History Of The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)

On May 11, 2015, Lincoln Wulf was born at two pounds, ten ounces and fourteen point six inches. His twin brother, Theodore was born at one pound ten ounces, and nine point six inches, but sadly did not make it. Lincoln spent one hundred one days in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) being carefully monitored by the staff at the hospital. During his stay, he was hooked up to numerous tubes and machines as he fought for his life. Melissa Wulf poured her heart out, “During our 101 days in the NICU we met Angels who walk this earth disguised as humans. In the midst of experiencing some of the very worst days of our lives, our hearts were forever changed by our sweet boys caregivers. The NICU doctors and nurses saved our baby’s life, for that we will be forever grateful.” Many families and their babies’ lives are changed every day because of the NICU, and thankfully America has adapted to fulfill these needs.
The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit did not exist until the early 1960’s and the special …show more content…
Many medical experts believe that the first infant ventilator gave the NICU a big start. Before this, most of the technology was just scaled down from the adult version. The purpose of the ventilator is to give the baby small breaths of oxygen called “baby breaths”. An important machine for premature babies is the incubator, this machine acts as the womb having the perfect temperature, humidity level, and oxygen for the baby. This is a good growing environment because it reduces complications from the outside world. The Neutral-Thermal Environment, more commonly known as the Warmer, is debated as the most important time for the baby in the NICU. It give the parents no restrictions from the baby while keeping the temperature at what is best for the baby. The monitor is the computer screen showing the heart rate, blood pressure, and blood oxygen levels (Your Baby in the