Few parents expect their newborn’s first days to include time in the neonatal intensive care unit.
While it’s true that for some babies, receiving care in the NICU is a matter of life or death, for many others it’s about giving the baby the strongest possible start in life.
“There are many reasons why a baby may end up with us,” said Dr. Meghan Moroze, a neonatologist on the Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – Frisco at PGA Parkway medical staff, who cares for babies in the NICU. “That doesn’t just include preterm births, but also congenital anomalies or even babies who may have had a more difficult delivery and just need to stay with us for some stabilization.”
Beyond providing quality care for the tiniest patients, BSW – Frisco at PGA Parkway strives to deliver exceptional experiences for parents.
“From the beginning, the design of the hospital has centered around the maternal experience,” said Dr. Eric Beshires, chief medical officer for the hospital. “As we developed our strategy for the NICU, we chose large rooms with easy and comfortable access and advanced technologies, including giving parents access to video monitoring when desired.”
A growth mindset
For nearly all babies in the NICU, the No. 1 goal is to help them grow so they can go home as soon and as safely as possible.
“We really focus on growth, especially for those premature babies,” Dr. Moroze said. “Growth, overall, will make everything more stable.”
Helping these babies gain weight helps their lungs and brains grow, and they’re able to learn more skills, such as how to breathe on their own.
“I tell parents that a lot of babies will catch up, and you won’t even be able to tell by 2 years that those babies may have been born early,” Dr. Moroze said.
With this in mind, she advises parents with babies in the NICU not to compare their baby’s development to babies born full-term. That’s why the NICU team sets goals based on “corrected age.” A baby born at 32 weeks is not going to hit the same developmental milestones one month after birth as a baby born at 40 weeks.
“We really want parents to be involved as much as possible, to celebrate the small victories like gaining a little bit of weight and to not compare their baby to their friend’s 2-month-old,” Dr. Moroze said.
The development team
“We’re very proud of our NICU team,” Dr. Beshires said. “The level of training and experience is exceptional, and they serve these babies and families at the highest level.”
The Baylor Scott & White – Frisco at PGA Parkway NICU team features developmental specialists, including neonatologists, specialized nurses, therapists, lactation consultants and more. These dedicated team members focus on creating the environment and providing the skills needed to help NICU babies thrive.
“Sleep is really important,” Dr. Moroze said. “The development of functional brain connectivity, enabling the brain to process and integrate information, occurs during sleep.”
The NICU is generally quiet and has special bassinets to keep babies warm, but parents play an important role, too.
“We encourage skin-to-skin with mom or dad, as that does help the baby sleep, regulates their vital signs and hopefully promotes those connections in the brain,” Dr. Moroze said.
The team also works on positioning babies appropriately. This promotes uninterrupted sleep, as well as a host of other developmental benefits, such as fine and gross motor skills, energy conservation, and self-calming or self-soothing. Speech therapists also help these babies with the proper oral skills needed to develop their sucking reflex, while lactation consultants can work with moms on their milk supply.
Keeping parents in the loop
The NICU team keeps parents updated on their baby’s status, either in person or through phone calls. New moms also have access to the Postpartum Care journey in the MyBSWHealth app, which provides support and access to a full range of postpartum specialists and services.
Parents can also use MyBSWHealth to monitor their baby’s care in the NICU and send messages directly to the care team. The approach at Baylor Scott & White – Frisco at PGA Parkway is all about delivering the best care and experience for babies and families during a challenging time.
“Nobody can ever replace a parent,” Dr. Moroze said. “But we want them to know that their baby is in good hands while they’re with us in the NICU.”
Click here to learn more about Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – Frisco at PGA Parkway today.
Physicians provide clinical services as members of the medical staff at one of Baylor Scott & White Health’s subsidiary, community or affiliated medical centers and do not provide clinical services as employees or agents of Baylor Scott & White Health or those medical centers.
The above story was produced by the Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – Frisco at PGA Parkway team with Community Impact's Storytelling team, using information solely provided by the local business as part of their "sponsored content" purchase through our advertising team.
