ISRAEL
- Preterm birth rate – 6.5 births <37 weeks per 100 live births)
- (Preterm birth rate – USA – 12 per 100 births)
- Ranking: 166
Source: https://www.marchofdimes.org/mission/global-preterm.aspx#tabs-3
Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in the Middle East, on the southeastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea and the northern shore of the Red Sea. It has land borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the northeast, Jordan on the east, the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and Gaza Strip to the east and west, respectively, and Egypt to the southwest. Health care in Israel is universal and participation in a medical insurance plan is compulsory. All Israeli citizens are entitled to basic health care as a fundamental right.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel
Hadassah nursing students, 1948
Healthcare in Israel is universal and participation in a medical insurance plan is compulsory. All Israeli residents are entitled to basic health care as a fundamental right. The Israeli healthcare system is based on the National Health Insurance Law of 1995, which mandates all citizens resident in the country to join one of four official health insurance organizations, known as Kupat Holim (קופת חולים – “Sick Funds“) which are run as not-for-profit organizations and are prohibited by law from denying any Israeli resident membership. Israelis can increase their medical coverage and improve their options by purchasing private health insurance.[1] In a survey of 48 countries in 2013, Israel’s health system was ranked fourth in the world in terms of efficiency, and in 2014 it ranked seventh out of 51.[2] In 2015, Israel was ranked sixth-healthiest country in the world by Bloomberg rankings[3] and ranked eighth in terms of life expectancy.
Source: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Healthcare_in_Israel
NEW NICU AT HADASSAH: FIRST OF ITS KIND IN ISRAEL
7 November, 2017
Tiny patients with big problems are now being treated in the new Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Hadassah Hospital Ein Kerem—the first of its kind in Israel.
The newest addition to Hadassah’s Neonatology Department, located in the Charlotte R. Bloomberg Mother and Child Center, the innovative NICU combines advanced technology with private rooms and dedicated multidisciplinary health care professionals, including a nutritionist and physical therapist. Most babies admitted to the NICU are premature, have low birth rates, and/or special conditions that need immediate specialized care. Typically, they are so small you could hold each one in your palm–if they weren’t attached to so many tubes and life-saving devices.
Let’s meet a few:
In Baby Room One, there is a baby boy that has no name yet; he is too sick to undergo a circumcision ceremony where he will finally get his name. His parents, in their forties, waited a long time to get the news that his mother was pregnant. And with twins! His brother is home from the hospital, but this other twin has a faulty connection between his esophagus and trachea. Air flows into his stomach instead of his lungs. This baby needs surgery, and a consultation for his heart and skeletal problems that are often linked to this esophageal problem. His distraught parents are counting on Hadassah’s team of experts to bring him through.
In Baby Room Two, there is a baby girl–the fourth child of a young religious family. Everything seemed fine during the pregnancy, but the nurses in the hospital where she was born noticed a blue tinge. She was rushed to Hadassah Ein Kerem where she was stabilized and will undergo heart surgery. Her parents are counting on Hadassah to bring her through.
In Baby Room Three, there is a baby girl from the Palestinian Authority, who was born with a vascular problem called “Vein of Galen Malformation.” Misshapen arteries in her brain are connected directly with veins, instead of capillaries, which help slow blood flow. This causes a rush of high-pressure blood towards her little heart and lungs. She has already had three brain catheterizations by Hadassah experts. Her parents are counting on Hadassah to bring her through.
The new eight-bed NICU doesn’t just provide space and protection from infection to these at-risk newborns. It also allows parents to be integral parts of their care, explains NICU Director Prof. Smadar Eventov-Friedman. “Bonding with a sick infant is crucial,” says Prof. Eventov-Friedman. “Parents need to be close at hand for feeding and bathing and to become part of the baby’s care from the beginning.” Therefore, in addition to the complex machinery, such as mechanical ventilators and monitors for every life function, there’s an easy chair for mom and dad plus a small refrigerator to store supplements for the baby.
When Prof. Eventov-Friedman was a medical student, she relates, few of these babies would have had a chance of surviving. But the huge leaps in neonatal care have enabled sophisticated interventions that save babies’ lives and give them quality of life. “A child born with low weight or the need for surgical or subspecialist intervention has as good a chance of survival at Hadassah as in any top medical center in the world,” she says.
Hadassah’s Neonatology Department includes well-baby care and two intensive care units—the other, at Hadassah Hospital Mount Scopus. Close to 13,000 babies were born at Hadassah last year. While the vast majority are healthy and go home in two days, because Hadassah is a referral center for high-risk pregnancy, there is a spiraling need for intensive care, explains Dr. Benjamin Bar-Oz, head of the Neonatology Department.
Source: http://hadassahinternational.org/new-nicu-hadassah-first-kind-israel
COMMUNITY
Yom Kippur fast doubles risk of early birth, study finds.
By ANDREW TOBIN, 30 September 2014 – Research gives backing for recommendation against fasting while pregnant, despite stricter Orthodox Jewish guidelines
Fasting on Yom Kippur while pregnant may trigger early birth, according to a new Israeli study — providing the first clear evidence against doing so.
In the retrospective cohort study of 725 deliveries in Israel on Yom Kippur over 23 years, Jewish women were twice as likely as others to have their babies early, the study found. Premature babies are at elevated risk for various health problems and for death.
Jews are religiously obligated to fast on Yom Kippur, which falls this year on Friday night and Saturday, considered the holiest day on the Jewish calendar. Pregnant women are included in this, but if a doctor gives them a pass, they can eat and drink a bit.
Still, many pregnant Jewish women at least partially refrain from eating or drinking during the 25 hour period, according to their religious beliefs.
Although doctors often advise their patients not to fast while pregnant, the recommendation is not supported by clear evidence or by official medical guidelines. The large cross-sectional study, published in The Journal of Maternal-Fetal & Neonatal Medicine this month, adds empirical weight to recommending leniency on the matter.
“We found that during the Day of Atonement, Jews had twice as many preterm deliveries. And I’m not talking about one year, I’m speaking about the whole study period,” said Prof. Eyal Sheiner, an obstetrician and gynecologist at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and at Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba, who led the study. “This is the first evidence based study to support our recommendation (to pregnant women) not to fast on Yom Kippur.”
Sheiner’s post-doctoral students Dr. Natalie Shalit and Dr. Roy Shalit co-authored the study.
Soroka Medical Center is the largest hospital in southern Israel. About half of the patients who give birth at the hospital are Jewish, and about half are Bedouin. Sheiner noticed a boost in deliveries every year on Yom Kippur in the obstetrics and gynecology department he heads.
To investigate why, he matched data on deliveries at the hospital from 1988 to 2012 with the Jewish calendar. Of the mothers, 388 were Jewish and 357 were Bedouin. Forty-seven, or 6.3 percent, of the births were premature, or earlier than 37 weeks after conception. Data analysis revealed that the Jewish mothers were twice as likely as their Bedouin counterparts to give birth early on Yom Kippur.
The difference remained significant after controlling for other factors that could explain early birth — the mother’s age, previous early delivery, and problems with fetal development. Significantly — looking at the day exactly a week before Yom Kippur each year, Sheiner found no significant difference in early births between the two groups of mothers.
Several previous studies showed an increase in labor and in deliveries on Yom Kippur and on the following day, but none of them specifically addressed early birth. Sheiner said that since many pregnant Jewish women do not fast completely or at all on Yom Kippur, the risk of a 25 hour fast may be even greater than is reflected in the study.
Babies born prematurely are at increased risk of complications at birth, and the risks rise according to how early a baby is born. Seventy-five to 80 percent of babies who die at birth are born early. They are also more likely to develop cerebral palsy, impaired cognitive skills, sensory, dental, behavioral and psychological problems, and chronic health issues later in life.
“The best incubator for the first 37 weeks is the uterus,” said Sheiner.
The relationship between early delivery and fasting is not well understood. The leading theory is that fasting increases the thickness of the blood, which promotes the secretion of a hormone shown to induce contractions of the uterus.
Sheiner said dehydration and stress are both risk factors for early delivery. The first thing he says doctors at his hospital do when a woman comes in with preterm contractions is to hydrate her. He said he will continue advising women to take a break from the Yom Kippur fast when they are pregnant, especially now that he’s armed with the numbers to support his recommendation.
Source: http://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=1071109
COMMUNITY HEALTH VOLUNTEERS IN ZAMBIA SHOW THE WAY TO IMPROVE SURVIVAL OF MOTHERS AND BABIES- Published September 26, 2018
Authors Paula Quigley Submitted by HNN Admin Partners – London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) MARCH Centre for Maternal, Adolescent, Reproductive and Child Health, International Stillbirth Alliance, Health Partners International
Pregnant women in rural communities across Africa face enormous challenges in accessing appropriate health care. Often there are few healthcare providers available locally with the appropriate skills needed for managing complications that may arise during the pregnancy or birth.i But there are also other barriers at community level, including a lack of household funds, limited transport options to reach the health facility, lack of social support for the family or limited knowledge and awareness of danger signs in pregnancy. These barriers combine to result in higher rates of maternal and neonatal mortality and stillbirths among these populations and health systems are struggling to cope.
However, in Zambia some communities are rising to the challenge. Building on an existing government initiative of community volunteers – the Safe Motherhood Action Groups (SMAGs) and supported initially with funding from UK aid and subsequently from Comic Relief – a UK-based charity, communities established their own response systems to address their many barriers. These were identified locally by ordinary community members and volunteers, in collaboration with traditional leaders, the district health teams, local health facility staff and community facilitators. The design process ended with a bespoke action plan for each community, led by the community volunteers. The two programmes, Mobilising Access to Maternal Health Services in Zambia or MAMaZ and MORE MAMaZ, operated between 2010 and 2016. An empowerment approach mobilised the communities around a maternal and newborn health (MNH) agenda and built local capacity to act. Figure 1 outlines the elements of the approach.
The Volunteer Training uses a simple and effective methodology:
- The training content is based on issues and challenges defined by the community
• Innovative teaching methods are used to train community volunteers (SMAGs)
• Training methods are appropriate in low literacy setting (body tools and songs)
• Training methods empower and encourage sharing of problems and action planning
• Volunteers are given time to practice and internalise the training (no need for training manuals)
• Training is followed up with coaching and mentoring support
Volunteers (SMAGs) then facilitate the establishment of the community-owned responses – figure 2 shows the range of community responses and figure 3 indicates the effectiveness of the training approach:
Community volunteers infographic-
The results achieved by the programme provide robust evidence of the effectiveness of the approach. Critical MNH indicators improved significantly more in the intervention sites compared to control sites – see figure 4.iv Although the programme did not measure mortality or stillbirth rates, it is highly likely that the improved access to essential services also had an impact on health outcomes. In all the intervention communities there was a strong perception that fewer mothers and babies were dying than before. In addition, the approach is sustainable (as shown by the high volunteer retention rates), builds community capacity and agency, particularly for women, and is socially inclusive. Such approaches can contribute to developing strong people-focused health systems that build upwards from the community.
About the Author-Paula Quigley is a medical doctor with an MPH focused on maternal and child health and over 27 years of international experience in health programme design, management, implementation and evaluation. She works with DAI Global Health (now incorporating Health Partners International) as the technical lead for reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent Health. She is also a member of the Stillbirth Advocacy Working Group (SAWG) co-chaired by the International Stillbirth Alliance and London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. MAMaZ and MORE MAMaZ were implemented by a consortium comprising Development Data, Disacare, Transaid and Health Partners International (now part of DAI Global Health).
HEALTH CARE PARTNERS
We were researching best apps for Preterm Birth/Maternal/ NICU nurses and discovered this interesting Abstract regarding an IFDC Mobile App.
Elsevier – Article history: Available online 7 December 2017 abstract – Journal of Neonatal Nursing 24 (2018) 48e54
Innovations: Supporting family integrated care J. Banerjee* , A. Aloysius, K. Platonos, A. Deierl IFDC Core Group, Neonatal Unit, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0HS, United Kingdom
Integrated family delivered care mobile app: The IFDC mobile app is freely available for both mobiles and tablets from both Apple Appstore for iOS * Corresponding author. E-mail address: ifdc@nhs.net (J. Banerjee). Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Journal of Neonatal Nursing journal homepage: http://www.elsevier.com/jneo https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnn.2017.11.012 1355-1841/© 2017 Neonatal Nurses Association. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Journal of Neonatal Nursing 24 (2018) 48e54 devices and Google Playstore for Android devices for any parents around the world who are in need of information around neonatal care of their sick preterm infant. The App was funded by the Imperial Health Charity
Family integrated care is delivered in a supportive environment where parents are supported with education and competency based training and the neonatal unit policies and guidelines are conducive to providing such care and nurturing such approach. Use of digital technology has revolutionised and shaped the modern world. Use of mobile-based application can help parents to develop their knowledge and confidence; cameras and videos can help parents to stay in touch with the vulnerable infants even when they are not next to their loved ones. In this article we glance through the innovative ways of breaking through the barrier of staff and parent education, communication and access of the parents to the cotside using innovative ideas and digital technologies. © 2017 Neonatal Nurses Association.
Conclusion: There is growing evidence that FIC is the most efficient way of providing high quality care to the parent-baby-unit across neonatal services. But initiating FIC in neonatal units requires parental and staff training and a neonatal environment conducive in providing FIC. Current lack of resources within NHS and stretch in the capacity of the services requires innovative approaches to make this a reality. The Imperial IFDC mobile application can help to provide parental education and training as a basis of the competency based training programme for FIC. The parents gain confidence and knowledge empowering them to be an integral part of their infant’s care giving team. Simple modification of the neonatal unit environment is one of the key elements to successful FIC in the neonatal units. Use of 24/7 seamless parental access to the cotside reduces anxiety and stress and increase parental satisfaction. This may require some adjustments such as providing parents with fingerprint entry or access cards; and use of headphones could be an innovative way to allow parents to be at the cotside without impairing patient confidentiality. Bite size teaching enables the staff to be trained at bedside without taking them out of their clinical duties. We strongly believe that even when the neonatal service is stretched to its limits, the use of innovative approaches to parent and staff education and perhaps making some minor modifications to allow parental access will help FIC flourish in the neonatal units across the UK.
Source: https://www.journalofneonatalnursing.com/article/S1355-1841(17)30191-6/pdf
LIFE: Neonatal Resuscitation Training (ETAT+ NR)
Nuffield Department of MedicineEducational
Learn the ETAT+ guidelines on how to resuscitate a newborn baby who is born not breathing in this exciting 3D simulation training app. Navigate around a virtual reality hospital, find the equipment you need and quiz yourself with interactive quizzes, multiple-choice questions (MCQs) and perform simulated procedures. Example and APP Link below-
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for Self Learning
Knowledge Revolution INC.Education
With this app you can learn on the Go, Anytime & Everywhere. The learning & understanding process never been so easy like with our 5 study modes embedded in this app.
This app is a combination of sets, containing practice questions, study cards, terms & concepts for self learning & exam preparation on the topic of Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. This app is also suitable for students, researchers, resident, doctors, Anatomy & physiology specialists, nurses and medical professionals and of course Medical lecturers, teachers and professors.
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for Self Learning
Knowledge Revolution INC.Education
With this app you can learn on the Go, Anytime & Everywhere. The learning & understanding process never been so easy like with our 5 study modes embedded in this app.
This app is a combination of sets, containing practice questions, study cards, terms & concepts for self learning & exam preparation on the topic of Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. This app is also suitable for students, researchers, resident, doctors, Anatomy & physiology specialists, nurses and medical professionals and of course Medical lecturers, teachers and professors.
PREEMIE FAMILY PARTNERS
LATE PRETERM BIRTH: Born preterm but not treated in the NICU? Even if preterm birth babies don’t require neonatal intensive critical care, they may face health challenges. Those challenges can extend through childhood into adulthood. Kat and I have had many conversations with late term preemie parents regarding their individual challenges caring for and identifying and gaining medical support and information that they understand, trust and find empowering.
The National Coalition for Infant Health is a collaborative of more than 180 professional, clinical, community health, and family support organizations focused on improving the lives of premature infants through age two and their families. NCfIH’s mission is to promote lifelong clinical, health, education, and supportive services needed by premature infants and their families. NCfIH prioritizes safety of this vulnerable population and access to approved therapies
Born between 34 and 36 weeks’ gestation? Just like preemies born much earlier, these “late preterm” infants can face: Jaundice – Feeding issues – Respiratory problems
And their parents, like all parents of preemies, are at risk for postpartum depression and PTSD.
Born preterm at a “normal” weight? Though these babies look healthy, they can still have complications and require NICU care. But because some health plans determine coverage based on a preemie’s weight, families of babies that weigh more may face access barriers and unmanageable medical bills.
ARTICLE: NEONATOLOGY TODAYtwww.NeonatologyToday.nett September 2018
Dear Colleagues, We have all heard it. “But, she is so big, how can she be a preemie?” Premature babies are not just those that are admitted to the NICU. About 4 million babies are born each year in the United States. Of these, roughly half a million babies are born prematurely (<37 weeks) each year. Today, close to 1,500 babies in the United States (over 1 in 10) will be born prematurely (1-2). Some babies are very small or sick and are admitted to the NICU. However, a lot more preemies are admitted to couplet care with mom in her room. Family and friends expect that the baby will come home with the mom. The baby starts to have feeding problems in the hospital. Then, the bilirubin goes up and phototherapy is started. Despite never entering the NICU, this late premature baby may not go home for a week or more. The mom and dad are frantic. Mom wants to breastfeed, but she has to go to the hospital each and every time she wants to feed her baby. She was given a breast pump prior to discharge, but the pump is not the same hospital grade pump that she used in the hospital. Her friends reassure her that it is okay to just give the baby formula. Meanwhile, without mom’s breastmilk, the baby receives formula feeds, spits up more frequently, and is having trouble gaining weight. Mom is distraught. She has not been able to bond with this baby the way she did with her first child. She is frequently sad. Her family does not understand. “What is there to be upset about? It is not like your baby is really sick?” The obstetrician wants to help. Mom is not going to breastfeed. So she gives her an anti-depressant.
By day three, the insurers are calling. One calls the clinician and asks why this 2500 gram baby is still not discharged home. Another in utilization review calls the father at work and explains how the policy will not cover a well baby hospital stay past three days. “The family will be responsible for all of the costs from now on.”
The parents speak with the clinician and an agreement is made to take the baby home with close follow up. The baby was started on a fortified infant formula to improve weight gain in the hospital. On the way home, the parents stop at the store to pick up the new formula. The supermarket doesn’t have it, nor the drugstore neither the large wholesale store. One of their friends suggests goat’s milk, another had good results with hemp milk. Two weeks later, the parents finally have an appointment with the pediatrician. Unfortunately, the pediatrician is not doing well baby checks that day, and instead, the baby is seen by someone who does not know the baby’s history. He re-assures the parents and explains that there should be no differences between this baby and their first child. Five minutes later, the parents are checking out.
Across from them, another mom is bringing in her baby for an emergent visit. The baby is coughing and looks sick. Mom is worried, but she remembers what the doctor said. The parents go home. Although their baby has not regained birthweight, they are satisfied. Mom cannot remember discussing her concerns about prematurity or whether hemp milk should be used exclusively. Two days later, the baby is stick with a cold. Mom is concerned. The baby’s chest seems to be bouncing off the bed. Dad and mom go to the urgent care at 3 AM. The ER doctor starts an IV and broad spectrum antibiotics. Mom is crying; dad is stoic. They admit the baby to the general pediatrics ward. The nurse tells mom that her baby has Respiratory Syncytial Virus or RSV. The insurer is calling again. He wants to know why the baby is re-admitted to the hospital. The parents are despondent. No one seems to understand. “Is this what it is going to be like forever, what went wrong?” The answer is not always obvious. This baby is still a preemie.
Not every premature baby goes to the NICU. Some have feeding problems, jaundice, and respiratory problems. Some spend weeks in the hospital. Some have lifelong health problems. And some are disadvantaged from birth. All preemies face health risks, all deserve appropriate health coverage, and all need access to proper health care. The National Coalition for Infant Health has created a new infographic designed to bring these concerns to light. The full graphic panel is on the facing page. Please download it from our website http://www.infanthealth.org/ and share it with a colleague, friend, or parent of a preemie.
The National Coalition for Infant Health VALUES-
Safety. Premature infants are born vulnerable. Products, treatments and related public policies should prioritize these fragile infants’ safety.
Access. Budget-driven health care policies should not preclude premature infants’ access to preventative or necessary therapies.
Nutrition. Proper nutrition and full access to health care keep premature infants healthy after discharge from the NICU.
Equality. Prematurity and related vulnerabilities disproportionately impact minority and economically disadvantaged families. Restrictions on care and treatment should not worsen inherent disparities.
Mitchell Goldstein, MD Medical Director National Coalition for Infant Health
Source:file:///C:/Users/sacre/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/IE/M1ENKME9/nt-sep18%20(1).pdf
Miracle Babies
Applified Marketing GroupHealth & Fitness
Download the #1 NICU resource app for FREE!
App Features:
Free printable PDF of “Guide and Journey Through the NICU” book by Sean Daneshmand, MD & Susan Kylee Newman, MSN, RN, NNP-BC-
Miracle Monday inspirational quotes can be delivered to your phone every Monday to help you feel more empowered as a NICU parent.
Kangaroo Care tab provides information and advice on skin-to-skin contact with your baby
Breastfeeding tab gives you information and advice on breastfeeding your NICU baby during your hospital stay and after you bring them home
NICU Glossary provides definitions of the most used terms in the NICU (With a search bar for ease of access)
Read inspirational family stories about miracle babies just like yours! There is also a questionnaire you may fill out if you would like your miracle to be in the spotlight. It is a great way to help lift other mothers up.
MBMD is a resource center built by professionals who know and understand your NICU struggles and would like to help you by providing articles, blog posts, podcasts, and more!
Free relaxing music player
So Much More!!!
Source: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.app_miraclebabies.layout
IFDC Integrated Family Delivered Neonatal Care project video
YOUTUBE-Published on Jan 12, 2017
Integrated Family Delivered Care – This video was created by the Neonatal team (Imperial College NHS Healthcare Trust, London, UK) for our quality improvement program. Our Integrated Family Delivered Care project aim to help families with babies treated in our NICU via parent engagement and education. Along thins program an App was developed for IOS and Android which can be downloaded and used for free. The project is funded by Imperial Healthcare Charity.
“Imagination is more important than knowledge.” Albert Einstein “The only real valuable thing is intuition.”
INNOVATIONS
The Lancet publishes important new study showing success of model of care in our NICU By Corporate Communications | Feb 8, 2018 |
A new study by Mount Sinai neonatologist Dr. Karel O’Brien, and principal investigator, Dr. Shoo Lee, Chief of Pediatrics, published in the prestigious journal The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health shows that the Family Integrated Care (FICare) model of treating the tiniest and most fragile babies in Mount Sinai’s Newton Glassman Charitable Foundation Neonatal Intensive Care Unit helps improve the well-being of both children and parents. Family Integrated Care actively involves parents in the care of their newborns, including giving oral medicine, feeding, taking their temperatures and taking part in ward rounds.
The study, which involved 26 NICU units in Canada, Australia and New Zealand which had adopted the model of care developed at Mount Sinai Hospital by Dr. Lee, showed improved weight gain among preterm infants, better breastfeeding and reduced parental stress and anxiety compared to standard care.
“How care is provided to the family, not just the infant, has a positive effect on the wellbeing of both infant and family,” says Dr Karel O’Brien, who leads the Family Integrated Care Program at Mount Sinai. “Weight gain, breastfeeding and reduced parental stress and anxiety are all associated with positive neurodevelopmental outcomes, suggesting that integrating parents into the care of infants at this early stage could potentially have longer-term benefits.”
Mount Sinai supports parents in spending six hours a day, at least five days a week with their babies by providing them with a rest space and sleeping room, comfortable reclining chairs at the bedside and nurses trained in family support.
At 21 days, infants in the FICare group had put on more weight and had higher average daily weight gain (26.7g vs 24.8g), compared to the standard care group. Additionally, parents in the FICare group had lower levels of stress and anxiety, compared to the standard care group. Once discharged, mothers were more likely to breastfeed frequently (more than 6 feeds a day), compared to the standard care group (70% vs 63% ).There were no differences in rates of mortality, duration of oxygen therapy or hospital stay.
“Parents are too often perceived as visitors to the intensive care unit. Our findings challenge this approach and show the benefits to both infants and their families of incorporating parents as key members of the infant’s health care team, and helping parents to assume the role of primary caregiver as soon as possible,” says Dr O’Brien.
“The results of this trial are encouraging indeed. Not only is this an example of innovative care developed here in our hospital, it is an exceptional example of how a good idea can be shared across the country and around the world,” says Dr. Lee. “This was truly a collaborative effort with participating NICUs, parents, and the whole care team.”
When Amy, a new mother of twins found herself in the NICU with babies born at 23 weeks, 5 days, she felt scared and overwhelmed by how fragile the babies were. Today, still in the NICU for almost three months, she has found comfort in being part of the Ficare model of care. “It really allowed me to feel like a mother. Being with my babies all day, I know instinctively if something is wrong or what they need, and can report that to the doctors and nurses. They are getting stronger and stronger every day, and this model of care has made me believe that when I bring them home, I’ll be able to confidently care for them.”
See the Study 
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanchi/article/PIIS2352-4642(18)30039-7/fulltext
Positioning NICU Patients with The Zaky
WARRIORS:
What Trauma Taught Me About Resilience Charles Hunt
TEDx Talks Published on Nov 18, 2016
That resilience is one of the most important traits to have, is critical to their happiness and success, & can be learned.
KAT’S CORNER
Second Step – Session 2 – Regression Therapy
The abyss of repressed feelings and visceral knowing is not as dark as it once was. I would like to say that in one session my repression and anxiety were enlightened and released and my healing is complete, but that is not the case, nor did I anticipate it would be….
My next session with Lillian was booked about three weeks after the first appointment. During the two hour session Lillian used multiple modalities (past life regression, birthing therapy preparation, hypnotherapy, etc.) to identify closed and to carefully open new doors within the inner realms of my being. There were moments during treatment I experienced strong fear and anxiety, a desire to run, excruciating pain on my left side, sadness, grief and guilt. Lillian moved slowly and expertly directed me back into my body when my soul stood a little too far outside. Trust in my therapist was my anchor. Lillian’s use of hypnotherapy to conclude the session provided me with a process that brought me fully into the present feeling exhausted but safe. I agreed to a journaling process on a daily basis (a few minutes per day is all my busy work and school schedule can handle at this time) until our next session as we approach the rebirthing process more fully.
Therapy for me is a journey of surrender and trust. I do not know where I am going in therapy but I trust it will lead me to increased freedom and wholeness. My experience of heightened anxiety may be due in part to how my birthing experience and the loss of my twin brother at birth traumatically impacted my life journey. It seems to me that sub-consciously a part of my cellular, visceral and physiological body has been aware of the trauma. As an adult pursuing full vitality I am seeking greater self-awareness so that I may better heal myself and increase my ability to connect with others.
What I want most to share with you today in my journey is this: go forward on your journey with faith in your heart, curiosity in your eyes, resilience in your spirit, warmth in your voice, and an out-stretched hand to our Warrior family.
Tribe without Borders: Israel | EP 1
Matador Network Loading…Published on Mar 16, 2018
The first in a two-part series, Tribe without Borders: Israel follows 5 young women from 5 different backgrounds on a journey through the Middle East. Here in Tel Aviv they connect with the next generation of surfers to promote peace and stoke.
The Neonatal Womb Warriors 