“Our baby had arrived but was very sick and struggled to breathe. I cried, alone in my room, hooked up to an electric pump, wishing my baby was well enough to be with me. Kind nurses cared for me as I recovered. Always at the forefront of my mind was my tiny little baby resting quietly in his isolette a short walk away in the NICU.”
Sarah, a mother of two boys, recalls the premature arrival of her younger son, Jack Richard, weighing 2 lbs., 9 oz. at birth. By the time Jack was ready to leave the hospital, saying goodbye to the NICU staff who cared for him was an emotional experience.
“How do you thank someone for sustaining your child’s life? For caring not just for your child, but for your entire family? These wonderful people have left life-long impressions on our family. We are forever changed because of their kindness, compassion, excellent care, and love.”
Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health’s Women & Babies Hospital is home to Lancaster County’s most advanced Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), caring for newborns as early as 23 gestational weeks.
While the NICU team provides a highly supportive and nurturing environment for families, having a baby in the NICU is still a stressful and scary experience for parents. A parent focused on their baby’s illness may be unable to look beyond their current situation and feel hopeful about the future.
To help support the emotional needs of these families, Margi Bowers, MSN, MHA, RN, NE-BC, nurse manager of the NICU, proposed the design and installation of a Wall of Hope display in the halls outside the unit.
Design renderings of the NICU Wall of Hope display at Women & Babies Hospital. Families of former NICU babies are being invited to participate in the project.The wall will feature professional photographs of healthy, former NICU patients who are thriving today, each holding a photo of themselves as a “preemie” from their NICU stay. Words of inspiration from the families will be included in the display along with each baby’s gestational age and weight at birth.
“Our purpose for the Wall of Hope is to support and inspire the families that find themselves entering the NICU. The images of beautifully growing children who have ‘graduated’ from our unit will welcome these families and offer a sense of hope, comfort and encouragement,” Bowers said.
The project is being coordinated by a committee representing LG Health’s NICU, Marketing and Pediatric teams and is expected to be completed by mid-fall.