World Prematurity Day event celebrates milestones, recognizes hardships for Red Deer NICU families

It’s been a harrowing three months, with the happy family — baby Philip included — recently transferred back to RDRH’s NICU for monitoring.

In fact, the day of the celebration, Philip had officially tripled his body weight from the two pounds, two ounces he was born at, and they were just a few days out from going home for good.

Andrew Fraser and newborn son Philip, who came into this world prematurely, at the 27-week mark of his mom Megan’s pregnancy, are seen here in the Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). (rdnewsNOW/Josh Hall)

One reason that’s incredible is because Philip has twice had to deal with necrotizing enterocolitis, an ailment with an devastatingly high mortality rate for infant patients.

“With a premature baby, there are going to be bad days, but some days, more recently, were a lot of fun; like the first time we got to dress him, that was pretty cool. But the first five days, we couldn’t even hold him,” shared Fraser, whose family lives in Blackfalds.

“I think most people are aware that this is a thing that happens, but there’s a lack of awareness of how common it is getting to be. No one, the entire time we were going to appointments, said, ‘Oh, by the way, you’ve got a one in ten shot that he’s going to show up way earlier than you planned. It was never a discussion.”

But it’s true, one in ten babies are now born premature, and families end up relying heavily on the incredible care offered by NICU staff.

For Johnston, son Gunnar and his dad Ty, their adventure through a premature birth happened 11 years ago.

The trio was on hand for this week’s celebration.

“The nurses here [at RDRH] are fantastic,” said Johnston, who’s also volunteered in the NICU for several years.

For families like hers, having a baby born premature can mean a lot of short spurts spent apart in the beginning, though they feel like a lifetime.

L-R: Ty Mainil, Gunnar Mainil and Kristi Johnson; Gunnar was born prematurely at 32 weeks about 11 years ago at Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre. (rdnewsNOW/Josh Hall)

“If you have other kids at home [to tend to], there’s a guilt where you’re saying, ‘I should be with them because they’re struggling too.’ [From home], I never called into the hospital, because I felt like I’d be bothering the nurses, but that’s exactly what they want you to do. That’s what they’re here for,” Johnston says.

“It doesn’t matter where you are, you feel guilty for not being somewhere else. On top of that, when the baby is born early, feeding is another situation because your body is not prepared to have the baby yet.”

Gunnar was born four pounds and 15 ounces at about the 32-week mark.

Per Alberta Health Services, the Red Deer Regional NICU has Level II status, meaning they can keep babies there born at or after the 32-week mark. The unit is capable of stabilizing lower gestation babies — or those born earlier — but they would then be transferred to tertiary sites in Calgary or Edmonton.

AHS also confirms that the NICU will move to the new patient tower at some point during or at the completion of the Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre’s redevelopment.

It will maintain its 17-bed unit and provide the same level of care, with all rooms in the new build providing complete privacy for families. Designs are still to be determined.

Amie Mays, manager of the Red Deer Regional NICU for the past five years, has seen two decades worth of growth, passion and hard work in her department.

“This observance is about recognizing that prematurity is an international issue, and giving families the acknowledgement of what they go through with a premature baby. They often don’t get their desired birth plan,” said Mays.

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“While we celebrate all the milestones of kids growing and getting bigger, it is also a grief process for families when they leave their babies in the NICU and go home every night. Again, as a parent, you don’t plan for that.”

The Red Deer NICU routinely has about 50 admissions per month, some of which are sick infants rather than strictly premature ones.

Mays also said the job, while at times difficult, is fulfilling.

“We have a really great group of trained staff, and it’s not just nurses, but also children’s rehabilitation services, respiratory therapists, and pediatricians, among others,” she said.

“It can be very stressful when we are resuscitating newborns, but at the same time, it is rewarding to see them develop a relationship with their families.”

When a family is in the Red Deer NICU, they have access to wraparound services such as occupational therapists, dietitians, and other medical professionals. The nearby Ronald McDonald House also plays a pivotal role in helping families have a place to stay that isn’t far from their new baby.

To learn more about World Prematurity Day, visit canadianpreemies.org.

by Josh Hall | @Vancan19

World Prematurity Day event celebrates milestones, recognizes hardships for Red Deer NICU families

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