Former NICU Patients Return to UAMS for Day of Fun
| April 13, 2016 | When hope becomes a reality, it’s easy to celebrate and difficult not to smile.
Scores of former patients of the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and their families returned to the UAMS Medical Center for the 5th Annual NICU Reunion April 9.
Braylen, 10 months, wears a batman cape during the superhero-themed event. He was born at 27 weeks and spent 155 days in the hospital.
Many of the tiny champions donned capes, masks, tiaras and tutus for a party celebrating their graduation and progress.
Seventeen-month-old Talyn Addison Farris sat with her parents enjoying a bag of vanilla wafers and watched a parade of superheroes, princesses and entertainers wow the crowd. Her mother, Talya Farris, says the 103 days her baby spent in the NICU were scary for her and her husband, Antonio.
“In the beginning, I didn’t know what was going to happen to her, if she would be okay,” Farris said. “We live in Jonesboro, two hours away. So having to leave her here was difficult. Even with reassurance, it was a horrible feeling to know that I couldn’t be here at the drop of a hat if needed.”
Brian Kinder of Kindersongs sings and interacts with NICU graduates during a performance of the song “My Dog.”
Talyn was born when her mother was just 26 weeks pregnant. Once she got older and more stable, she graduated to an open crib. “I was able to come stay with her through the week after that. Her dad would come on the weekends.”
Talyn and several other babies waited in line to take photos with Spiderman, Batman, Captain America and other fictional characters. Brian Kinder and his wife, Terri, of Kindersongs put on a happy concert and sang catchy tunes about hot chocolate, being a kid, playing ball and having the best dog in the world. Queen Elsa and Princess Anna cuddled with babies and posed for several pictures. Jay Powell painted tiny faces with images of their favorite things.
Along with the fun, parents also received helpful information from booths including demonstrations of safe sleeping. Child passenger safety technicians gave complimentary car seat checks to ensure children were properly secured in their vehicles.
Superheroes pose in the UAMS Medical Center during the 5th Annual NICU Reunion.
NICU nurses exchanged lots of hugs with the children and their families they’d once taken care of. Crystal Barron has been a NICU nurse for four years. Each year she looks forward to the reunion.
“It makes me happy to see them come back after several months or years,” Barron said. “We see how much they’ve grown — walking, talking and jumping. They’ve come a long way from the tiny babies they once were in the NICU.”
The nurses and families agree that they become like family. Many parents even keep in touch with the staff that took care of their baby during his or her stay in the hospital.
The UAMS NICU offers private rooms for its patients, including rooms equipped for multiple births. For parents who are unable to be with their infants, the NICU has the technology to keep them connected through the ANGEL Eye program, an online system allowing family members to view babies through a secure website. The monitors also allow parents to meet with doctors and nurses face to face over video calls.
“I want to thank all the nurses and doctors from the bottom of my heart,” Farris said. “They were always so knowledgeable and did everything they could to make sure our baby was able to come home to us safely.”