The 12 days my daughter spent in the NICU were 12 weird days. That neonatologist was great, though. When my daughter had to be re-admitted to the NICU 20 hours after going home on day 8, he was very careful to look me in the eyes and say "You did not cause this. Babies just throw curve balls." I needed that that day and he knew it.
We had a life flight and 10 days in nicu with my son. There are literally angels working there. After 2 surgeries and subsequent cicu stays I can say that those of you who dedicate your lives to helping these kids are the most beautiful people in this planet.
@@Kalenz1234 what are you talking about? What at this rate? People's heads haven't been getting larger or anything. C sections have nothing to do with anything. Baffling take all around
Not so much... No. I'm 30 years old and weighed 1.2kg when i left the hospital as a newborn. My grandma reminds me about this around 6-8 times a year. I don't think ANYONE who's ever had a preterm baby underappreciates it, maybe those who haven't do. Again, this was 30 years ago, in a third world country sir, we've had this for many days. I sit my medical residency exam next week btw :)
My mom is a neonatologist. Everything here is spot on. Nothing "normal" ever works, strong instincts and creativity are masthave and nurses are ninja-warriors. Also at home my mom used to calculate doses of medicine for hours, murmuring to herself and scribbling like a mad scientists. Infants are so weird and so small, doses have to be precise to a 0.0001 gramm. This job is very demanding.
@@just2botheru , because this way it's more colorful. All the the 0s after . make the number look bigger and scarier, wich helps you feel how small the "1" is. Just like half a million reads different from 500 grand or 500 000. My point was not to show how well i know kindergarden learned number words.
My dad is a neonatologist too! I’m literally a doctor now but I still can’t really understand the orders he gives over the phone, it’s so specific and calculated and changes every hour
Our firstborn was 7 weeks early. Some violent event had just happened somewhere else and I overheard two of the NICU nurses were talking about a directive from the hospital administration that if a shooter was announced in the building, they were to close all interior doors for isolation rooms, pull all the curtains for the remaining beds, and close and lock the bay doors and then head to the safe room. Both of them scoffed at it and said anyone dumb enough to be a shooter would have to go through them before they got to the babies. I had been feeling very vulnerable as a first-time father and a NICU parent, but I felt much safer about my son after that.
The thought of if this happens and I was a NICU nurse was... "anyone who threatens tiny sick babies deserves to die." I'd attack with the first sharp or bludgeoning instrument at hand if they came into the room. Not all babies can be moved after all. Sadly the opening wasn't available to us MedSurg nurses trying to escape the hells of MedSurg (it was for experienced NICU nurses). So I guess I won't be becoming a NICU nurse anytime soon. Gotta look for any baby nurse position I can find...
My daughter was a 26 weeker and at her lowest point weighed 1 lbs. 5 oz. I can attest to how you become so focused on tiny babies, you lose all perspective. Once, when a newborn was admitted to the NICU, my husband and I said wow look at that big bruiser? How much does he weigh? We found out the baby weighed 5 pounds! Boy was our perspective skewed! I’m happy to say my daughter is now 25 years old, is taller and (probably) smarter than me and is a fourth grade teacher!
my mother always tells the story of how I ended up on the NICU as a newborn for an entire week with the premies bc my liver refused to kickstart, she'd get the nastiest looks from other mothers bc I was nearing 8 lbs and needing that UV light
Your daughter sounds like me. I was somewhat smaller than her (25 weeker here) at my lowest and I struggled to put on weight because I wouldn’t eat. Fortunately, my mom and dad found out that I loved yogurt (still do 😊) and I got bigger and stronger. Now I’m in my early 30s and, at ~6’ and 250+ lbs, I’ve got the opposite problem no thanks to me discovering DoorDash during the pandemic 😅. Glad to hear your daughter is thriving!
I’m glad she’d good! I had to laugh at your weight comparison, that a 5lb baby looked like a bruiser! My second daughter was just a week early & weighed 5lbs; she was otherwise healthy. But compared to her sisters, she was sooo tiny! Lol I can’t imagine have a baby that small but thank goodness we have advanced medicine to help them survive & thrive!
@@guardianeris my oldest had a pneumothorax when she was born. She was 7lb5oz but her lungs wouldn’t work so she needed an oxygen tent. She seemed so tiny to us but huge compared to her sister that was 5lbs7oz.
Can confirm, NICU nurses are INTENSE. They will cut a bitch if you don’t adhere to their protocols. When I was rotating in peds surg and had to write a follow up note on a CDH baby when my seniors weren’t there, the NICU nurses literally made me turn out my pockets and watched me scrub and gown. They’re intense and I love them.
That’s true for some but some of them do get held, rocked, and comforted by the nurses and their parents. Others get skin to skin contact with their parents, which really helps their health and growth. All depends on the specific baby and what they need and what is safe for them.
As a med student, I was in NICU and I cleared my throat/coughed slightly (was wearing a mask and this was pre-covid!) and I was unceremoniously booted out of there. Those nurses mean business
My nephew was in the NICU for a few days pre-covid and we got lectured by the nurse and showed how to properly wash up before we could go in his room. My triplets were born during covid and the only difference on procedures were no visitors period and there was now a box to sanitize our phone before we entered the wing. So yea, they were always very strict. NICU nurses are amazing. One knew something wasn’t right with my son because he wouldn’t take his binkie like he did the night before and she caught that he had NEC almost instantly. It was a long road but because they started treating him right away he made a full recovery.
Gives me a whole new perspective on a story my mom likes to tell. When I was born I was put in the NICU briefly for observation. I was larger than normal, but had some health issues. Between post partum and my being in the NICU my mom was understandably upset, and when she came to look at me she started to cry. A neonatologist came to comfort her, and asked what was wrong. All my mom could muster was “he’s so small!”. The neonatologist asked which baby was hers, and when she pointed at the giant 9 pound me, the neonatologist apparently turned to her and said “Ma’am you’re baby is NOT small” and he could not help but laugh. That helped my mom feel better apparently, and we still laugh to that story.
Similar story with me 😂 born full term with minor complications - parents said I looked like a "monster baby" among all the premies. Also, a mountain lion walked right past the hospital that day, which is cool
Someone I know gave birth to a 9 pound girl. And Jackie Chan was 12 pound baby. His mother struggled for hours until they decided to deliver him by c-section.
My oldest son was 2 weeks overdue, my water broke and 36 hours later was delivered via emergency C-section. At 9 lb 15 oz, he was admitted to NICU. The nurses loved to hold and feed that huge bouncing baby.
Extremely protective Nicu nurse here: 🙏 thank you! I’ve been waiting for our specialty to be covered and you did a great job! ❤ I will drop kick someone if needed to keep my baby healthy 👍🏻
Thank you for what you do. I have perfectly healthy 24 weeker twins doing all of the things little boys get to do because of people like you. My boys refer to their NICU nurses as Aunt Nurse (name) lol
ok...but....could you stop trying to eat my skin when we come to make an x-ray on them? already intense enough making sure the dosage is juuuust high enough... :)
My Great-Uncle Jack was born in the mid 1920s at 27 weeks. The doctors told my great grandmother to just "let him go peacefully". She brought him home and kept him in a shoebox next to the fireplace and fed him by putting drops of her milk in his mouth. He grew up and thrived because she knew that he had a chance. I'm so glad that doctors now are giving babies that same chance.
My grandma has a similar story. Born in December, 1932- a month early in snowy, rural Tennessee. The doctor told my great grandma to "pick a spot on the hill for her." (Wtf, right?) She was born at 4lbs and was fed Eagle Brand Condensed milk to then become an 18lb monster by 6mos. She'll be 91 this year 😌
@@Andrea-dt4jk Certainly callous by today's standard, but go back another century and you get a coin toss whether a baby carried to term would make it. The mentality of "don't grow attached to it and don't view it as human yet before it's 2 years old" took some time to get rid off.
My great-grandfather has a similar story: he was born fairly premature on the ship his parents were on immigrating to the US, sometime around the turn of the 20th century. I was told he was kept warm by surrounding him with heated bricks.
Babies metabolism isnt the same as adults. We would be given theophylline, but babies convert that to caffeine, so you just skip it and go straight to caffeine.
My sister had just finished her neonatal rotation for med school when I had my son. He was full term, but weighed just under 6lbs at birth and very long, so he often looked even lighter to people. I constantly was getting comments about how tiny he was, even for a newborn. When my sister finally got to see him, the first words from her mouth were "oh my God, he's HUGE!"
As the aunt of two tiny preemies, I can relate. But, those two tiny preemies grew up to be US Marines and the gentlest of men when handling infants and children.
As a former Corpsman with the Marines, don't worry, they never grew up. =P I'm kidding! I loved my crayon eaters, they're great guys. Wouldn't trade them for anything.
I am a Woman Marine Veteran. I had my son prematurely at 6 weeks and 6 days while on leave way back in 1991. Happy to hear that your nephews grew up healthy and are now a part of "The Few and the Proud."
@@thatrandomguyo1Many years ago, in an examining room at a Naval hospital aboard a large Marine Corps base, I saw a metal paper towel dispenser on the floor. Written on the front of the box in marker: Instructions for Marines: See back of box. On the wall were four screws where the box used to hang. I imagine the floor smartass had written that and got a lecture for it, as it was still sitting there as a warning reminder. As the wife of a Marine Gunny, I got a laugh out of that. The Marines considered you guys honorary Marines when you do field duty.
My Dad is a retired NICU nurse, and is also a retired Army nurse. He was kind and patient with the (often scared) parents and babies, and professional with his co-workers. But if he saw anyone doing something they shouldn't because it endangered a baby, he would let them know right quick regardless of who it was. You have to be that way with a baby that you can hold in your cupped hands.
As a veterinarian i will give a jar of instant coffee to dairy cattle that have a specific type of gastrointestinal torsion. The caffine will sometimes shake it loose. I've also used it on a pig and a cat that the owners couldn't afford surgery.
My mom is an NICU RN. She's told me about babies that are so premature that even touching them can cause their skin to peel. Think a really, really ripe peach. The hospital she works at gets pretty sick babies, but the trauma centre gets preemies as young as 23 weeks! For context, term is 40 weeks. But those babies are so, *so* fragile. Also, yes, she is *constantly* weirded out by "giant" term babies.
Worked with a nurse who came to us from NICU. I told her I'd never be able to work with premies, they scared the hell out of me. She just laughed and said adults scared the hell out of her 😂
The youngest babe our NICU ever got (and I cared for) was 21wks (in general, we resuscitate 22wks and above only (or 500g and above) but when you get a patient whose parent had no prenatal care or parent who had no idea they were pregnant you have to be a little less rigid. I can't remember their weight as it was nearly a decade ago but the baby was under 400g for certain.
@@jennifergraceh I think so but I’m not 100% certain. But there are plenty of prems I can never forget. I especially love seeing them walk into the Pediatric ER having made it to 2, 3, 4 years old with no appreciable deficits. This isn’t usually the case but there are a few microprems who beat the odds. The moms always recognize me and I am always so thrilled to see them (aside from the croup/bronchiolitis/asthma exacerbation they came because of).
I was born at 26 weeks and spent the first several months of my life in NICU. Considering how poorly I was when I was born I'm in good health. Big thanks to all the NICU staff!
@@Kalenz1234 Around 22 weeks is about as low as we can go with current tech, and even then its a tiny number of infants that make it through..like 2% or so.
@@Kalenz1234 probably the 21 week babies that make it are more the miracle ones those being the ones with effectively 0% chance of survival that still somehow pull through.. 22 weeks there is at least a quantifiable chance of making it with enough intervention (remember most of that 98% would not be in a position to receive such care due to location and timing.. but I don't dismiss your point.
I was in a medical shadow program in my senior year of high school, and I was the only student in the program allowed to have a rotation in the NICU because I was on a career path to become a midwife. I visited the NICU for 3 hours, twice a week, for 3 months. The majority of the time, I would follow around whoever was doing the most active tasks that evening. I knew which babies I was allowed to interact with unsupervised, but it was only ever to give them pacifiers, adjust hats, retuck unswaddled arms, etc. On uneventful days, the NICU nurses tried to find other things for me to do. I was sent to watch a c-section once, and to a circumcision another time. One of my clearest memories though was just after my own birthday. We had a baby who had been in the whole time I'd been shadowing, even though she was much larger than the others... she wasnt premature, she was detoxing. Babies who are being weaned off of opiods tend to be inconsolable and feel the need to be held and rocked way more than other babies, but for some reason, she was even MORE fussy that evening. The NICU nurses and I spent that our time trading back and forth, lightly dancing or sitting in a rocking chair with her, listening to old christmas music on pandora... I remember she liked the genuine old stuff, and hated when Michael buble covers came on. I still think about the babies I helped look after, even though that was 5 years ago........and I still remember exactly how to wash my hands properly before being allowed in, and the smell of the soap and the weird antibacterial lotion. For real. It sticks with you. Edit: It wasn't all peaceful memories, of course. My shifts were Wednesdays and Sundays, and I recall meeting an extreme micro premie one shift who was gone by the next. That hospital's cutoff date for NICU care at the delivery of a premature infant is 21 weeks, and that baby was born at 21+3 I believe, barely overly the line. Related to that, here's an example of nurses being extremely strict over something seemingly innocuous...neonates that young barely have skin. Their eyes are still fused shut, but their eyelids are so thin that the developing eyes can be damaged if you expose them to too much bright light--fuss with the blanket over a micro premie's isolette, and a nurse WILL end you.
Wait. Circumcision? I need more info. Who was being circumcised?? A baby, a girl, a boy, a woman? A man?? WHY were they being circumcised? Did someone's parents or partner demand it? Why did the hospital agree?
@@weareallbornmad410 It's an American hospital, the majority of male babies are circumcised here. There was nothing unusual going on whatsoever, this was a normal, everyday, run of the mill thing thing. Not commenting on the ethics, that's just the fact.
My neighbor left retirement to go back to NICU nursing during the Pandemic. She was NOT going to let those babies be forgotten or even just short staffed just because a ton of other people were also flooding the hospital.
Also, NICU nurses are THE BEST at helping new parents with getting questions answered and translating what the Doctor said needs getting done into what the parent needs to do to get it done...all while understanding that you really don't sleep well when your child is in NICU and you probably aren't very good at listening. Thank you so much to the NICU nurses for our time with my firstborn.
They really are! When I was a student rotating in NICU, I saw them giving journals to parents so they'd be able to write down all their questions so they wouldn't forget to ask.
When our boys were in the NICU, those nurses were a lifeline for us. We had the direct phone number to the unit and the said call any time 24/7 for an update. Unless they were in the middle of a procedure, the nurse would come to the phone. If they couldn’t come then, they’d always call back. They suggested calling right before we went to sleep so we could sleep better. Or if we woke up worried at 3 AM. Those nurses were the best and helped so many parents scared and stressed out of their minds.
@@ctidd we had the same thing, we had to give our sons hospital number each time for a security measure, I still have that number memorized 14 years later.
I give blood regularly and found out about 10 years ago that I am able to donate to immune compromise folks and to premature babies. They call me a baby donor and I feel very blessed that I can help ❤️🙏🏻
Neonatologist here! Love this so much. Totally accurate. I usually tell parents we round in “packs” in the NICU. Wonky physiology. A regular baby looks like a toddler to me. But deepest respect to NICU nurses and NNPs- they have saved my life many times over!
My son was in the NICU at SickKids hospital (a teaching hospital) it was a full pack rounding for sure. The only times we were kicked out if the room was when other babies were rounded on and when nurses did their hand over to the next shift. Still convinced that's when the nursed did their magic fairy dance and sprinkled healing moon dust.
@@ghaida76 if you are in medical school see if you can shadow someone in the NICU that would be the best way to see if it’s really what you want to do. If you are in residency, then try to get as many rotations in NICU as possible. And if you could speak to someone doing neonatal research that will look good on your fellowship application. But we are really the nicest bunch of folks- glad to help those coming along behind!
@@amybruntthompson3424 aww thank you, I am going to try as much as I can 3>. , I do not want to be a jerk but I am on my last year of high school , planning to go to medical school then pediatric board then neonatology , thank youu again ❤❤❤❤😻😻😻😻😻😻
Barely two weeks ago we were released from the NICU for my daughter. Our nurses were incredible. They are the ones with your baby for every minute of their stay. It’s a unique bond and experience for all involved. Walking in and everyone saying hello, dropping off milk with your nurse and them commenting on how sassy your baby was that morning over getting her diaper changed.. it’s a scary, beautiful and humbling experience. And it’s so true how protective they are of their little patients. You better believe that whole floor got a big freaking gift basket and our two favorite nurses we had the most got extra gifts too.
Former pediatric resident here and can confirm! I'd start rounding on each baby by asking their nurse if that moment was an acceptable time to check on the baby! Only once I got approval would I actually examine the baby.
As someone born 4 months early, I am so thankful for the doctors and nurses that helped me make it to term. I was lucky and only needed oxygen, plastic surgery on my left leg after an improper IV medication placement, and retinopathy, but I recently found my NICU binder while doing the last move with my parents. Those nurses and doctors did such a good job caring for me and my mother who had found out she had breast cancer shortly after my birth, such a thank you to any and all neonate doctors, nurses, residents! I'm just an EMT now myself, but I am happy to do my part!
Hey now. You're not "just" an EMT. Just like those NICU doctors and nurses were there for you when you needed care, you're there for others when they need it. That's an incredible thing! I'm not a medical professional and I'm generally in awe of anyone who's involved with medical care of any sort. You're all amazing.
Very accurate! My daughter was in the NICU for 2 months. The doctors mainly look at notes, while the nurses stand guard over the babies. Those nurses are intense.
I was a preemie baby, I spent the first five weeks of my life in a glass box hooked up to little tubes. I'm very grateful to the NICU nurses for playing watchdog! Thanks to them I now belong to the land of Giant Babies!
@@ghaida76 As the father to a 25/26 weeker. We are scared absolutely shitless, sleep deprived, and our nerves are so brittle we feel like we could snap in a slight breeze. We truly, truly apricate all that you and the whole NICU do. Even if it seems like we aren't listening, or seem not to care, it's because we are trying to processes everything that is going on while dealing with the fact that even touching our kid could seriously hurt them. We just need a little patience is all.
13 years ago, my beautiful child was born at 26 weeks and 2lb 10oz. Compared to some of the other little ones nearby, she looked big. I visited Sam every day for nearly two months before my child came home. After a surprise midnight 911 call and visit to the hospital after two days home and many, many appointments, Sam is today my incredible eighth grader, going into high school next year. Bless those wonderful, protective nurses, bless those incredible doctors who never get a chance to touch the babies, and bless those babies who fight harder than anyone else I've known. They are all truly amazing and wonderful human beings.
11 years ago my first born spent 17 days in the NICU after being born at 34 weeks. I bunked with him the entire time and to this day I still remember and tell stories about his NICU nurses and neonatologists. They were great! Even though he was totally healthy and the only thing keeping him in the hospital was that he had to have Gavage feeding because he did not yet have a suck/swallow reflex, 100 years ago he probably wouldn't have made it. I weighed him before and after nursing, and most times he would get less than 5 mils of food, at least in the first week. So I pumped and we tube fed that to him. Thank you modern medicine!!!
I bet he would have survived 100 years ago. The only person more protective than a neonatal nurse is a mother! Many women back in the day drop fed their tiny babies endlessly, hourly. Sacrificing their sleep and temporary well-being to get that baby through those early weeks until they could nurse! A 34 weeker just has to stay warm and hydrated and infection free while they mature that last bit! But thank God for NICUs for both mom and baby’s sake!
I had similar experience with my son Noah. Now he's in his 40's. Happy and healthy! I'm a retired R.N. myself. I'm in awe of the NICU staff's skill, talent, and spiritual calling to work in one of the most challenging areas of health care. Bless you all!
Former L&D RN at a high-risk, high-volume hospital, and I had a good laugh at this. Nothing was worse than having a baby crump on you before the ALS team could get there, even with all of our ACLS and NRP certs! I hated feeling helpless and my best friend was a NICU nurse, so I went with her to a few NICU conferences and we always traded war stories to help one another function better. Helped immensely-bravo to all the NICU peeps, you guys do something extraordinary!
My mom was an pediatrician who is the head of NICU. and she will cried often because of her patients weakened or passed away. I know now that neonatology is really hard because so many congenital disorders happened, and there are not really much we can do if the condition is too worse for our technology to compensate. She has a gold heart and a lot of burden. May she rest in peace♥️
Med School Applicant here: All I have ever wanted was to work in the NICU...I have been waiting for this video forever...thank you Dr. Glaucomflecken...I'll make you proud :)
I have to say, my NICU rotation's best part was to cuddle the non decompensatory babies (in full gear ofc). My favorite was a baby whose custody was up in the air for months, she was practically raised by the NICU nurses, and she was being treated for meth addiction I think (mum did meth during pregnancy) so they were extra loving to her. I hope she's well.
So true!!! All of it! I miss my neonatal nursing days, but moved on to Giant Babies in the PICU and now work with the frail at the other end of life’s spectrum! We need to see the Gerontologist, Endocrinologist, or Bariatric specialist sometime!!
Yo! Worked in a hospital over 3 years, now. NICU nurses are terrifying! The best way to describe them is like walking into a wolf enclosure. I delivered a bunch of caffiene and TPNs, these women swarmed me and started grabbing stuff out of my hands and demanding amswers all at once. I literally just held out my hands until they were done. 100% intimidation, and you WILL do as they say.
I’m a NICU nurse and I have been waiting for this one! The part about the shunts killed me. And I’ve never dropkicked someone for touching one of my patients but… seriously. Stay away.
As a premature triplet, thanks to all the NICU staff that took care of me and my sibs. one of us was born blue, the other with a fucked up heart and we were all around 3 lbs 💀, but it definitely could've been worse based on some people's premature baby experiences. we all made it out fine at least.
This is great! I’m a cafeteria worker at a specialized delivery and NICU hospital part-time while I’m in school. The NICU nurses always want fried food and diet coke, and they always get to lunch late because they were too busy watchdogging over the babies. They’re some of my favorite people.
My baby was premature and he stayed in the NICU. I LOVE the overprotective nurses and the neonatal doctors. They also give sucralose to the babies sometimes, when we left we gave them (to all the NICU staff) good coffee and sweets as a present 😂 we all need it in the NICU
I just got PTSD from hearing the bit about the heart. In babies with shunts and anomalous anatomy that would THEN go in to have any number of dozens of different procedures that would connect and disconnect or open or close various parts of the circulation...it took a long time to figure out what the anatomy currently was in each patient, how the blood flowed, how changes in pressure affected said flow. All of this during my second year in anesthesia residency. I have tremendous respect for pediatric cardiac anesthesiologists. They are some of the most brilliant people in the anesthesia world.
The doctors and nurses that work in the NICU are quite literally why I am still here today. ~3 months premature, 2 lbs. 4 oz. and a full month in the NICU. I'm so extremely lucky to live with no noticeable complications and according to my mother's stories, it really took a village and a ton of luck for my birth and growth to be successful. While all doctors and nurses are important, I especially respect those in the NICU. Desired outcomes are so often an uphill journey and things working out for NICU babies is very much not a given. Thank you to all the NICU staff in the comments and out in the field!
My brother had a very serious injury and we were waiting to hear from the surgical team, my mother was so scared but the chaplain just graciously sat with her and let her babble (her response to being scared) he was so patient and kind with her while I had to call family.
🤣🤣🤣🤣 that chomp from the NICU nurse put me in stitches. This skit is glorious. Full term babies are ginormous! Anyone who works in the NICU or a Pediatric Hospital is a hero to me.
I was born at 28 weeks in the early 90's- definitely not done in the oven! Fairly miraculous that neither I nor my twin brother ended up with long-term complications. We have pics of the two of us with the NICU nurses at about 1.5 years old, when we were both giant chubby babies. The nurses were definitely happy to see us healthy and thriving.
If my intubated & labile micropreemie is sleeping comfortably and satting in the 90s, do not even open the isolette cover to even LOOK at my patient unless you have a darn good reason. Sincerely, an overprotective NICU nurse 💕
Both my wife and my first daughter were preemies. I owe NICU doctors and nurses a tremendous debt of gratitude. Thanks to all of you for everything you do, especially nowadays!!!!!
I was a (slightly) late term baby (I waltzed in, a week overdue, setting something of a precedent in my life) but labor was fairly traumatic for my mom and I. I was born with a high fever and was immediately swept off to the NICU as soon as I was out. I became a point of interest for the entire ward, as the biggest newborn they had ever seen! Not only was I not preemie-tiny, I was on the large end of normal, too. I don't remember my birth weight, but apparently, I was super long with a big head and a big ribcage! My stay in the NICU was pretty short but I'm glad I could bring wonder and bafflement to the land of tiny babies while I was there.
The accuracy here is amazing! Now being 4 years out from our twins coming home from 170 and 322 day stays in the NICU, just like many of these specialties, this could be an entire mini series.
The moment I learnt we give caffeine to infants I had this instant image of giving repeated shots of espresso to premature babies... it's still not left my head😅
As a mom of a 3 week old baby that was born term but had complications and spent a week in NICU I totally understand this, the nurses are intense but mean well and I even had a nurse that was like therapist when I needed it badly. Everyone in the NICU was great and the NICU we were in included us in rounds and helped us better understand everything they were doing for our baby, made me really appreciate all Drs go through to get to where they are.
I was a NICU baby! One of a preemie set of twins, I weighed just over 2 pounds when I was born. I had so much stuff wrong with me when i was born (hole in my heart/purple due to not breathing at birth, jaundice, etc.), its a literal medical miracle I'm alive and in my second year of college now.
Ex-NICU pharmacist (moved to rural America). Loved this so much!!!😂. I was always concerned when those 5kg hypoglycemic infants of diabetic mothers rolled in. They’re gonna climb out of there and eat another baby!!! They looked HUGE.
I can relate to that " seeing them 20lbs at 2 years old". I used to work in NICU when a mother approached me and asked if i remember her. I didn't remember her but when she showed me her baby who used to fit at the palm of my hand, i remember the baby.
Omg! This is SO spot on..my daughter weighed 2 pds and was in NICU for 7 weeks..the RN's were fierce angels..today my daughter a very healthy 25 yr old..Thanks to God AND the NICU team
Hearing everyone's overwhelmingly good experiences is comforting, I'm 12 weeks pregnant with family history complications. Let's me know no matter what happens, there are literal warriors ready to protect my baby.
My son was full term but the neonatologist said to the team "don't let him fool you, he looks great but he's a really sick baby." I couldn't be more grateful for the team of Drs and NICU nurses that watched over my son. He is now 14 and 6 feet tall. Good job @Sick Kids Hospital
This was my favorite one. My son has a rare condition and we were in the NICU for 105 days and he was huge because he was a normal sized baby. And NICU nurses are awesome!!! There are some that saved my kids life multiple times in one shift. They fought for my son and the care he needed.
As a previous NICU nurse, thank you!! This needs to be a mandatory video on the first day of rotation before entering the unit. 😂 Man, I miss that place! ❤
Lol. First year med student here aspiring to be a neonatologist. Shadowed in the NICU and you almost don’t want to hold the babies because they look so fragile. 🥺 But yeah, the team in the NICU is extensive and like everything in medicine, the nurses run the joint.
Hello baby med student. Come to neonatology. We have cake. (I am not kidding we actually have a steady supply of cake that the families of discharged babies bring to thank us)
@@fatemehhajizadehsaffar6882 😂😂 My Aunt is a Nurse Midwife that delivers in the hospital and cake and cookies can always be found in her office, the on call room and nurses station!
My first job after grad school was medical social worker. One of my wards was the NICU. I'll attest to the fierce protectiveness of the NICU nurses. They were awesome.
Im having a blast reading these comments! Its so nice to see many positive stuff about NICU nurses, staff, and the Tiny babies they helped, who are now successful people 💗💗💗 This video was also my first exposure to this field!
As a general pediatrician who used to go to high-risk deliveries, I have the utmost respect for neonatologists, NNPs, and NICU nurses. Best NICU nurse I ever was around was a dude that stood about 6’4” and weighed in the high 200s. Giant of a man, but man could he care for those preemies.
Our preemie was in the NICU for 31 looong days. Yup, the NICU nurses don't play. Saying that in the best possible way!! 💜 And the team on rounds was huge! Ha! They very kindly lumped me into their team and let me report out on our son's progress when they came around to him, from my perspective (I was there a lot). That meant the world to me.
Yes! Single Ventricle gal Right Here! I was born with a Hypoplastic Left Heart Ventricle back in the late 80's. Now, I'm a 34 year old Fontan Patient and still living! 😊❤+ 1/2 = 🙋🏽♀ 😊 Thank you for giving a shoutout to all the special Babies, their conditions, and their Awesome, Tough Working Team! I'm grateful for my old Primary Children's Hospital Staff! And Special Shout out to my Nurse Barb! I'm so glad I met you years later when I was in my 20's! 🤗 I wish I could have been able to thank all those who helped me during the First Difficult Months as an Infant at the Old Brick Building at Primary Children's! Thank you, Thank you!!! 🤗❤❤❤
Twins. NICU. I'm so grateful that I got to learn baby care as a first time parent from a team of 14 neonatologists rather than the general public and its advice. People don't realize that there are things everyone knows about baby care that will kill a premature baby--I started thinking of this advice as "mindless mantras." ... Not a lot of places to vent about this taboo topic, so I spent half an hour venting and deleted those comments. Thanks.
This was one of your best! My son was 7 weeks early, we had to do steroids for lung development. He was a bit under 5 lbs. Now he's a healthy teen. He's gigantic.
Boy I didn't want to cry at 1:18, but here I am, after 10 hours of psychology seminars, crying over this absolute gift of a man. Thanks for all your hard work.
My kiddo was a 24 weeker and spent 121 days in the NICU, then came home on oxygen and kidney meds. The "monstrous 20 lb 2 year old" really hit me 🤣 my guy is 6 and getting him to get to and STAY at 40 lbs is maddening! He's come so far though and anyone that doesn't know he was so early ends up so surprised when it gets brought up! NICU nurses are my absolute heros though ❤️❤️ they put in the work to keep helpless babies like mine, that have all the odds stacked against them, alive and able to grow and thrive.
At one point he said he could do this because he’s an ophthalmologist and they have enough time to do this. But he’s also had to go through everything else so he knows the ins and outs to a t
@@rukia7693 Med student here. The answer is a lot but depends on location and specialty. My point was that getting a very active side gig which *will* take time to organise especially when you get famous, it is admirable how one would handle the combination.
My cousin is a nicu nurse and this is dead on. She is studying to be a pa and I can’t wait to see what she will be like on the ward. Also my own son was in the nicu for 24h as well as my little brother for a month. I don’t know what we would have done without the amazing staff to care and project both boys. CHOP NICU will forever be in my heart as well as the Philly Ronald McDonald House!!
Haha 100% accurate on the depiction of NICU nurses and the need to completely forget normal anatomy! Glad those rotations are long behind me but nicu team does amazing work!
Thank you to everyone who takes such good care of these little ones. My granddaughter was born at 32 weeks after her twin brother had died the day before she was delivered. She was 3 lbs but in good shape. I never forget how the bereavement midwife cared for my daughter and her partner, or listening to the guitarist who was asked to play for the babies. The lights were lowered as much as possible and blinds closed and staff kept their voices down. There are such amazing people in this world. ❤
As the mum of a 7 year old who was born at 26 weeks I loved this, it made me laugh and brought back memories. As much as his birth and first few weeks were traumatic at times, I honestly have the most precious memories of my hours spent in nicu. God bless the neonatal nurses x
10 years ago a my daughter spent 2 weeks in the NICU. The care and compassion she received there was above and beyond anything I could have ever imagined. Now my 5th grader is 5’4 and 115 pounds ❤ I’m grateful for them everyday
I love your channel! As a neonatologist I really enjoyed this! Please do a video of the ophtalmologist and his loyal scribe Jonathan going to the NICU to do ROP screening!!
My full-term baby was admitted to a NICU 18 hours after he was born (8lb) due to suspected seizures. He looked so huge compared to the little ones around him. He's now a nearly 6 foot tall 16 year old. I can only hope that those babies graduated from NICU and are also healthy.
Years ago I was a volunteer in the Nursery of a local hospital which had a Level IV NICU. Occasionally a "Large for Gestational Age" newborn would end up in NICU because of blood sugar problems or TTN. They would look like a Macy's parade balloon compared to their neighbors LOL.
Thank you for NICU staff. I have twin NICU grads that were born 24 weeks and 6 days. They went home without oxygen and are perfectly healthy due to a great team. The nurses and I stay in touch to this day.
As an NNP, I’d like to congratulate you on hitting this spot on!!! The NICU is like no other place in the hospital!! I love your videos!!! Keep up the great content!!!❤
My nephew was born at 25 weeks and it was very scary. He survived and is a super-healthy 5-year-old now. His NICU nurses were amazing. They put cute little decorations around to soften the scary look of the medical equipment. One of them wept over him. Another became a good friend of the family and still comes to see him every once in a while. I have no idea how these folks keep their tender hearts and don’t become hardened and cynical with all the pain they have to deal with. Strongest people ever.
My first was born at almost 32 weeks and we spent 27 days in the NICU. He was big compared to some of the micro preemies. Absolutely blessed to have the team of specialists that helped us. He's now a lively 44lbs & 44" tall 4.5 year old.
This was EXACTLY my NICU experience to a T! It's an amazing place where you start out knowing absolutely nothing and gain a massive amount of respect for the people working there.
This was fully accurate! My 29 weeker was born at 3lbs and spent 2 months in the NICU. When my daughter was born 2 years later at 41 weeks and 6 lbs I was SHOCKED that she was such a GIANT baby and that I could just hold her right away. What a change! My deepest appreciation to NICU teams everywhere! Those nurses (Drs and Specialists) kept our son alive and taught us how to take care of him too. I will always be so thankful for them. (Oh, my son is now 13, taller than me and perfectly healthy!)
The 12 days my daughter spent in the NICU were 12 weird days. That neonatologist was great, though. When my daughter had to be re-admitted to the NICU 20 hours after going home on day 8, he was very careful to look me in the eyes and say "You did not cause this. Babies just throw curve balls." I needed that that day and he knew it.
🤗
😭
I aspire to be him one day
We had a life flight and 10 days in nicu with my son. There are literally angels working there. After 2 surgeries and subsequent cicu stays I can say that those of you who dedicate your lives to helping these kids are the most beautiful people in this planet.
I can’t even fucking imagine
I think we underappreciate how impressive it is that so many pre-term babies survive and thrive with proper medical care these days!
@@Kalenz1234 that's a big load of bullshit
@@Kalenz1234 what are you talking about? What at this rate? People's heads haven't been getting larger or anything. C sections have nothing to do with anything. Baffling take all around
@@Kalenz1234 that’s interesting. I have learned something today
Not so much... No. I'm 30 years old and weighed 1.2kg when i left the hospital as a newborn. My grandma reminds me about this around 6-8 times a year. I don't think ANYONE who's ever had a preterm baby underappreciates it, maybe those who haven't do.
Again, this was 30 years ago, in a third world country sir, we've had this for many days.
I sit my medical residency exam next week btw :)
I think the earliest preemies have been 21 or 22 weeks, but so much more hospital time!
My mom is a neonatologist. Everything here is spot on. Nothing "normal" ever works, strong instincts and creativity are masthave and nurses are ninja-warriors. Also at home my mom used to calculate doses of medicine for hours, murmuring to herself and scribbling like a mad scientists. Infants are so weird and so small, doses have to be precise to a 0.0001 gramm.
This job is very demanding.
0.0001g? Why couldn't you just say 0.1 mg? Or 100 mcg? Also, this is applicable w adults too, ex: levothyroxine.
@@just2botheru , because this way it's more colorful. All the the 0s after . make the number look bigger and scarier, wich helps you feel how small the "1" is. Just like half a million reads different from 500 grand or 500 000. My point was not to show how well i know kindergarden learned number words.
@@just2botheru , And no, doses for 70 kilo adults do not need THE SAME ammount of measurement accuracy as 600 gramm infants.
Don't worry about it Polina, he said it just to bother you (as his name shows) 😉
My dad is a neonatologist too! I’m literally a doctor now but I still can’t really understand the orders he gives over the phone, it’s so specific and calculated and changes every hour
Our firstborn was 7 weeks early. Some violent event had just happened somewhere else and I overheard two of the NICU nurses were talking about a directive from the hospital administration that if a shooter was announced in the building, they were to close all interior doors for isolation rooms, pull all the curtains for the remaining beds, and close and lock the bay doors and then head to the safe room. Both of them scoffed at it and said anyone dumb enough to be a shooter would have to go through them before they got to the babies. I had been feeling very vulnerable as a first-time father and a NICU parent, but I felt much safer about my son after that.
Wow that have me feel safer too 😂
❤️❤️ me too
The thought of if this happens and I was a NICU nurse was... "anyone who threatens tiny sick babies deserves to die." I'd attack with the first sharp or bludgeoning instrument at hand if they came into the room. Not all babies can be moved after all. Sadly the opening wasn't available to us MedSurg nurses trying to escape the hells of MedSurg (it was for experienced NICU nurses). So I guess I won't be becoming a NICU nurse anytime soon. Gotta look for any baby nurse position I can find...
@@esunablizzard6482 hope you can get a position
This made tear up. So beautiful.
My daughter was a 26 weeker and at her lowest point weighed 1 lbs. 5 oz. I can attest to how you become so focused on tiny babies, you lose all perspective. Once, when a newborn was admitted to the NICU, my husband and I said wow look at that big bruiser? How much does he weigh? We found out the baby weighed 5 pounds! Boy was our perspective skewed! I’m happy to say my daughter is now 25 years old, is taller and (probably) smarter than me and is a fourth grade teacher!
my mother always tells the story of how I ended up on the NICU as a newborn for an entire week with the premies bc my liver refused to kickstart, she'd get the nastiest looks from other mothers bc I was nearing 8 lbs and needing that UV light
Read that as your 25yr old was a 4th grader while being smarter than you...
Your daughter sounds like me. I was somewhat smaller than her (25 weeker here) at my lowest and I struggled to put on weight because I wouldn’t eat. Fortunately, my mom and dad found out that I loved yogurt (still do 😊) and I got bigger and stronger. Now I’m in my early 30s and, at ~6’ and 250+ lbs, I’ve got the opposite problem no thanks to me discovering DoorDash during the pandemic 😅. Glad to hear your daughter is thriving!
I’m glad she’d good! I had to laugh at your weight comparison, that a 5lb baby looked like a bruiser! My second daughter was just a week early & weighed 5lbs; she was otherwise healthy. But compared to her sisters, she was sooo tiny! Lol I can’t imagine have a baby that small but thank goodness we have advanced medicine to help them survive & thrive!
@@guardianeris my oldest had a pneumothorax when she was born. She was 7lb5oz but her
lungs wouldn’t work so she needed an oxygen tent. She seemed so tiny to us but huge compared to her sister that was 5lbs7oz.
Can confirm, NICU nurses are INTENSE. They will cut a bitch if you don’t adhere to their protocols. When I was rotating in peds surg and had to write a follow up note on a CDH baby when my seniors weren’t there, the NICU nurses literally made me turn out my pockets and watched me scrub and gown. They’re intense and I love them.
This also shows how toxic the environment is. It is not a good place to work.
I mean to be fair
@@borttorbbq2556 to be fair
@@dannysmith8035 to be fair
The fuss is unnecessary. I don't like their attitude. Most are disrespectful to young doctors. Erroneously believing they know better. Gosh!
The med student's excitement about the idea of holding a bunch of babies is adorable, even if the NICU nurse would snap his neck if he tried 😂
That’s true for some but some of them do get held, rocked, and comforted by the nurses and their parents. Others get skin to skin contact with their parents, which really helps their health and growth. All depends on the specific baby and what they need and what is safe for them.
'even if the NICU nurse would snap his neck if he tried'
Worth it!😂
As a med student, I was in NICU and I cleared my throat/coughed slightly (was wearing a mask and this was pre-covid!) and I was unceremoniously booted out of there. Those nurses mean business
Yup. New hospital protocols didn’t even touch our high infection control standards!
Lol
This made me cackle! 😂
The rule of the NICU “the punishment for a sneeze is death.” My sickly ass could never work there 😅
My nephew was in the NICU for a few days pre-covid and we got lectured by the nurse and showed how to properly wash up before we could go in his room. My triplets were born during covid and the only difference on procedures were no visitors period and there was now a box to sanitize our phone before we entered the wing. So yea, they were always very strict. NICU nurses are amazing. One knew something wasn’t right with my son because he wouldn’t take his binkie like he did the night before and she caught that he had NEC almost instantly. It was a long road but because they started treating him right away he made a full recovery.
Gives me a whole new perspective on a story my mom likes to tell. When I was born I was put in the NICU briefly for observation. I was larger than normal, but had some health issues. Between post partum and my being in the NICU my mom was understandably upset, and when she came to look at me she started to cry. A neonatologist came to comfort her, and asked what was wrong. All my mom could muster was “he’s so small!”. The neonatologist asked which baby was hers, and when she pointed at the giant 9 pound me, the neonatologist apparently turned to her and said “Ma’am you’re baby is NOT small” and he could not help but laugh. That helped my mom feel better apparently, and we still laugh to that story.
Similar story with me 😂 born full term with minor complications - parents said I looked like a "monster baby" among all the premies. Also, a mountain lion walked right past the hospital that day, which is cool
Someone I know gave birth to a 9 pound girl. And Jackie Chan was 12 pound baby. His mother struggled for hours until they decided to deliver him by c-section.
Oh man my son was 1lb 6oz you would've looked like a giant compared to him!!
My oldest son was 2 weeks overdue, my water broke and 36 hours later was delivered via emergency C-section. At 9 lb 15 oz, he was admitted to NICU. The nurses loved to hold and feed that huge bouncing baby.
My brother was in the NICU for the first couple of months after he was born. He was over 10 pounds. He was giant compared to all the tiny preemies.
Extremely protective Nicu nurse here: 🙏 thank you! I’ve been waiting for our specialty to be covered and you did a great job! ❤ I will drop kick someone if needed to keep my baby healthy 👍🏻
Thank you for all you do!
Thank you for your hard work.
Thank you for what you do. I have perfectly healthy 24 weeker twins doing all of the things little boys get to do because of people like you. My boys refer to their NICU nurses as Aunt Nurse (name) lol
I love you kind lady.
ok...but....could you stop trying to eat my skin when we come to make an x-ray on them? already intense enough making sure the dosage is juuuust high enough... :)
My Great-Uncle Jack was born in the mid 1920s at 27 weeks. The doctors told my great grandmother to just "let him go peacefully". She brought him home and kept him in a shoebox next to the fireplace and fed him by putting drops of her milk in his mouth. He grew up and thrived because she knew that he had a chance. I'm so glad that doctors now are giving babies that same chance.
That's fucking metal
My grandma has a similar story. Born in December, 1932- a month early in snowy, rural Tennessee. The doctor told my great grandma to "pick a spot on the hill for her." (Wtf, right?) She was born at 4lbs and was fed Eagle Brand Condensed milk to then become an 18lb monster by 6mos. She'll be 91 this year 😌
Wow!
@@Andrea-dt4jk Certainly callous by today's standard, but go back another century and you get a coin toss whether a baby carried to term would make it. The mentality of "don't grow attached to it and don't view it as human yet before it's 2 years old" took some time to get rid off.
My great-grandfather has a similar story: he was born fairly premature on the ship his parents were on immigrating to the US, sometime around the turn of the 20th century. I was told he was kept warm by surrounding him with heated bricks.
“You give caffeine to babies?”
This shocked question and the neonatologist’s nonchalant response , are my favorite parts of this video.
Babies metabolism isnt the same as adults. We would be given theophylline, but babies convert that to caffeine, so you just skip it and go straight to caffeine.
When both my kids (micropreemies) were weaned off the caffeine, I got a preview of their eventual teen years. They were *pissed*.
I liked that part, but the NICU nurse chomping her teeth had me dead too
A more accurate description of a NICU nurse has not been done. Fiercely protective is an understatement.
I’m a NICU & OB RN. We take on the role of a protective surrogate mother. I have children of my own, but my NICU babies are also my babies.
Mama bears on steroids from what my OBRN mother calls them
My sister had just finished her neonatal rotation for med school when I had my son. He was full term, but weighed just under 6lbs at birth and very long, so he often looked even lighter to people. I constantly was getting comments about how tiny he was, even for a newborn. When my sister finally got to see him, the first words from her mouth were "oh my God, he's HUGE!"
As the aunt of two tiny preemies, I can relate. But, those two tiny preemies grew up to be US Marines and the gentlest of men when handling infants and children.
Mine is now an Army soldier at almost 23 years old!
As a former Corpsman with the Marines, don't worry, they never grew up. =P
I'm kidding! I loved my crayon eaters, they're great guys. Wouldn't trade them for anything.
I am a Woman Marine Veteran. I had my son prematurely at 6 weeks and 6 days while on leave way back in 1991. Happy to hear that your nephews grew up healthy and are now a part of "The Few and the Proud."
are you my aunt? 😂
@@thatrandomguyo1Many years ago, in an examining room at a Naval hospital aboard a large Marine Corps base, I saw a metal paper towel dispenser on the floor. Written on the front of the box in marker: Instructions for Marines: See back of box. On the wall were four screws where the box used to hang. I imagine the floor smartass had written that and got a lecture for it, as it was still sitting there as a warning reminder. As the wife of a Marine Gunny, I got a laugh out of that. The Marines considered you guys honorary Marines when you do field duty.
Ha 😂the NICU nurse thing is so accurate, our daughter was in NICU and no one told us that my mum couldn’t hold her 🤦🏼♀️ we got such a lecture.
My Dad is a retired NICU nurse, and is also a retired Army nurse. He was kind and patient with the (often scared) parents and babies, and professional with his co-workers. But if he saw anyone doing something they shouldn't because it endangered a baby, he would let them know right quick regardless of who it was. You have to be that way with a baby that you can hold in your cupped hands.
So in reality, your dad was a superhero.
Fuckin' Eh, your dad!
@@FlagCutie Yep, this checks out.
Julie Campbell's Dad = 100% awesomeness with definite superhero tendencies.
@@a24396 I completely agree with this assessment, 100/10.
You CAN hold them in your cupped hands but you MUSTN'T
As a veterinarian i will give a jar of instant coffee to dairy cattle that have a specific type of gastrointestinal torsion. The caffine will sometimes shake it loose. I've also used it on a pig and a cat that the owners couldn't afford surgery.
Coffee does a number on human guts sometimes, too 😬 There’s a reason (older) people joke about the post-coffee poops!
Oooh... interesting
My mom is a NICU nurse and she LOVED this video! She showed it to other nurses in her unit last night and said they were belly laughing 😂
My mom is an NICU RN. She's told me about babies that are so premature that even touching them can cause their skin to peel. Think a really, really ripe peach.
The hospital she works at gets pretty sick babies, but the trauma centre gets preemies as young as 23 weeks! For context, term is 40 weeks. But those babies are so, *so* fragile.
Also, yes, she is *constantly* weirded out by "giant" term babies.
Worked with a nurse who came to us from NICU. I told her I'd never be able to work with premies, they scared the hell out of me. She just laughed and said adults scared the hell out of her 😂
The youngest babe our NICU ever got (and I cared for) was 21wks (in general, we resuscitate 22wks and above only (or 500g and above) but when you get a patient whose parent had no prenatal care or parent who had no idea they were pregnant you have to be a little less rigid. I can't remember their weight as it was nearly a decade ago but the baby was under 400g for certain.
@@miniciominiciominicio wow!!! Did the baby make it?
@@jennifergraceh I think so but I’m not 100% certain. But there are plenty of prems I can never forget. I especially love seeing them walk into the Pediatric ER having made it to 2, 3, 4 years old with no appreciable deficits. This isn’t usually the case but there are a few microprems who beat the odds. The moms always recognize me and I am always so thrilled to see them (aside from the croup/bronchiolitis/asthma exacerbation they came because of).
@@miniciominiciominicio damn I make loaves of bread heavier than 500g
I was born at 26 weeks and spent the first several months of my life in NICU. Considering how poorly I was when I was born I'm in good health. Big thanks to all the NICU staff!
Barely into the third trimester. Damn. That borders on a miracle.
You are one lucky kid and I wish you more luck in your life ;)
@@Kalenz1234 Around 22 weeks is about as low as we can go with current tech, and even then its a tiny number of infants that make it through..like 2% or so.
@@johntowers1213 So it borders on a miracle?
@@johntowers1213 So 98 out of a 100 of every 22 week old brought in dies, no wonder the NICE nurses are so protective.
@@Kalenz1234 probably the 21 week babies that make it are more the miracle ones those being the ones with effectively 0% chance of survival that still somehow pull through..
22 weeks there is at least a quantifiable chance of making it with enough intervention (remember most of that 98% would not be in a position to receive such care due to location and timing..
but I don't dismiss your point.
I was in a medical shadow program in my senior year of high school, and I was the only student in the program allowed to have a rotation in the NICU because I was on a career path to become a midwife. I visited the NICU for 3 hours, twice a week, for 3 months.
The majority of the time, I would follow around whoever was doing the most active tasks that evening. I knew which babies I was allowed to interact with unsupervised, but it was only ever to give them pacifiers, adjust hats, retuck unswaddled arms, etc.
On uneventful days, the NICU nurses tried to find other things for me to do. I was sent to watch a c-section once, and to a circumcision another time.
One of my clearest memories though was just after my own birthday. We had a baby who had been in the whole time I'd been shadowing, even though she was much larger than the others... she wasnt premature, she was detoxing. Babies who are being weaned off of opiods tend to be inconsolable and feel the need to be held and rocked way more than other babies, but for some reason, she was even MORE fussy that evening. The NICU nurses and I spent that our time trading back and forth, lightly dancing or sitting in a rocking chair with her, listening to old christmas music on pandora...
I remember she liked the genuine old stuff, and hated when Michael buble covers came on.
I still think about the babies I helped look after, even though that was 5 years ago........and I still remember exactly how to wash my hands properly before being allowed in, and the smell of the soap and the weird antibacterial lotion. For real. It sticks with you.
Edit: It wasn't all peaceful memories, of course. My shifts were Wednesdays and Sundays, and I recall meeting an extreme micro premie one shift who was gone by the next. That hospital's cutoff date for NICU care at the delivery of a premature infant is 21 weeks, and that baby was born at 21+3 I believe, barely overly the line.
Related to that, here's an example of nurses being extremely strict over something seemingly innocuous...neonates that young barely have skin. Their eyes are still fused shut, but their eyelids are so thin that the developing eyes can be damaged if you expose them to too much bright light--fuss with the blanket over a micro premie's isolette, and a nurse WILL end you.
The accuracy! “Will end you”!
Ah yes, the "shaker tables" to rock the babies back and forth.
Don't forget functional no immune system too.
Wait. Circumcision? I need more info. Who was being circumcised?? A baby, a girl, a boy, a woman? A man?? WHY were they being circumcised? Did someone's parents or partner demand it? Why did the hospital agree?
@@weareallbornmad410 It's an American hospital, the majority of male babies are circumcised here. There was nothing unusual going on whatsoever, this was a normal, everyday, run of the mill thing thing. Not commenting on the ethics, that's just the fact.
My neighbor left retirement to go back to NICU nursing during the Pandemic. She was NOT going to let those babies be forgotten or even just short staffed just because a ton of other people were also flooding the hospital.
Thank your neighbor for all of us! ❤
What a beautiful thing to do! 👏👏👏
Also, NICU nurses are THE BEST at helping new parents with getting questions answered and translating what the Doctor said needs getting done into what the parent needs to do to get it done...all while understanding that you really don't sleep well when your child is in NICU and you probably aren't very good at listening.
Thank you so much to the NICU nurses for our time with my firstborn.
They really are! When I was a student rotating in NICU, I saw them giving journals to parents so they'd be able to write down all their questions so they wouldn't forget to ask.
When our boys were in the NICU, those nurses were a lifeline for us. We had the direct phone number to the unit and the said call any time 24/7 for an update. Unless they were in the middle of a procedure, the nurse would come to the phone. If they couldn’t come then, they’d always call back.
They suggested calling right before we went to sleep so we could sleep better. Or if we woke up worried at 3 AM. Those nurses were the best and helped so many parents scared and stressed out of their minds.
@@ctidd That's sounds more than wonderful. I'm so happy you and your family had good support.
@@ctidd we had the same thing, we had to give our sons hospital number each time for a security measure, I still have that number memorized 14 years later.
I give blood regularly and found out about 10 years ago that I am able to donate to immune compromise folks and to premature babies. They call me a baby donor and I feel very blessed that I can help ❤️🙏🏻
Yooo! Fellow baby blood donor! Wearin' that CMV negative with pride!
That's wonderful! Thank you both for donating!!!!
@@Kirukleehow do you go about finding out? Do they just tell you after you donated blood?
That's O negative, with another factor figured in that I can't remember. My husband is a baby blood donor.❤
@@jenniferhlmn yes, that is correct. They told me one time after I gave blood
Neonatologist here! Love this so much. Totally accurate. I usually tell parents we round in “packs” in the NICU. Wonky physiology. A regular baby looks like a toddler to me. But deepest respect to NICU nurses and NNPs- they have saved my life many times over!
My son was in the NICU at SickKids hospital (a teaching hospital) it was a full pack rounding for sure. The only times we were kicked out if the room was when other babies were rounded on and when nurses did their hand over to the next shift. Still convinced that's when the nursed did their magic fairy dance and sprinkled healing moon dust.
i am planning to be a Neonatologist Doctor , any advice for me?
@@ghaida76 if you are in medical school see if you can shadow someone in the NICU that would be the best way to see if it’s really what you want to do. If you are in residency, then try to get as many rotations in NICU as possible. And if you could speak to someone doing neonatal research that will look good on your fellowship application. But we are really the nicest bunch of folks- glad to help those coming along behind!
@@amybruntthompson3424 aww thank you, I am going to try as much as I can 3>. , I do not want to be a jerk but I am on my last year of high school , planning to go to medical school then pediatric board then neonatology , thank youu again ❤❤❤❤😻😻😻😻😻😻
Barely two weeks ago we were released from the NICU for my daughter. Our nurses were incredible. They are the ones with your baby for every minute of their stay. It’s a unique bond and experience for all involved. Walking in and everyone saying hello, dropping off milk with your nurse and them commenting on how sassy your baby was that morning over getting her diaper changed.. it’s a scary, beautiful and humbling experience. And it’s so true how protective they are of their little patients.
You better believe that whole floor got a big freaking gift basket and our two favorite nurses we had the most got extra gifts too.
Former pediatric resident here and can confirm! I'd start rounding on each baby by asking their nurse if that moment was an acceptable time to check on the baby! Only once I got approval would I actually examine the baby.
As someone born 4 months early, I am so thankful for the doctors and nurses that helped me make it to term. I was lucky and only needed oxygen, plastic surgery on my left leg after an improper IV medication placement, and retinopathy, but I recently found my NICU binder while doing the last move with my parents. Those nurses and doctors did such a good job caring for me and my mother who had found out she had breast cancer shortly after my birth, such a thank you to any and all neonate doctors, nurses, residents! I'm just an EMT now myself, but I am happy to do my part!
Hey now. You're not "just" an EMT. Just like those NICU doctors and nurses were there for you when you needed care, you're there for others when they need it. That's an incredible thing! I'm not a medical professional and I'm generally in awe of anyone who's involved with medical care of any sort. You're all amazing.
amazing story ♡ thanks for sharing
Very accurate! My daughter was in the NICU for 2 months. The doctors mainly look at notes, while the nurses stand guard over the babies. Those nurses are intense.
I was a preemie baby, I spent the first five weeks of my life in a glass box hooked up to little tubes. I'm very grateful to the NICU nurses for playing watchdog! Thanks to them I now belong to the land of Giant Babies!
I’m a neonatologist (retired) and I approve this message. But you forgot one important group on rounds: the parents!
i am planning to be a neonatologist doctor , any advice for me?
@@ghaida76 Good luck, and look after yourself!
@@gerardacronin334 thx😍
@@ghaida76 As the father to a 25/26 weeker. We are scared absolutely shitless, sleep deprived, and our nerves are so brittle we feel like we could snap in a slight breeze. We truly, truly apricate all that you and the whole NICU do. Even if it seems like we aren't listening, or seem not to care, it's because we are trying to processes everything that is going on while dealing with the fact that even touching our kid could seriously hurt them. We just need a little patience is all.
@hughsmith7504 a little patience for the parents with little patients?
13 years ago, my beautiful child was born at 26 weeks and 2lb 10oz. Compared to some of the other little ones nearby, she looked big. I visited Sam every day for nearly two months before my child came home. After a surprise midnight 911 call and visit to the hospital after two days home and many, many appointments, Sam is today my incredible eighth grader, going into high school next year. Bless those wonderful, protective nurses, bless those incredible doctors who never get a chance to touch the babies, and bless those babies who fight harder than anyone else I've known. They are all truly amazing and wonderful human beings.
11 years ago my first born spent 17 days in the NICU after being born at 34 weeks. I bunked with him the entire time and to this day I still remember and tell stories about his NICU nurses and neonatologists. They were great! Even though he was totally healthy and the only thing keeping him in the hospital was that he had to have Gavage feeding because he did not yet have a suck/swallow reflex, 100 years ago he probably wouldn't have made it. I weighed him before and after nursing, and most times he would get less than 5 mils of food, at least in the first week. So I pumped and we tube fed that to him. Thank you modern medicine!!!
I bet he would have survived 100 years ago. The only person more protective than a neonatal nurse is a mother! Many women back in the day drop fed their tiny babies endlessly, hourly. Sacrificing their sleep and temporary well-being to get that baby through those early weeks until they could nurse! A 34 weeker just has to stay warm and hydrated and infection free while they mature that last bit! But thank God for NICUs for both mom and baby’s sake!
@@ideasmatter4737 lol read up on infant mortality 100 years ago compared to now.
@@miniciominiciominicio No comparison! I was talking about the 34 weeker in the condition the other person described.That’s all.
@@ideasmatter4737 Ah, fair enough
I had similar experience with my son Noah. Now he's in his 40's. Happy and healthy!
I'm a retired R.N. myself. I'm in awe of the NICU staff's skill, talent, and spiritual calling to work in one of the most challenging areas of health care. Bless you all!
My son spent over a month in the NICU at the start of the pandemic... to say the nurses were protective is an UNDERSTATEMENT. God love 'em.
Former L&D RN at a high-risk, high-volume hospital, and I had a good laugh at this. Nothing was worse than having a baby crump on you before the ALS team could get there, even with all of our ACLS and NRP certs! I hated feeling helpless and my best friend was a NICU nurse, so I went with her to a few NICU conferences and we always traded war stories to help one another function better. Helped immensely-bravo to all the NICU peeps, you guys do something extraordinary!
Crump?
@@Whitecroc technical term meaning bad things are happening basically
@@ke6gwf Sounds very technical
I like to imagine the more common definitive of crump
My mom was an pediatrician who is the head of NICU. and she will cried often because of her patients weakened or passed away. I know now that neonatology is really hard because so many congenital disorders happened, and there are not really much we can do if the condition is too worse for our technology to compensate. She has a gold heart and a lot of burden. May she rest in peace♥️
thank you for your mum's service may she rest in peace
@joebug8984 your mom is a truly an angel. May her memory be a blessing to you always and every life she saved❤
Med School Applicant here: All I have ever wanted was to work in the NICU...I have been waiting for this video forever...thank you Dr. Glaucomflecken...I'll make you proud :)
This is heart warming! You'll be an amazing doc with that desire!
I have to say, my NICU rotation's best part was to cuddle the non decompensatory babies (in full gear ofc). My favorite was a baby whose custody was up in the air for months, she was practically raised by the NICU nurses, and she was being treated for meth addiction I think (mum did meth during pregnancy) so they were extra loving to her. I hope she's well.
So true!!! All of it! I miss my neonatal nursing days, but moved on to Giant Babies in the PICU and now work with the frail at the other end of life’s spectrum! We need to see the Gerontologist, Endocrinologist, or Bariatric specialist sometime!!
GBICU XD
Sounds awesome to help people with their transition in both entering and exiting the world.
@@dibsdibs3495 It’s a sacred honor.
Speaking from experience as a practicing doctor, Geriatrics is pretty much the same thing as Pediatrics though haha
Yo! Worked in a hospital over 3 years, now. NICU nurses are terrifying! The best way to describe them is like walking into a wolf enclosure. I delivered a bunch of caffiene and TPNs, these women swarmed me and started grabbing stuff out of my hands and demanding amswers all at once. I literally just held out my hands until they were done. 100% intimidation, and you WILL do as they say.
I’m a NICU nurse and I have been waiting for this one! The part about the shunts killed me. And I’ve never dropkicked someone for touching one of my patients but… seriously. Stay away.
As a premature triplet, thanks to all the NICU staff that took care of me and my sibs. one of us was born blue, the other with a fucked up heart and we were all around 3 lbs 💀, but it definitely could've been worse based on some people's premature baby experiences. we all made it out fine at least.
This is great! I’m a cafeteria worker at a specialized delivery and NICU hospital part-time while I’m in school. The NICU nurses always want fried food and diet coke, and they always get to lunch late because they were too busy watchdogging over the babies. They’re some of my favorite people.
My baby was premature and he stayed in the NICU.
I LOVE the overprotective nurses and the neonatal doctors.
They also give sucralose to the babies sometimes, when we left we gave them (to all the NICU staff) good coffee and sweets as a present 😂 we all need it in the NICU
I just got PTSD from hearing the bit about the heart. In babies with shunts and anomalous anatomy that would THEN go in to have any number of dozens of different procedures that would connect and disconnect or open or close various parts of the circulation...it took a long time to figure out what the anatomy currently was in each patient, how the blood flowed, how changes in pressure affected said flow. All of this during my second year in anesthesia residency. I have tremendous respect for pediatric cardiac anesthesiologists. They are some of the most brilliant people in the anesthesia world.
The doctors and nurses that work in the NICU are quite literally why I am still here today. ~3 months premature, 2 lbs. 4 oz. and a full month in the NICU. I'm so extremely lucky to live with no noticeable complications and according to my mother's stories, it really took a village and a ton of luck for my birth and growth to be successful.
While all doctors and nurses are important, I especially respect those in the NICU. Desired outcomes are so often an uphill journey and things working out for NICU babies is very much not a given. Thank you to all the NICU staff in the comments and out in the field!
2:01 Holy cow the clack of those teeth! Be careful with those luxury bones Dr. G!
As a chaplain who has worked in the NICU, this all is very familiar. You can add chaplain and social work to the NICU rounds as well, we are there!!
My brother had a very serious injury and we were waiting to hear from the surgical team, my mother was so scared but the chaplain just graciously sat with her and let her babble (her response to being scared) he was so patient and kind with her while I had to call family.
Thank you!!
🤣🤣🤣🤣 that chomp from the NICU nurse put me in stitches. This skit is glorious. Full term babies are ginormous! Anyone who works in the NICU or a Pediatric Hospital is a hero to me.
I was born at 28 weeks in the early 90's- definitely not done in the oven! Fairly miraculous that neither I nor my twin brother ended up with long-term complications. We have pics of the two of us with the NICU nurses at about 1.5 years old, when we were both giant chubby babies. The nurses were definitely happy to see us healthy and thriving.
If my intubated & labile micropreemie is sleeping comfortably and satting in the 90s, do not even open the isolette cover to even LOOK at my patient unless you have a darn good reason. Sincerely, an overprotective NICU nurse 💕
Both my wife and my first daughter were preemies. I owe NICU doctors and nurses a tremendous debt of gratitude. Thanks to all of you for everything you do, especially nowadays!!!!!
I was a (slightly) late term baby (I waltzed in, a week overdue, setting something of a precedent in my life) but labor was fairly traumatic for my mom and I. I was born with a high fever and was immediately swept off to the NICU as soon as I was out. I became a point of interest for the entire ward, as the biggest newborn they had ever seen!
Not only was I not preemie-tiny, I was on the large end of normal, too. I don't remember my birth weight, but apparently, I was super long with a big head and a big ribcage! My stay in the NICU was pretty short but I'm glad I could bring wonder and bafflement to the land of tiny babies while I was there.
The accuracy here is amazing! Now being 4 years out from our twins coming home from 170 and 322 day stays in the NICU, just like many of these specialties, this could be an entire mini series.
The moment I learnt we give caffeine to infants I had this instant image of giving repeated shots of espresso to premature babies... it's still not left my head😅
As a mom of a 3 week old baby that was born term but had complications and spent a week in NICU I totally understand this, the nurses are intense but mean well and I even had a nurse that was like therapist when I needed it badly. Everyone in the NICU was great and the NICU we were in included us in rounds and helped us better understand everything they were doing for our baby, made me really appreciate all Drs go through to get to where they are.
I was a NICU baby! One of a preemie set of twins, I weighed just over 2 pounds when I was born. I had so much stuff wrong with me when i was born (hole in my heart/purple due to not breathing at birth, jaundice, etc.), its a literal medical miracle I'm alive and in my second year of college now.
Ex-NICU pharmacist (moved to rural America). Loved this so much!!!😂. I was always concerned when those 5kg hypoglycemic infants of diabetic mothers rolled in. They’re gonna climb out of there and eat another baby!!! They looked HUGE.
👍🏽🤣
I can relate to that " seeing them 20lbs at 2 years old". I used to work in NICU when a mother approached me and asked if i remember her. I didn't remember her but when she showed me her baby who used to fit at the palm of my hand, i remember the baby.
Omg! This is SO spot on..my daughter weighed 2 pds and was in NICU for 7 weeks..the RN's were fierce angels..today my daughter a very healthy 25 yr old..Thanks to God AND the NICU team
26 week baby here. I'm grateful for your work and not giving up on us! Back in the 90s we were just above the "do we bother" cutoff.
Hearing everyone's overwhelmingly good experiences is comforting, I'm 12 weeks pregnant with family history complications. Let's me know no matter what happens, there are literal warriors ready to protect my baby.
I hope everything went well
Ha ha I love the neonatal ICU nurse 😂 Funny and touching how lovingly aggressive she is in service to her tiny patients.
His
@@andynonymous6769 floral cap in Glaucomflecken world = female character :)
@@sopyleecrypt6899 I thought floral cap meant nurse?
Not sure about the floral cap code, but the dialogue says “she”.
My son was full term but the neonatologist said to the team "don't let him fool you, he looks great but he's a really sick baby." I couldn't be more grateful for the team of Drs and NICU nurses that watched over my son. He is now 14 and 6 feet tall. Good job @Sick Kids Hospital
This was my favorite one. My son has a rare condition and we were in the NICU for 105 days and he was huge because he was a normal sized baby. And NICU nurses are awesome!!! There are some that saved my kids life multiple times in one shift. They fought for my son and the care he needed.
I was a NICU baby! Shout out to all the scarily overprotective NICU staff who work so hard, and sending love to NICU families. 💛
As a previous NICU nurse, thank you!! This needs to be a mandatory video on the first day of rotation before entering the unit. 😂 Man, I miss that place! ❤
I spent one year with my daughter in and out of NICU. This is so true. But, that nurse can turn into your best friend.
Lol. First year med student here aspiring to be a neonatologist. Shadowed in the NICU and you almost don’t want to hold the babies because they look so fragile. 🥺 But yeah, the team in the NICU is extensive and like everything in medicine, the nurses run the joint.
Hello baby med student. Come to neonatology. We have cake.
(I am not kidding we actually have a steady supply of cake that the families of discharged babies bring to thank us)
same vibe here ;) even though i am in my last year of high school
@@fatemehhajizadehsaffar6882 😂😂 My Aunt is a Nurse Midwife that delivers in the hospital and cake and cookies can always be found in her office, the on call room and nurses station!
My first job after grad school was medical social worker. One of my wards was the NICU. I'll attest to the fierce protectiveness of the NICU nurses. They were awesome.
Im having a blast reading these comments!
Its so nice to see many positive stuff about NICU nurses, staff, and the Tiny babies they helped, who are now successful people 💗💗💗
This video was also my first exposure to this field!
I was born 3 months premature and got to chill in the NICU for the first month of my life. Very grateful for the NICU and the staff in there.
As a general pediatrician who used to go to high-risk deliveries, I have the utmost respect for neonatologists, NNPs, and NICU nurses. Best NICU nurse I ever was around was a dude that stood about 6’4” and weighed in the high 200s. Giant of a man, but man could he care for those preemies.
Daughter was a preemie, and spent 10 days there. Everything that man said is the gospel truth. (She is now a HS Freshman!)
Our preemie was in the NICU for 31 looong days. Yup, the NICU nurses don't play. Saying that in the best possible way!! 💜 And the team on rounds was huge! Ha! They very kindly lumped me into their team and let me report out on our son's progress when they came around to him, from my perspective (I was there a lot). That meant the world to me.
I was born at 32 weeks, about 4 pounds. Spent a lot of time in the NICU.
Now I'm still alive and quite a lot bigger. Thanks doc!
Yes! Single Ventricle gal Right Here! I was born with a Hypoplastic Left Heart Ventricle back in the late 80's.
Now, I'm a 34 year old Fontan Patient and still living! 😊❤+ 1/2 = 🙋🏽♀ 😊
Thank you for giving a shoutout to all the special Babies, their conditions, and their Awesome, Tough Working Team!
I'm grateful for my old Primary Children's Hospital Staff! And Special Shout out to my Nurse Barb! I'm so glad I met you years later when I was in my 20's! 🤗
I wish I could have been able to thank all those who helped me during the First Difficult Months as an Infant at the Old Brick Building at Primary Children's! Thank you, Thank you!!! 🤗❤❤❤
Twins. NICU. I'm so grateful that I got to learn baby care as a first time parent from a team of 14 neonatologists rather than the general public and its advice. People don't realize that there are things everyone knows about baby care that will kill a premature baby--I started thinking of this advice as "mindless mantras."
...
Not a lot of places to vent about this taboo topic, so I spent half an hour venting and deleted those comments. Thanks.
This was one of your best! My son was 7 weeks early, we had to do steroids for lung development. He was a bit under 5 lbs. Now he's a healthy teen. He's gigantic.
Boy I didn't want to cry at 1:18, but here I am, after 10 hours of psychology seminars, crying over this absolute gift of a man. Thanks for all your hard work.
My kiddo was a 24 weeker and spent 121 days in the NICU, then came home on oxygen and kidney meds. The "monstrous 20 lb 2 year old" really hit me 🤣 my guy is 6 and getting him to get to and STAY at 40 lbs is maddening! He's come so far though and anyone that doesn't know he was so early ends up so surprised when it gets brought up! NICU nurses are my absolute heros though ❤️❤️ they put in the work to keep helpless babies like mine, that have all the odds stacked against them, alive and able to grow and thrive.
NICU dad to a 25 weeker who was in for 104 days. She’s 2 now. You’re right, this vid was spot on 😂
Keep uploading. I don't know if this prevents you from the medical work, but we're all glad about these.
It's just youtube sketches, they dont interfere with his medical work, how much do you think we work as doctors? Lmao
At one point he said he could do this because he’s an ophthalmologist and they have enough time to do this. But he’s also had to go through everything else so he knows the ins and outs to a t
@@TheLocomono9 You mean this video? th-cam.com/video/a9eEzrVSe6Q/w-d-xo.html
@@rukia7693 Med student here. The answer is a lot but depends on location and specialty. My point was that getting a very active side gig which *will* take time to organise especially when you get famous, it is admirable how one would handle the combination.
He has Jonathan to hold down the fort while he entertains and educated the masses!
My cousin is a nicu nurse and this is dead on. She is studying to be a pa and I can’t wait to see what she will be like on the ward. Also my own son was in the nicu for 24h as well as my little brother for a month. I don’t know what we would have done without the amazing staff to care and project both boys. CHOP NICU will forever be in my heart as well as the Philly Ronald McDonald House!!
Haha 100% accurate on the depiction of NICU nurses and the need to completely forget normal anatomy! Glad those rotations are long behind me but nicu team does amazing work!
Yay for the NICU nurses! Saved my brothers life. 5 months in the NICU and now he’s a strong and healthy 23 year old!
As a Nicu mom of a 23 weeker - this is amazing! I love this video! Spot on! Especially about the Nicu nurses! Love my Neonatologist!!
Thank you to everyone who takes such good care of these little ones. My granddaughter was born at 32 weeks after her twin brother had died the day before she was delivered. She was 3 lbs but in good shape. I never forget how the bereavement midwife cared for my daughter and her partner, or listening to the guitarist who was asked to play for the babies. The lights were lowered as much as possible and blinds closed and staff kept their voices down. There are such amazing people in this world. ❤
As the mum of a 7 year old who was born at 26 weeks I loved this, it made me laugh and brought back memories. As much as his birth and first few weeks were traumatic at times, I honestly have the most precious memories of my hours spent in nicu. God bless the neonatal nurses x
10 years ago a my daughter spent 2 weeks in the NICU. The care and compassion she received there was above and beyond anything I could have ever imagined. Now my 5th grader is 5’4 and 115 pounds ❤ I’m grateful for them everyday
I love your channel! As a neonatologist I really enjoyed this! Please do a video of the ophtalmologist and his loyal scribe Jonathan going to the NICU to do ROP screening!!
My full-term baby was admitted to a NICU 18 hours after he was born (8lb) due to suspected seizures. He looked so huge compared to the little ones around him.
He's now a nearly 6 foot tall 16 year old.
I can only hope that those babies graduated from NICU and are also healthy.
Years ago I was a volunteer in the Nursery of a local hospital which had a Level IV NICU. Occasionally a "Large for Gestational Age" newborn would end up in NICU because of blood sugar problems or TTN. They would look like a Macy's parade balloon compared to their neighbors LOL.
Thank you for NICU staff. I have twin NICU grads that were born 24 weeks and 6 days. They went home without oxygen and are perfectly healthy due to a great team. The nurses and I stay in touch to this day.
As an NNP, I’d like to congratulate you on hitting this spot on!!! The NICU is like no other place in the hospital!! I love your videos!!! Keep up the great content!!!❤
As a NICU nurse I approve this!!! Respect the tiny human this large human is very protective of the humunculi!!!
My nephew was born at 25 weeks and it was very scary. He survived and is a super-healthy 5-year-old now. His NICU nurses were amazing. They put cute little decorations around to soften the scary look of the medical equipment. One of them wept over him. Another became a good friend of the family and still comes to see him every once in a while. I have no idea how these folks keep their tender hearts and don’t become hardened and cynical with all the pain they have to deal with. Strongest people ever.
My first was born at almost 32 weeks and we spent 27 days in the NICU. He was big compared to some of the micro preemies. Absolutely blessed to have the team of specialists that helped us.
He's now a lively 44lbs & 44" tall 4.5 year old.
This was EXACTLY my NICU experience to a T! It's an amazing place where you start out knowing absolutely nothing and gain a massive amount of respect for the people working there.
This was fully accurate!
My 29 weeker was born at 3lbs and spent 2 months in the NICU. When my daughter was born 2 years later at 41 weeks and 6 lbs I was SHOCKED that she was such a GIANT baby and that I could just hold her right away. What a change!
My deepest appreciation to NICU teams everywhere! Those nurses (Drs and Specialists) kept our son alive and taught us how to take care of him too. I will always be so thankful for them.
(Oh, my son is now 13, taller than me and perfectly healthy!)
I was a NICU baby. Made the delivery dr cry. It was the late 70's. My RNs did a great job and I am still here.