The patient I'm taking care of right now in the Neonatal ICU is 3 months old. She was born at 33 weeks' gestation (normal is 40), along with a twin brother. Her brother has been home with their parents for some time now, but this poor little baby has had to stay in the hospital for innumerable problems, including, but not limited to, a hear that is very messed up indeed.
Now, I've only been seeing this patient for a little over a week now, but in all the time I've been at the NICU, I've never once seen her family at the bedside. This poor little 3-month-old lies on her back day in and day out, largely unstimulated by human contact the way normal babies are. By 3 months old, babies are social smiling, interacting with those around her, and starting to learn who her parents are by face. A lot of the kids who spend many of their first months in the NICU meet these important milestones much later than their healthier peers, simply because they don't receive the normal social stimulation that we all take for granted. This baby was going along the path of many NICU babies before her, and gaining her milestones very, very slowly.
So you can imagine my initial confusion, then subsequent delight, when I realized that, as I examined this baby girl this morning, the strange facial expressions she was making were her way of trying to smile! It was absolutely precious, and I swear as soon as she first took that step, it's as if a switch was flipped, and the baby became much more interactive with everyone who came by her. Seeing that little baby try to smile was probably the best part of my day.
Now, I've only been seeing this patient for a little over a week now, but in all the time I've been at the NICU, I've never once seen her family at the bedside. This poor little 3-month-old lies on her back day in and day out, largely unstimulated by human contact the way normal babies are. By 3 months old, babies are social smiling, interacting with those around her, and starting to learn who her parents are by face. A lot of the kids who spend many of their first months in the NICU meet these important milestones much later than their healthier peers, simply because they don't receive the normal social stimulation that we all take for granted. This baby was going along the path of many NICU babies before her, and gaining her milestones very, very slowly.
So you can imagine my initial confusion, then subsequent delight, when I realized that, as I examined this baby girl this morning, the strange facial expressions she was making were her way of trying to smile! It was absolutely precious, and I swear as soon as she first took that step, it's as if a switch was flipped, and the baby became much more interactive with everyone who came by her. Seeing that little baby try to smile was probably the best part of my day.
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