Vim & Vigor - Summer 2020 - CH - 52

52

SPOTLIGHT: Community Hospital

Keeping an
Eye on Baby
NEW VIDEO STREAMING SYSTEM
BRINGS COMFORT TO PARENTS OF
NEWBORNS IN THE NICU
BY MARY FETSCH

With an abundance of
monitors, IVs, special
incubators, chimes and
beeps, the Level III neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is always
buzzing with lifesaving technology
for the tiniest patients.
Each piece of equipment has a
role in helping the medical teams
deliver highly complex medical care
as they monitor the progress and
growth of infants born prematurely
or with serious health conditions.
At Community Hospital's NICU,
there is now a piece of technology
that can deliver a hefty dose of
comfort: the NicView™ streaming
video system.
NicView is a small, innovative
camera system placed at designated
bed spaces in the NICU that allows
parents, family and friends to view
their infant in real time, 24/7,
through a secure online portal. The
system is specifically designed to
help families develop bonds with
their preemie or hospitalized infant
when they cannot be at the bedside.
The camera delivers a secure
image stream for parents and family members to view their baby
remotely. Once parents sign up to
use NicView, they are provided

a unique login code that can be
shared, if desired, with family and
friends. Then loved ones from
home or across the country can
securely access the system via computer, smartphone or tablet.
"Bonding between parents and
their new baby is as important in
the NICU as it is at home," says
Kelly Spomar, RN, nurse manager
of Community Hospital's NICU
and Pediatrics units. "When a newborn's first few critical days, weeks
or even months are spent in intensive care, it often results in feelings
of unease and anxiety of separation
for the parents, as well as dealing
with the stress of trying to fit in
visits at the hospital. NicView helps
alleviate some of that."

One Mom's Story

NicView became an important part
of the bonding process for Munster
resident Angela Sajn, who didn't
anticipate complications during
her pregnancy with her second
child. But when contractions began
more than 10 weeks early, there
was no way to stop the delivery
and her son Wyatt was born. He
weighed just over 2 pounds and as
with many premature newborns,

The NicView™ newborn
streaming video system
allows family and friends
to view their baby over a
secure connection.

he would require weeks of treatment
and support to help him develop
outside the womb.
"It was so strange to give birth,
and then not have your baby right
there with you to celebrate with
family and friends," Sajn says. "I was
hospitalized for 10 days. Wyatt was
there for more than 60 days. Even
though I tried to be at his bedside
twice a day, it gave me tremendous
peace of mind to visually check in
on him anytime I wanted."
The technology also "helped
my 7-year-old daughter 'visit' her
little brother since she wasn't able
to go into the NICU after flu visitation restrictions went into place,"
Sajn says. "Also, my husband's
aunt, my sister, the grandparents,
all got to check in on Wyatt whenever they wanted. It was an awesome experience."

SUMMER 2020 VIM & VIGOR

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3/30/20 6:13 PM
Vim & Vigor - Summer 2020 - CH

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