Philanthropic Dollars Help Ease the Transition Home

“WE ARE USING THIS ROOM FOR MOMS WHO MIGHT NEED A LITTLE EXTRA TEACHING TIME OR TO PREPARE FOR BABIES GOING HOME ON A HOME APNEA MONITOR,” SAID KELLEY SMITH, NICU NURSE MANAGER. “OR SOMETIMES WE USE THE ROOM FOR A BABY WHO HAS BEEN IN THE NICU LONG TERM WHOSE MOM MIGHT NEED A LITTLE EXTRA HELP TRANSITIONING TO HOME.”

After spending days, weeks and sometimes months in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Regional Medical Center, parents wait with anticipation for the day they can take their babies home. While the excitement builds as the day approaches, so does the anxiety of caring for their tiny infants at home.

The First Tennessee Foundation recently funded a new transition room that helps relieve parents’ fears. Moms are now receiving a little extra help to prepare them for their long-awaited home. Parents can spend the night in the transition room on their baby’s last night at the hospital. The room is set up like a home nursery to give moms the feeling they are at home, but they still have access to immediate medical care if needed.

» Help give new moms the extra time the need by making your online donation today.