Swedish-Issaquah ready to accept premature babies

Swedish-Issaquah is ready to take on the tiniest, most fragile patients with the opening of its Level II nursery.

Monday, the neonatal unit for premature babies opened for business. The unit is housed on the second floor, which is completely dedicated to women’s and children’s health. The floor contains labor and delivery rooms, the obstetric and gynecologist clinic, high-risk ob/gyn and pediatric in-patient rooms.

Every patient room looks out on a rooftop garden which changes colors with the seasons.

The nursery is opening in two phases as the team eases its way into caring for these small patients. Half of the beds are for babies born at 34 or more weeks of gestation, The other half will have 15 beds for babies born as young as 32 weeks of gestation and will open sometime in the fall.

Born at 32 weeks gestation, a baby needs oxygen support and IV support for nutrition because the child’s brain hasn’t had time to process how to suck, swallow and breathe at the same time. According to the March of Dimes, a baby’s brain at 35 weeks weighs only two-thirds of what it will weigh at 39 to 40 weeks of gestation, so a majority of brain development happens in the last few weeks.

Instead of the baby being in a big ward with other infants, the infant has its own room with a fold out bed for a parent to stay overnight, and a rocking recliner for skin to skin contact with mom or dad. Each room also has a private bathroom with shower for the parents. The televisions are set up for relaxation channels.

Babies respond to peaceful sounds or sounds like a heartbeat, so the setting is to recreate where they just came from — humid and calm, hearing mom’s heartbeat.

“Even though we’re caring for the baby, we’re also caring for the family,” said neonatal nurse practitioner Debra Bender.

State-of-the-art incubators keep the baby warm, even when a caregiver reaches in the holes on the side to care for the baby.

“Cold is a stressor for babies who are already in jeopardy,” said Wendy Colgan, the nurse manager for obstetrics and pediatrics.

Bender said a premature baby’s evaporative state is high because their little bodies are 85 percent water. Therefore, the incubators are maintained at 80 percent humidity.

For more at-risk babies, radiant warmers are used instead of incubators for more hands-on access for the caregivers. Bender said it’s no longer the case that even a few weeks early is okay. Because of developmental organization, there is still a great deal of growing going on in the final weeks of a normal pregnancy term of 39 to 40 weeks.

Until now, babies born prematurely at Swedish-Issaquah were transferred to other area hospitals to receive neonatal care. Swedish received approval for this Level II nursery once it met the state’s required 1,000 deliveries at the campus.

The team includes neonatologists from Pediatrix Medical Group, several neonatal nurse practitioners — one on staff at all times so the nursery is covered 24/7 — 12 neonatal nurses, dietitians, social workers and pharmacists.

Volunteers will be needed as the staff puts together a cuddler program, where men or women 18 and older volunteer to hold the babies. As part of a mini baby shower, the staff is asking for scrapbooking materials and new baby clothes, which can be dropped off at the hospital’s main desk.

A baby that is extremely premature or has a serious medical condition can still be transferred to Swedish’s Level III neonatal intensive care unit at the First Hill campus in Seattle.