NICU Tour at Children's Hospital in St. Paul

by Marilyn Rukavina

In September, seven Bundles of Love volunteers toured the new state-of-the-art NICU at Children’s Hospital in St. Paul, the largest unit in the United States with individual rooms.

Fifteen Nurse Practitioners comprise 2 teams, working 12 hour shifts, who run the neo-natal intensive care unit. Accompanied by a pharmacist, the Nurse Practitioners perform the daily rounds usually performed by doctors. There are two doctors for the entire unit.

The unit is equipped with top of the line monitors and equipment including a tube system (much like a drive-up teller system) going to the lab and the pharmacy. Each baby’s heart, respiration, oxygen saturation and blood pressure is monitored continuously and then recorded every two hours. The babies are weighed daily.

Each nurse is equipped with a phone and a badge. When a baby has a problem, such as a drop in heart rate, an alarm registers on every nurse’s phone as well as on a light outside the baby’s room. When a nurse enters the room, a light goes on above the door, triggered by her badge, signaling other nurses that someone has responded to the alarm.

Seventy-five percent of the babies that come to this unit have lung problems (a common problem with premature babies). Some babies have stayed six to eight months in the unit, while others are fortunate to go home within a few days. If they are gaining weight and eating regularly, they can go home. If they don’t eat right away, a feeding tube is put through their nose down into their tummy.

The unit is equipped with 50 individual private rooms with glass doors. Several of these units are equipped for twins. The parents can stay round the clock for the entire length of their baby’s stay, right in the room with their baby. The baby’s siblings are permitted to visit but during flu season these visits are restricted to once a week. Each baby’s room contains a bed, closet, refrigerator, computer hookup for the parents as well as the isolette, monitors and equipment for the baby.

The old NICU was full of activity—one large room where the babies’ isolettes were lined up from wall to wall. The individual rooms make a tremendous difference for the babies. They are much more content in their new surroundings.

There is also a large room where the parents and siblings can eat, play, relax, socialize and work on computers. This room contains a refrigerator, microwave, tables and chairs, toys, computers, etc. Parents can use the computers to create their own web site for their baby, providing an excellent tool to keep their family and friends up to date on their baby’s condition.

The NICU contains a closet that is used for donations they receive, including the hats and quilts from Bundles of Love. The quilts are used to cover the isolettes. This keeps the babies warm and their temperature regular. It also keeps them quiet and keeps out the light, resulting in fewer problems with the babies. The picture below shows the closet along with Pat Reinke, who is our contact at the NICU. She said to thank everyone for all of the beautiful items we donate to their hospital.

Volunteer Appreciation Lunch

All volunteers on our mailing list (either e-mail or US mail) should have received an invitation in mid-March to a Bundles of Love volunteer appreciation lunch. In recognition of your dedication and hard work year-round, the Bundles of Love board of directors will be hosting an appreciation lunch for ALL volunteers.

If you have not already done so, please RSVP to Teresa Wilts as soon as possible so we can finalize plans for the event. E-mail: twilts@bundlesoflove.org