Sense of place as NICU nurse 

Print curtains with floating blue stars and crescent-shaped moons are drawn for privacy between preterm babies. Pastel blue and pink blankets drape the tops of isolettes. Parents rest in comfortable chairs near their baby’s “bedroom.” Lights are dimmed except during special procedures. Clever anecdotes that describe an infant’s personality are written on personalized blackboards. Baby Om’s board reads, “Welcome fighter.”

Om (which means “peace”), born Oct. 17, 2006, at 26 weeks, weighed one pound, 12 ounces. His mother’s membranes ruptured at 18 weeks, complicated by oligohydramnios (a deficiency of amniotic fluid), which affected Om’s lungs. He was admitted to the NICU and placed on high-frequency ventilation.

An NICU nurse at Banner Desert describe Om as courageous as he lays in his isolette surrounded by tubes, IV lines, and monitors. The lights are low, and his mother smiles as she caresses his tiny fingers. When his mother touches him, Om’s O2 sat rises from 88 to 94%, and he appears calm.

During the next three weeks, Om continues to thrive, and his parents, Nehal and Naimish, dream about the day when they can take him home.

Irregular rhythm in the NICU

On Nov. 20, Nehal (Om’s mother) noticed an irregularity as she cuddled her son; something was different. She told the nurses, “Om is not himself. His forehead is wrinkled, and his tiny right hand is pressed against his cheek.” Feedings were slowed, labs drawn, and a blood transfusion given. Om was intubated before undergoing exploratory surgery - before he passed away Nov. 22 with suspected necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), a gastrointestinal disease that affects mostly premature infants.

Coping with death

NICU nurses are interconnected as they deal with intimate issues - life and death. Kelly Campbell, an RN in the NICU at Banner Desert, knows how difficult it is for mothers to go through the experience of delivering a baby prematurely or with congenital abnormalities. “When a life is taken so early, dreams are shattered, and the experience becomes overwhelming,” Campbell says.

Parents are often faced with making the heart-wrenching decision to remove respiratory support when an infant reaches that particular point when medical intervention can’t save their child. During this time, nurses help parents experience their dream of parenting, even if it’s for a brief period.

“We encourage parents to hold their infant[s], give them a bath, read to them, rock them, and sing to them, or have the baby baptized - anything that’s important to the family,” Campbell says. “The unit provides pictures for the family along with plaster imprints of [the] baby’s hands and feet. A nurse packages up belongings: a blanket, infant ID bands, and a comb, and inserts them into a handmade quilted envelope or decorated photo box.”

To read more about the life of a NICU nurse and what it takes to be an travel NICU RN follow the link to page three