Graduates of the St. Louis Children’s Hospital Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) reunited with their favorite doctors and nurses for the 30th Annual Neonate Alumni Holiday Party on Thursday, December 8, 2005 at the Eric P. Newman Center. Santa Claus was also on hand to stir up some holiday spirit and distribute early presents to youngsters and their families.
Neonate means first 28 days of life. One in 12 babies is born prematurely, but current medical technology enables many of the smallest and youngest infants to survive and thrive. Roughly half of the 600 infants cared for annually in St. Louis Children’s Hospital’s NICU are born prematurely. Other NICU patients include full-term newborns needing specialized medical or surgical care.
Triplets, quadruplets and twins are also among the hospital’s NICU graduates. Some of these multiples weighed less than two pounds at birth and required extra special care in their first weeks of life. Families of children in the NICU also develop a special bond with each other and often hold a special place for nurses and doctors who cared for them during their hospital stay. St. Louis Children’s Hospital NICU is equipped and staffed to provide specialized, individualized care for up to 60 infants.