Vim & Vigor - Winter 2009 - North Mississippi - (Page 5)

like she’s yours because you have very little time to bond. This is a huge improvement that will make all the difference to families.” ❋ speaking from experience Connie and her husband, Jeff, know firsthand, since their baby, Ava, spent three weeks in the former NICU. Not long after Ava was born, neonatologist John Nading, M.D., told the Credilles their baby had some health issues. “They were pretty sure she had Down syndrome even before the tests confirmed it. Ava had some physical characteristics that are common to Down syndrome, such as upslanting eyes and a simian crease in the palm of her hand,” Connie says. “She had holes in her heart, which is very indicative of Down syndrome. They also thought she might have leukemia.” When the blood test showed it was not leukemia but rather a platelet disorder common to Down syndrome, the Credilles were relieved. “I told Jeff, ‘We can handle Down syndrome,’ ” she says. “There are so many things that are worse.” She later underwent open-heart surgery at Le Bonheur Children’s Medical Center in Memphis to repair what turned out to be one very large hole in her heart rather than several smaller ones. Now she follows up every six months with Courtney Anthony, M.D., a pediatric cardiologist from Le Bonheur who sees patients on NMMC’s campus. breast milk and they were able to give it to Reed through a feeding tube,” his mother says. Before long he was able to breastfeed on his own. The Davis’ 8-year-old daughter, Mary Grace, also spent time in the NICU after being born with a pneumothorax, or collapsed lung. “Both times the doctors and nurses in the NICU made us feel so welcome and so comfortable,” Wyndi says. “I always felt like they were in the best hands. “The lactation nurses were priceless; I couldn’t have done it without them. Even after we went home, I could call them anytime I had a question.” North Mississippi Medical Center’s NICU helped both of Jason and Wyndi Davis’ children, Mary Grace (left) and Reed. ❋ delivering the best “We are really excited about the opportunity to better serve our neonatal patients and their families in a more patient/parent-focused environment,” says John Heer, North Mississippi Health Services president and chief executive officer. NMMC’s board-certified neonatologists treat newborns from throughout the region, whether they are born at Women’s Hospital or transferred by mobile intensive care unit or helicopter to Tupelo from hospitals in outlying communities. While the former NICU and Intermediate Care Nursery accommodated only 22 newborns, the new facility is designed for 34 newborns and has the flexibility to accommodate 50. Many times in recent years Women’s Hospital NICU and Intermediate Care Nursery have been full to capacity and unable to accept admissions from other hospitals. > ❋ relief and gratitude “I’m just so thankful we live in Tupelo,” Connie says. “We’re so fortunate to have so many resources right here.” Jason and Wyndi Davis of Houston couldn’t agree more. Their son, Reed, was born three weeks early with respiratory distress syndrome. “Because he was early, his lungs just weren’t fully developed and he needed to be in the NICU,” Wyndi says. There he received CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) and oxygen therapy, as well as precautionary antibiotics, IV fluids and surfactant, a medication to help his lungs develop. Because of his immature lungs, Reed wasn’t capable of eating on his own at first because it interrupted his rapid breathing. “I pumped “I always felt like they were in the best hands.” vim & vigor • wi nter 2009

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Vim & Vigor - Winter 2009 - North Mississippi

Vim & Vigor - Winter 2009 - North Mississippi
Contents
Opening Thoughts
Our Newest Addition
Diabetes Check
Model Behavior
Is it a Sign?
Your Heart: The Owner's Manual
Independence Days
Sidney Poitier
The Right Stuff
Watch and Learn
Up to Speed
Pedi-cures
Shining Stars
Back in Action
Digest This
Healthy Bites
Catch the Spirit

Vim & Vigor - Winter 2009 - North Mississippi