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The Neonatal Itensive Care Unit
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The Special Care Nursery (SCN) is part of SRHS's
Women's Life Center. It is
responsible for the care of high risk newborns. It houses
18 intermediate beds and 12 intensive care beds. Through the dilligent work of its highly
skilled staff, the SCN specializes in "Family Centered Care"
which involves keeping the family together and able to interact. The SCN
considers this extremely important, especially with the added stress of
having a baby in the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit). Further, its staff
helps parents to learn how to actively care for their
infants (i.e., feeding, changing diapers, and bathing), so that they will
feel more comfortable with these tasks when they take their infant home.
The Intermediate Nursery
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The Special Care Nursery is split up into two areas. One area is
designed for newborns who are VERY ill. This area is the intensive
care unit. It contains twelve beds including 2 isolation rooms.
The other area is called the Intermediate Nursery. This area is
designed for newborns who are not as ill as newborns in the intensive
care unit, but still need the special attention the SCN provides.
The sight of some of the equipment used in the SCN can sometimes be
overwhelmeing to parents. We ask our parents to keep in mind that this
equipment is sometimes necessary to help keep their babies healthy. A
picture of some equipment that parents might come across can be seen
below.
A photo of some equipment that
parents might see in the SCN.
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There are two well trained neonatologists who work in the SCN at
Southern Regional Medical Center. A Neonatologist is a physician
specially trained in the care of sick newborns. The two Neonatologists
are Francisco Velez, MD, FAAP and Adegboyega Aderibigbe, MD,
FAAP.
The staff in the SCN take pride in being one of the top care centers
for high risk newborns in the Southern Crescent. We try to make the
environment for babies and parents as comfortable as possible by means
of using developmental care. Developmental care includes correct usage
of positioning, touching, lights, and sound.
- Positioning is important because preemies cannot get into a
comfortable position on his/her own. Over time, positioning affects a
baby's motor development.
- Learning correct touching is important because studies show that
touch may be more stressful than soothing for preemies younger than 30
weeks gestation. For older preemies, however, gentle touching can be
helpful.
- Lights may be a concern because bright lights may cause injury to
the eye, may disturb body rhythms, or may keep a baby from opening
his/her eyes and looking around.
- Sound can also be a concern because loud sound may damage the
baby's ears, lead to hearing loss and be stressful for a baby. Loud
sounds, in addition to the sounds of the bed motors and breathing
equipment, may raise the noise level to an uncomfortable
level.
The physician and nursing staff of the SCN help teach the parents
about developmental care. The parents use this knowledge while
visiting their babies in the SCN and take this knowledge home with
them and their babies.
There are many additional services that Southern Regional Medical Center provides to
help with the needs of the babies in the SCN. Some of these services
include:
- Case Management - Offers supportive services to families
experiencing a medical crisis such as having a premature or sick
infant.
- Chaplain Services - There is always a minister on duty at
the hospital for added support and prayer.
- Early Intervention Programs - "Babies Can't Wait" is a
statewide program for infants and toddlers at risk for developmental
delays.
- Feeding Therapy - A feeding therapist has special training
in the treatment and development of infants with special feeding
needs.
- The Lactation Center - Provides a service that helps any mother with
breastfeeding needs
- Physical Therapy - A physical therapist has special
training in the treatment and understanding of premature and term
infants. The therapist evaluates the baby's muscle tone and
movements and performs exercises to improve muscle strength and
flexibility.
- Speech Therapy - A speech-language pathologist is often
consulted by physicians for evaluation, recommendations, and therapy
to improve the feeding skills of premature or medically fragile
infants.
Having a baby in the SCN can be a stressful time for families. It is
our goal to promote the healthy growth and development of each and
every baby admitted.
Additional Information
If you have specific questions about the Special Care Nursery, you can
send an e-mail to Melissa Holcomb, RN, BSN. Further,
you may want to utilize the additional resources below.
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