we are born fighters,

paving a path while teaching others.

Our preemie story is quite interesting and brings along a rollercoaster of emotions, so hop on, fasten your seatbelts and join us on this ride. 

I guess our journey started the day our mom found out she was pregnant. Our mom’s pregnancy was full of complications as we were no easy set of twins to please. In fact, we gave our mom a lot of trouble while we were in utero. The main complication was caused by the fact that Aanchal was considered the donor twin. This means that all the nutrients that she was receiving was being handed down to Pallavi. As Aanchal shrunk, Pallavi grew healthier, and our mom was faced with a difficult situation at hand. Despite the Perinatologist and the high risk pregnancy team of doctors constantly pressurizing her to abort Aanchal, who according to them would not survive, our parents chose to keep us both and we are glad they made that decision! In essence it was a fight against time, because the longer my mom could keep us in, the better the chance of our survival would be. On the other hand, she had already started to dilate at 29 weeks! With all of the complications that followed, our mom did not give up on us. We were impatiently waiting to see the world and as a surprise we were born prematurely on July 2nd. We were born at 33 weeks and severely underweight. Aanchal was 1.5 pounds and Pallavi was 2 pounds. Immediately after birth we were rushed to the NICU and stayed in there for 18-22 days. 

Home after a long stay in the NICU

Even though we defied all odds of survival, we had our fair share of health scares. From being rushed to the ER with Croup, to receiving painful RSV shots, to frequent vision checkups and doctor appointments. Although these health issues were prevalent when were babies, Aanchal’s severely low birth weight has resulted in a variety of health problems like severe allergies and P.O.T.S (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome). Pallavi suffers severe migraine and mild allergies. Even now we have our good days and our bad ones, but we continue to draw inspiration and seek motivation from each other.  Life may have thrown a curveball at us, but we didn’t let that strike us out. We were two choices, either let our prematurity define us, or defy the odds and strive for success. 

The winter break of 2018 will forever remain etched in our memory. We visited our cousins in Michigan and on a whim my parents took us to visit the hospital where we were born. We were ecstatic and did not know what to expect. Delighted we tagged along. We were given the wonderful opportunity to walk through the NICU and have a firsthand encounter with other premature babies! We were speechless when we saw the size of these babies and how the nurses carefully tended to them. A flood of emotions rushed though us as we felt like we were looking back in time. We started to relate to all the pictures that we had seen of our self and we gained a better understanding of what it really meant to be a preemie baby. Some neonates were present with underdeveloped limbs and needed special medical equipment. This was an enlightening moment for both of us because this cause is very close to our hearts. We had always wanted to become Engineers, but this experience allowed us to realize our passion for wanting to help other babies like us by pursuing a path in Biomedical Engineering. It is hard to comprehend the scope and scale of care that goes into tending to a premature baby. One can only grasp what it means until they are able to see and appreciate all the work that is done by the doctors and nurses in the NICU and by the parents/caregivers to ensure that that baby will grow strong and remain healthy. We were blessed with such an eye opening opportunity and we encourage all other preemie kids to give back to their Hospital/NICU in their own ways. 

Thank you Aanchal and Pallavi Singhal for sharing your story! We would love to hear how you are doing in the coming years!

If you are interested in writing for Graham’s Foundation, contact us at blog@grahamsfoundation.org

See all that we offer preemie parents at www.grahamsfoundation.org

Categories: Preemie Voices, Preemies now in School
Tags: , , ,

There’s this thing called COVID-19 – A Poem

July 24, 2020 by

by Autumn Schwertfeger

Life is still
Life is more simple now and yet it feels more complicated than ever before
The world has changed, it’s evolved into this new reality
All because of COVID-19
The virus took us all by surprise
It turned the world upside down
It made all the soap, toilet paper, and masks disappear
It made the people disappear too
And now the city is a ghost town
There are no cars humming in the once busy streets
There are new laws in place to keep the world intact
Now people must social distance at least six feet apart
Schools are closed
Distance learning from home
Some jobs are lost
Online pick up is the new trend
Netflix is our new best friend
This virus isn’t close to being gone
Everyone is stuck at home in quarantine
And nothing feels the same
We wonder if everything will be okay
Everyone is hiding
Scared to go out
Scared to get sick
Scared to be another statistic
Everyone is fearful and afraid
This virus is here for the long haul
So get yourself prepared
Although our world may feel different with this new norm
We all stand hopeful for a vaccine to help protect our future
What if
We used this time for something different
This is our moment to take a step back from reality
To recognize the little things in life
Find your dreams
And to get your life together
This quarantine may drive us all crazy mad
But keep your chin up
IT WILL GET BETTER
Life will be busy again like it once was before

-Autumn Schwertfeger is the daughter of Jennifer Schwertfeger, author of preemie book – Life with Grace , which can be found on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.com

Categories: COVID, RSV & Preemies, Preemie Parent Voices, Supporting Preemie Parents
Tags: ,

NICU Dads – Thank You for Being Superheroes!

June 20, 2020 by

by Lindsay Nolan

I was scrolling through Instagram at 3 a.m. while my husband, Danny slept on the couch next to me. My internal clock was off a bit; the NICU does that to you. It was about two weeks into our stay at the hospital and I was deciding on which filters to use to enhance my influx of baby photos. I glanced over at Danny and smiled.

He was sprawled out on the unpadded hospital couch, which was half the length of his body. His legs dangled off the end of it and he was covered by a light blanket that did little to keep him warm. His pillow was on the floor – I am guessing that it did not provide a whole lot of support and he deemed it unnecessary sometime during his sleep. My hospital bed was too small for the both of us. Sometimes, when the unpadded hospital couch was a little too unpadded, the oversized chair in the corner was his resting place of choice.

My gaze was suddenly broken by the sound of my phone alarm, a beat we had gotten to know well. It had been three hours since our last diaper change and our baby, Henry’s last tube feeding. Danny slowly got out of bed and said, “I got this, try to get some rest,” as he maneuvered his body to fall out of its stiff positioning. I watched him as he walked down the softly lit hallway to the NICU and as he scrubbed in for several minutes. He called through the intercom for approval of entrance and disappeared into the room.

I saw Danny again three hours later after my alarm signaled for the next feeding. He was sitting on the rocking chair in our area of the NICU with Henry’s two-pound body laid out across his bare chest. They were doing skin-to-skin contact, also known as kangaroo care, which, we were later told; our nurses believed really allowed Henry to thrive and helped in meeting his milestones. Danny fought to keep his eyes open but kept his loving gaze on our baby boy.

I took over at that point as Danny kissed me goodbye, so that he could go check in to work for the day.

To the often times unsung superheroes of the NICU, thank you.

Thank you for stepping up for your child and doing what is best for them, even when it takes a toll on your own wellbeing at times.

Thank you for facing these trials with positivity and strength.

Thank you for being involved; for washing breast pump parts, for ordering room service, for talking with the amazing staff that takes care of your family and for being present.

Thank you for not only taking care of our baby, but for me as well.

Thank you for your love.

Lindsay Nolan is mom to Henry and Reece. She has published a book about preemies and her journey – Preemies: A Storybook for Mighty Preemies. Available on Amazon here.

Categories: Fathers of Preemies, Preemie Parent Voices, Supporting Preemie Parents
Tags: , , ,

A Note from Graham’s Board Member Dr. Mia W. Doron

May 20, 2020 by

Written by MIA W. DORON, M.D.

I believe whole-heartedly in the mission of Graham’s Foundation and am honored to be on the Executive Board.  

From my many years as a practicing neonatologist, and from sharing the pains and joys of my sister’s experience after delivering 27-week twins, I know that parents of preemies feel terrified, overwhelmed, isolated, and confused, and often don’t know where to turn for support. My professional life has been devoted to providing that support. So when I learned of Graham’s Foundation and its vision – dedicated to a world where no parent goes through the journey of prematurity alone – I said, “Yes! Sign me up for that!”  

Graham’s Foundation has all the pieces in place to achieve that vision:  beautiful care packages for parents filled with useful items and information; empathetic and knowledgeable peer mentors to provide on-going one-on-one support; a tremendous all-round resource in the MyPreemie app to guide families through the chaos of an early birth and hospitalization, through the excitement and anxieties of homecoming and the first few years of their preemie’s life; a large and engaged on-line community; and a staff always striving for excellence. 

In the next 10 years, Graham’s Foundation aims to have a presence in every hospital NICU, so all parents and medical providers are aware of its services, and no one with a premature baby has to travel that road alone.     

NOTES ON THE MyPREEMIE APP AND FEEDING TRACKER

The MyPreemie app came about after my co-authors and I finished writing the 2nd edition of PREEMIES: The Essential Guide for Parents of Premature Babies. Cell phones were still fairly new then, and were not allowed in many NICU’s for fear the signal would interfere with monitoring equipment. But we realized they were quickly becoming the tool young people turned to for information of all kinds, to connect with others, and to help organize their lives. 

We saw a lot of parenting apps for full-term babies, but none for preemies. These apps not only did not meet the needs of parents of premature babies, but their information could actually be wrong if applied to a preemie, and they could make parents feel bad because they weren’t able to participate in the ordinary events of babyhood and parenthood those apps were celebrating. 

So we created an app to guide parents through the experience of prematurity. MyPreemie puts relevant medical information at parents’ fingertips; identifies and prompts them to record significant events that are specific to premature babies; normalizes the turbulent emotions and unfamiliar steps from an early birth, through hospitalization, through the transition home and a preemie’s early years; provides a quick and easy way to keep friends and family informed; makes order out of chaos by giving sample questions to ask medical staff and provides tables and graphs to track a baby’s progress; brings color and warmth to the sterile environment of the NICU with beautifully hand-drawn app pages; and more. 

We are continually trying to improve MyPreemie. For example, we translated the app into Spanish, and are working on a Chinese version, to reach and help more parents. In a few days we will be introducing a Feeding Tracker, with entries aimed at logging the particular events, issues, and milestones in a premature baby’s feeding journey. These are quite different from the average full term baby’s, and are not easily or adequately tracked with the baby feeding apps that are currently available. We are grateful that MyPreemie has been downloaded by tens of thousands of people around the world, and sincerely hope it is making one of life’s most trying and traumatic times a little easier.        

-Dr. Doron is a neonatologist, co-author of the book, Preemies: the Essential Guide for Parents of Premature Babies, and co-creator of the MyPreemie app. –

Categories: News, Supporting Preemie Parents
Tags: , , , ,

Social Distancing & the Village

April 21, 2020 by

by Kristina Mulligan

This world is in scary times as we deal with a global pandemic. COVID-19 is causing fear in many and panic in others. In some way, however, we all feel the anxiety – and possibly the soreness of dry hands. Social distancing and isolation has become the way of life for many, and those that are a bit more “adventurous” are still navigating cancelled events (on their part or society’s) and having to go to work in a world that’s partially shut down. It’s uncharted territory for so many but, as a preemie parent, a lot of these precautions are a part of a normal season. 

I have often been told that the voluntary quarantine that we endure each year since Flynn’s birth is “unnecessary.” I’ve heard unkind words about my “helicopter parenting” and “over-reacting,” that I’m “living in fear” and that “kids need exposure to germs to thrive.” When I wash my hands countless times a day, keep hand sanitizer all over the place, and sanitize my phone, I’ve been called “paranoid” and a “germaphobe.” I can take all that, though, it doesn’t hurt more than it would to have my son’s fragile health compromised. I stand by our decision to self-isolate every year, not because I’m terrified of another hospital stay (though that does play a role) or that I believe the world is only full of sickness and germs. I believe in it for the same reason that your family is doing it due to COVID-19: you want to protect your family. The feelings that you’re having in this moment – fear, uncertainty, confusion, panic – I am no stranger to them.

I say this not with the tone of “I TOLD YOU SO,” instead with one of, “I’ve been here. We’ll get through this.” I’m not insinuating the plight of one family is equal to a global crisis, but up until this point, we have a track record of being okay and standing together, even through all the fear. The same that you are feeling right now. In a time like this, social distancing is important not only for your sake, but for the health of those around you – your neighbors, your friends, the medical community. It’s not a time to panic, hoard, and think only about yourself. Remember that the community as a whole and sticking together (from afar) is equally important as your individual well-being. It takes a village to tackle big things like COVID-19. Be a part of the village, not a part of the problem.

Kristina Mulligan is mom to preemie Flynn and a Parent Preemie Mentor for Graham’s Foundation. She has a blog she posts regularly, “Once In A Mulligan”.
https://www.oneinamulligan.com

Categories: Life After NICU, Life in the NICU, Parenting Preemies, Preemie Parent Voices, Social Distancing with a Preemie, Supporting Preemie Parents
Tags:

A Letter to My Baby on His Birthday

April 17, 2020 by

by Nicole Lauer

My Dearest Kade,

It’s been two years since we said hello and since we had to say goodbye.
99 minutes with you was not enough time, but I thank God every day that I was given that time with you. We miss you every single day. You would be getting so big, walking around and getting into everything you set your eyes on. You would no longer be the tiny little baby I held close as I said goodbye.  It’s been two years since I looked at your perfect little face with your teeny button nose. Two years since I got to cuddle you close and admire your tiny movements (you had the longest legs! You were going to be tall like your daddy!). Two years since I got to see you wrap your little hand around the tip of my finger.  Two years since I had to let you go. I was there for your first breath and I held you close to my heart when you took your last.

Today, we remember you and we reflect on your life, no matter how small it was. I promise to visit you on your birthday and decorate your grave each year. I promise to make sure you aren’t forgotten. Your picture will hang proudly in our home forever. Your Christmas stocking will still be hung. We will always find ways to include you and we will never think twice about it. 

You are not forgotten sweet boy and you never will be. You are forever loved. You are forever missed.

Happy birthday.

I’ll love you forever,

Mommy

Nicole Lauer is a Loss Mentor for the Graham’s Foundation Preemie Parent Mentor Group.

If you need to talk and connect:
https://grahamsfoundation.org/preemie-parent-mentors/

Categories: Preemie Loss & Remembrance, Preemie Parent Voices
Tags: , , , ,

Coping with a Pandemic as a NICU Parent

April 9, 2020 by

By Ali Dunn

I “attended” a virtual happy hour the other day. It was nice to see people’s faces and have conversations with friends even if they were mostly about isolation and COVID-19. We were all sharing stories from our days, tales of working from home, schooling from home, and trying to create some semblance of normalcy all within the four walls of our houses. As I listened, I began to get a strange sensation…this feeling of déjà vu. I have never experienced a global pandemic before, but all the emotions I am currently experiencing are very familiar. I have felt this type of fear and isolation before…when I had a baby in the NICU. All of the trauma that I thought I had dealt with years ago, is slowly seeping back into my life. 

If you are a current or former NICU parent, you may also be reliving some of these same fears, concerns, and experiences that were a part of your time in the NICU. And as a result, you may be struggling a little more than the average person. But I would like to remind you (and myself) that while it feels very heavy right now, NICU parents are uniquely qualified to cope with this type of situation because we all have prior experience. So remembering these things might help you to get through these days. 

This is hard, but you can do hard things.
Remember learning that your baby would need to be in the NICU? I don’t think I’ve ever experienced anything harder than that. And it didn’t get any easier as I traveled back and forth from the hospital, pumped, washed and sanitized everything, and worried about my tiny baby.  Because I overcame this very hard experience before, I know I can do it again.

There is so much uncertainty, but you have felt that before.
Do you wake up not knowing what news the day will bring? Will something bad happen that will set back the progress you were hoping to make? It sounds like a typical day in the NICU! I can’t think of a situation with more uncertainty than the NICU roller coaster. Things are going well and it looks like it will all be over soon, and then a setback puts you back at square one. Because I dealt with this previous ambiguity, I know I can do it again.

You are staying at home, but you’ve experienced time in isolation.
In the first year of my babies’ lives, we stayed home all the time. They were released from the NICU in the middle of RSV season and it was just too risky to take them out in public. So we didn’t. After several months in the NICU, it was not the ideal situation as I was ready to resume life as usual. And I wanted my babies to experience real-life outside of a hospital and my house. But it wasn’t safe, so we just didn’t do it.  I actually have many tender memories of that time as we all hunkered down in our little cocoon. Because of this previous time in isolation, I know that I can do it again, and I’m hoping that in a few years I will look back at this time fondly as well.

Our current state of affairs feels eerily similar to the NICU experience to me. This brings up a lot of feelings  like fear, anxiety, and isolation. If you are also feeling these things, don’t forget to tap into your support network if you need additional help. But I also feel a sense of hope! I learned that from the NICU as well! I made it through once, and I can do it again…and you can too!

Ali Dunn is a micro preemie mom to twins, children’s book author and speaker whose topics include infertility, prematurity and finding your true calling.
You can check out her books, I Was a Preemie Just Like You, I Needed the NICU Just Like You, The Career Explorer and other great children’s titles at www.metwobooks.com

If you are having feelings of stress from having a preemie and being isolated inside because of Covid-19, please contact Graham’s Foundation for help. www.grahamsfoundation.org

Categories: COVID, RSV & Preemies, Preemie Parent Voices, Social Distancing with a Preemie, Supporting Preemie Parents
Tags: , , , , , ,

Coronavirus and the NICU: A Doctor’s Perspective

April 7, 2020 by

by Dr. Stephen D DeMo, DO MEd

I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy during this difficult time. From a Neonatologist’s perspective, these last few weeks have felt surreal. On the one hand, we have taken some solace in the fact that it appears that infants and children are not severely affected by COVID-19. On the other hand, we have been watching as our colleagues in the emergency room and adult ICU’s prepare for a possible wave of very sick patients to hit the hospital. There s a palpable fog of anxiety in the hospital, as security guards check visitors and staff, and military like triage tents appear overnight outside our emergency department. Personal protective equipment is being rationed, and staff is being reduced in order to limit traffic in and out of the NICU.

One of the scariest things I participated in was counting how many neonatal ventilators we had in the hospital, and how many could be re-programmed to work on an adult patient. While NICU babies may not become critically ill from COVID-19, my colleagues and I remain worried about being able to maintain an excellent standard of care while the rest of the healthcare system is strained.

Perhaps the biggest stressor to our families has been the significant visitation restrictions put in place at our hospital. The NICU has always been a place that limited visitors, especially during flu and RSV season to protect our babies, but COVID-19 has caused many hospitals to reduce NICU visitation to only mom and dad, or support person, for the duration of the hospitalization. Combine that with families that are already navigating the challenge of having older siblings at home and out of school, or being worried about job security for themselves or their spouse, I’ve felt the anxiety in our moms and dads more acutely these last few days. How scary to feel alone in the hospital will a critically ill newborn. During my 2 weeks on service, I’ve tried to just recognize and validate those feelings out loud. I think for some parents it’s actually been good to talk through that.

There have been some positives in this new way of doing medicine- since we are shifting most of NICU follow up clinic visits to Telemedicine (using video like Facetime or through other apps), we are findings new ways to engage with families. Our G-tube clinic has been doing “virtual” G-tube checks, which both families and doctors have loved; will this become the new normal, to help families not have to pack up their preemie for a car ride for every follow up visit? The concept of social distancing has made tangible to the general public the usual protective steps we take to protect our preemies when they leave the hospital. Hunkering down like a preemie mom is now in vogue.

Parents of babies in the NICU, or those at home with a recently discharged NICU baby may feel particularly isolated at this time. That’s why it’s important to use our parent networks to support families, or to check in with moms who may be home alone with a baby during this time. I hope that programs like the Parent Mentor or transition to home packages at Graham’s Foundation will give families comfort as we navigate this new normal in society. NICU families are incredibly resilient, I know we will get through this together. 

Dr. Stephen D. DeMeo DO, MEd
Division of Neonatology-WakeMed Health & Hospitals
Regional Assistant Dean- Campbell SOM/WakeMed

Categories: COVID, RSV & Preemies, Life in the NICU, Social Distancing with a Preemie
Tags: , , , , , ,

NICU Babies in the Era of COVID-19

March 30, 2020 by

by DeeAnna Serna, RCP, RRT-NPS, AE-C

Hello there, let me tell you a little about me before I get into all the details of this topic.

My name is D’Anna I am a respiratory therapist with about 20+ years of experience, I’ve been a NICU therapist since 2000.  I now work in the outpatient setting as an Asthma educator and Cystic Fibrosis specialist.

So … Fortunately I know about respiratory diseases, this virus is novel thus the N in 2019-nCoVand we are learning on the daily.  

What we do know.

The symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure.* source https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/symptoms.html

  • Fever
  • Cough
  • Shortness of breath  

The best way to prevent illness is to avoid being exposed to this virus.

While that may go without saying… here is a link with information on prevention and cleaning CDC-Covid-19 prevention

I state this information for background.  

Now what does this mean for our babies in the NICU?  

The short answer is that there is not enough information out there, because we have (fortunately) have not gotten report of an exposure of Covid-19 in a NICU.

As this is an emerging virus most of the information is based on effects on pregnancy and newborns (term gestation).  

There is a small amount of data regarding delivery of infants to Covid-19+ mothers and the outcomes following delivery.  Covid-19 pregnant women-and-impact-newborns

 What we as a team can do (family & medical) is prevention.

Strict visitation policies, effective hand washing and cleaning of equipment.

Staying home if you feel ill and clean handling of breast milk if one does have symptoms.

While this may seem like repetition … it is because we all need daily reminders.  

I am grateful that I have heard no reports of this organism in a NICU and we must all work together to keep it this way. When more information becomes available I will be happy to update.

So I close saying … stay strong and vigilant. These little ones are being born into a very different world.  You as always make the difference and we as your NICU team are here to help and support you in any way we can.

Be well and take care of each other …

_____________________________________________________________________________
DeeAnna Serna is a Respiratory Therapist in Southern California. She has worked in the NICU and is currently the Lead Respiratory Therapist for the Pediatric Pulmonary & Sleep Medicine Clinic as well as the Adult & Pediatric Cystic Fibrosis Clinics.

Categories: COVID, RSV & Preemies, Life in the NICU, Social Distancing with a Preemie
Tags:

Write for Us!

Would you like to share your story with the Graham's Foundation community? Interested in becoming a regular blogger for Graham's Foundation? Fill out the form here.

Next »