Working with families from the very beginning
Angel Eyes
Sometimes an infant’s stay with us is extended, and parents cannot be with their baby around the clock. The decision to leave their newborn with us while they attend to other life responsibilities is tough. Our Angel Eyes program provides a convenient way for parents to watch over their babies with bedside live-stream video, 24/7.
Dominic arrived 9 weeks early, weighing in at 3 pounds 7 ounces. He spent weeks in our NICU developing his breathing, eating, sleeping functions and gaining weight. During this time, his mom and dad had to return to work. The Angel Eyes program let them follow Dominic’s progress from work, in the middle of the night and even during a baby shower planned long before his original due date.
Eat, sleep and console
Some of our babies are born addicted to narcotics. In the past, these babies were given medication to wean and work through withdrawal. At Beacon NICU, when possible, we are trying something new called Eat, Sleep and Console. With this process, parents become partners with our health care team and commit to spending the majority of their time with their baby. While babies will experience signs of withdrawal, they can eat on demand, sleep and be consoled. With this method, the use of medications is drastically reduced. And they often go home sooner. When parents are unavailable, generous volunteers come in at all times, day or night, to care for these babies.
About Beacon Children’s Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
Our team is here for families from the very beginning. Many babies are born in our hospitals every day. It’s a joy to see parents receive their newborn into their awaiting arms. However, sometimes the unexpected happens. When this happens, Beacon Children’s Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) provides Level III trauma care for babies born prematurely as well as babies born with critical illnesses. Conveniently located next to the Memorial Special Care Obstetrics Unit, our NICU can respond immediately when emergencies happen during childbirth. Our internationally recognized NICU includes 36 beds and cares for 400 newborns each year. Whether the baby is born at Memorial or transported from another hospital by our NICU transport team, we are here to assist.
