Скачать или смотреть Baby Your Baby: NICU graduation celebrates babies and families

The newborn intensive care unit provides life-saving support for babies in need – which can last weeks and even months. As babies leave the unit, a ceremony recognizes babies and their families as they graduate from the NICU. For baby Millie Poole, this special day happened 149 days after she was born.

“Something didn’t feel right so we called our doctor,” says Justin Poole, Millie’s Father.
At 23-weeks gestation, Justin and Eve Poole knew something was seriously wrong so they went to the hospital.

“Within a few seconds, they knew this baby is coming,” says Justin.
Eve was immediately flown from LDS Hospital to Intermountain Medical Center. That night, her umbilical cord prolapsed, leading to an emergency C-section.

“Right after that they told us, she’s on max life support. If something were to happen, she’s gone,” says Eve Poole, Millie’s Mother.

This was the start of a five-month battle in the NICU.

“For us, being here for so long, we saw people coming in and out so fast, and we just knew we were here for a long, long time. And it kind of stings a little bit when you see those other families go home when you can’t,” says Eve.

But then, after 149 difficult and emotional days, it was finally baby Millie’s turn to graduate.

“A lot of these families are here for a very long time. We try to make this graduation a ceremony for them to give them the best sendoff they can,” says Kate Pangborn, Health Unit Coordinator Critical Care Tech at Intermountain Medical Center Newborn Intensive Care Unit.

“It’s kind of a mixture of like you can’t believe this is happening and extreme joy that you get to finally bring your baby home after that long,” says Eve.

As a family leave, the NICU staff at Intermountain Medical Center gathers to say goodbye.
“We get all of their statistics form while they were here, and we make a little discharge board for them. They’ll walk down the hall, and we’ll get them over here and we’ll get some pictures with them,” says Pangborn.

Both the staff and the families say even though it’s a happy day, it’s also a little bitter sweet.
“It was kind of hard to leave everybody but so exciting and we were so ready,” says Justin.