It's is almost time for the annual March of Dimes March for Babies!  Only 77 days to go! 



The local event will take place at Sea World of San Antonio on April 14, 2012.  Many of our NICU grads and their families will be participating, along with some of our Neonatologists, NNPs, and other NICU staff! 

If you are interested in finding out more about the March for Babies...how you can participate, join a team, form a team, or donate, check out:  http://www.marchforbabies.org/

We hope to see you there!



Julie Hudson, MSN, RN

NCBH NICU

PS>  Are you one of our NICU grad families?  Do you have a team?  Share you team name here in the comments section!

I know the kiddos in Team Prayers Granted!  http://www.marchforbabies.org/s_team_page.asp?SeId=1745469&si=

Caffeine....not in the coffee or Mt. Dew form.....is a really common part of a premature infant's medication regime in the NICU.  Caffeine, you say, really???

Caffeine Citrate is a stimulant that is used to treat apnea of prematurity.  If your baby was a preemie, especially, an extremely low birthweight (ELBW) neonate, then he probably was on caffeine therapy for awhile.  According to research, it is a safe therapy and it works!  We've seen it ourselves in the NICU.

An article was just published this month with some interesting long-term data that was not previously available.  The research demonstrates that the effects of caffeine therapy seem to lessen over time......."In previously reported results from the randomized, placebo-controlled Caffeine for Apnea of Prematurity (CAP) trial, newborns who received caffeine therapy had a significantly lower rate of death or disability by 18 to 21 months, driven by lower rates of cerebral palsy and cognitive delay.But by age 5, the difference in death or disability became nonsignificant" (Neale, T., 2012).

The research continues and more long-term data will come from these studies, but for now, we know that caffeine therapy works on our little patients.  As stated in the article:  "This trial also highlights how fortunate preterm patients have been in the routine use of caffeine, a drug previously untested in newborns. All along, neonatologists were using the first safe neuroprotective agent in this vulnerable population," (Neale, T., 2012).

See the link below to read the full article.

Enjoy your week!

Julie Hudson, MSN, RN

NCBH NICU

 

Quotations and Article can be found here:

"Caffeine Benefits for Preemies Mostly Gone by Age 5" By Todd Neale, Senior Staff Writer, MedPage Today

As many of you are putting away holiday decorations and enjoying the unseasonably warm temperatures this week, don't let this warm Texas winter weather fool you...RSV and Flu season is still here!

Unfortunately, I heard from several NICU graduate families over the holidays who were fighting off various "bugs" this year.  So, please be sure to take precautions with your little one.  What can you do?

1. Be sure to get your baby's Synagis shot on-time (if he/she is receiving them).

2. Lots...and lots...and lots...of handwashing!

3. Avoid large crowds (as much as possible).

4. Clean surface areas around your home with disinfectants frequently.

5.  Do not allow anyone with cold or flu symptoms around your high-risk baby.

Check out these links for symptom information and recent RSV stats:

http://www.cdc.gov/rsv/about/symptoms.html

http://txpeds.org/sites/txpeds.org/files/documents/RSV-and-Flu-11262011.pdf

Stay Healthy!

Julie Hudson, MSN, RN

NCBH NICU

Every year I get an email showing the statistics related to our Baptist Moms and Kids website. Guess what?  The NICU Blog is the 4th most visited page on the site!!  This is up from #9 last year!   Wow!

So, how about helping me get this Blog to number one for 2012?  If you are reading the NICU Blog, please click on the "comments" link and let's get some conversations started!  Ask questions or share advice....we want to hear form you!  I think we can get to number one by this time next year...what do you think?



Happy Holidays!

Julie Hudson, MSN, RN

It is the season of gift-giving....and it is also a busy baby shower season!  But, what about gift-giving to a family whose baby is in the NICU?  Many people find this to be a challenge because the baby is too small or too ill for clothing, toys, etc. and no one knows what size the baby will be by the time he/she gets to go home.  Our NICU parents, however, still need all of the wonderful things that are typically received at a shower.  So, I did a little research (and based on a little NICU RN experience), I came up with a few suggestions for you:

*NICU-specific or Preemie memory books, scrapbook kits, etc. (These are available online through several resources.)



*Personalized receiving blankets....many times these can be used in the baby's isolette while in the hospital and they add a personal touch to his/her bed.



*Gift cards....for use later when baby comes home or for restaurants near the hospital since the parents will be there so often!



*Gas cards!  For many families, the daily travel to and from the hospital really adds up.







What else can you suggest?  I'm sure that some of our NICU Grad families have some great ideas, so drop me an email (by clicking on my name below) or click on the "comments" link.







Happy Holidays!



Julie Hudson, MSN, RN



NCBH NICU



               

What are you thankful for this year?

I hope that you are able to spend some time this week reflecting on all of the blessings in your life.  Even during a difficult time, such as a NICU stay for your baby, there are blessings...may you find these especially encouraging  this holiday season!

"Remember God's bounty in the year.  String the pearls of His favor. Hide the dark parts, except so far as they are breaking out in light!  Give this one day to thanks, to joy, to gratitude!"  --Henry Ward Beecher

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Julie Hudson, MSN, RN

NCBH NICU

Did you know that November is "Prematurity Awareness Month"? 



According to the March of Dimes, "the awareness month kicks off on November 1 with the release of the 2011 Premature Birth Report Card and November 17 marks World Prematurity Day."*  The goal is to bring the serious problem of premature births to light.

According to the Report Card*, the United States received a "C" and Texas received a "D"....meaning that we still have some work to do in order to bring our prematurity rates down.  Please check out their website (listed below) for more information on how you can help raise awareness this month and throughout the year!

Happy November!

Julie Hudson, MSN, RN

NCBH NICU

*http://www.marchofdimes.com/mission/prematurity.html

                Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating;

there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather. ~John Ruskin

The weather here in San Antonio has been gorgeous lately....such a difference from the 105 degree Summer!!  Have you and your family been enjoying the change?

It is a great time to be out hiking, biking, walking, etc.  Share with us some of the fun Fall activities you and your NICU grad have been participating in!

Drop me an email by clicking on my name below or click on the "Comments" link to share with everyone.

Happy Harvest!

Julie Hudson, MSN, RN

NCBH NICU

We have known for a long time that even the tiniest of infants respond to stress, both negatively and positively.  A new study was published this week that focuses on how NICU-specific stressors (i.e. care provided by staff, noise levels, procedures, etc.) affect premature infants.  While the authors conclude that more research is needed, they did find that these stressors do have some affect on brain growth and development.**  

This is one of the reasons why we try to "decrease stimulation" in the NICU.  You may often hear the staff talking about "touch times" and "clustered care" or see dim lighting in the unit and isolettes with dark covers.  These are just some of the interventions that we are attempting to use to provide a less "stressful" NICU stay for our little patients.

If you have questions about how you can help reduce "stress" for your infant, please talk to us.  We would also love to hear your ideas and thoughts on the topic.  Please click on the "Comment" link below or drop me an email (by clicking on my name).



Have a stress-free weekend!



Julie Hudson, MSN, RN

NCBH NICU

**Smith, G. C., Gutovich, J., Smyser, C., Pineda, R., Newnham, C., Tjoeng, T. H., Vavasseur, C., Wallendorf, M., Neil, J. and Inder, T. (2011), Neonatal intensive care unit stress is associated with brain development in preterm infants. Annals of Neurology. doi: 10.1002/ana.22545

Flu season is here again.....and flu shots are available! 

According the the CDC website, flu seasons are unpredictable but begin as early as October. The vaccine is already available in San Antonio, so that means it is time for everyone to get his/her shot!  "It takes about two weeks after vaccination for antibodies to develop in the body and provide protection against influenza virus infection" (CDC, 2011).

All of our NICU nurses and staff receive the vaccination each year, in order to protect our high risk population of patients.  For NICU parents and families this is an important step that may prevent your infant from getting sick.  The national recommendation is that anyone over the age of 6 months get a flu vaccination.  "It’s especially important that certain people get vaccinated either because they are at high risk of having serious flu–related complications or because they live with or care for people at high risk for developing flu–related complications.

• Pregnant women
• Children younger than 5, but especially children younger than 2 years old
• People 50 years of age and older
• People of any age with certain chronic medical conditions
• People who live in nursing homes and other long–term care facilities
• People who live with or care for those at high risk for complications from flu, including:
  • Health care workers
  • Household contacts of persons at high risk for complications from the flu
  • Household contacts and out of home caregivers of children less than 6 months of age (these children are too young to be vaccinated) (CDC, 2011)."

Most physician offices, medical clinics, and even pharmacies are offering flu shots right now.  Some insurance companies and Medicare plans will also cover the expense of a vaccine.

If you are a NICU family member, please consider getting your flu shot right away.

Have a comment or story to share?  Email me or leave a comment for us all (using the comment link below).

Julie Hudson, MSN, RN
NCBH NICU

Reference
CDC. (2011). 2011-12 Influenza and vaccine and vaccination information.  From www.cdc.gov/flu/flu_vaccine_updates.htm