Thanks to your support, premature babies are being kept safer and more comfortable at the Norfolk & Norwich University Hospital.
The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) looks after some of the smallest, sickest babies in our hospital.
Thanks to the amazing support of our donors and fundraisers, we funded two top-of-the-range Babyleo incubators, designed to provide the best possible environment to help these babies get better and go home. We talked to Karin Ronen, Senior Sister on NICU, and she estimates that the two incubators are helping approximately 100 babies every year.
The incubators monitor internal noise and light levels that can cause stress and damage to developing premature and newborn term babies. This enables us to deliver optimum developmental care despite the intensive technology and interventions these babies often require.
Karin Ronen, Senior Sister, NICU
The incubators automatically monitor and adjust the temperature and humidity levels inside, to keep babies’ body temperatures at safe levels and protect their fragile skin.
The sides can be lowered and the lid can be raised, allowing the medical team to access the baby quickly in emergencies, and letting parents touch and bond with their baby more easily. That bond is so important for the wellbeing of parents and their babies, so there’s even the option for parents to record their voices to play through the incubator while they’re not there.
It’s important to weigh these babies to monitor their progress and calculate medication correctly, so the incubators make this process safer:
They also allow us to monitor and weigh babies with minimal disturbance and without the need to remove them from their nurturing environment. Excessive handling can easily cause distress and deterioration to an unstable infant.
Karin Ronen, Senior Sister, NICU
Having a new baby in NICU is extremely hard. Thanks to your support, these incubators are making that time safer and more comfortable, so more families can take their little ones home.
Contribute to our appeal for the NICU to help more families bring their little ones home.
