{"id":2413,"date":"2017-09-28T21:08:54","date_gmt":"2017-09-28T21:08:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.osfhealthcare.org\/blog\/?p=2413"},"modified":"2018-02-15T21:32:04","modified_gmt":"2018-02-15T21:32:04","slug":"nicu-amenities-provide-comfort-pekin-family","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/nicu-amenities-provide-comfort-pekin-family\/","title":{"rendered":"NICU Amenities Provide Comfort to Pekin Family\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

You hear many say, \u201cEvery pregnancy is different.\u201d When a couple decides they want to start a family, there are always many unknowns. Will the mother have a bout of morning sickness? Will the baby be a boy or a girl? Will the labor be long or quick?<\/p>\n

For Lindsay O\u2019Rourke, of Pekin, her pregnancy had been pretty smooth and uncomplicated. That is until she reached 23 weeks, four days – a day Lindsay, and her husband, Brendan, could have never predicted and will never forget.<\/p>\n

An expected imminent delivery<\/h2>\n

In June 2016, Lindsay thought she was potentially in preterm labor and immediately made an appointment with her obstetrician. As her doctor examined the first-time mom, her doctor discovered Lindsay was two centimeters dilated, and her amniotic sac was bulging through her cervix.<\/p>\n

Lindsay was admitted to OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center<\/a> in Peoria and put on mandatory bed rest.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy doctor told us that I would probably deliver within 24 hours,\u201d Lindsay said. \u201cWe were afraid that we would lose the baby because I wasn\u2019t even 24 weeks yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

But miraculously, Lindsay didn\u2019t go into labor that day or the next day or the next day. In fact, Lindsay didn\u2019t show any signs of labor until many weeks later.<\/p>\n

A small but mighty bundle of joy<\/h2>\n

\"\"At 30 weeks pregnant, Lindsay experienced some cramping. The care team checked Lindsay\u2019s cervix to see if she was in labor.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey said I was 10 centimeters dilated, completely effaced and the baby\u2019s feet were coming out,\u201d Lindsay said. \u201cI was prepped for surgery right then.\u201d<\/p>\n

Because the baby was breech and preterm, the care team thought it would be safest to perform a caesarian section.<\/p>\n

On July 16, 2016, Leonie O\u2019Rourke made her debut, weighing 3 pounds, 7 ounces.<\/p>\n

The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) team from OSF HealthCare Children\u2019s Hospital of Illinois<\/a> \u2013 connected to OSF Saint Francis \u2013 was in the operating room to care for Leonie upon delivery.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe care team rolled her up beside me so I could see her before she went to the NICU<\/a>, and the only thing I could see was her little face,\u201d Lindsay said. \u201cShe was very tiny.\u201d<\/p>\n

Besides needing some help breathing, Leonie also had a small issue with swallowing her milk \u2013 a common problem in preemies. It was eventually corrected with feeding therapy.<\/p>\n

Lindsay\u2019s most memorable moment of the entire experience was the first time she was able to hold her daughter – three days after she was born.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe feeling of holding your baby for the first time is hard to put into words,\u201d Lindsay said. \u201cI think I held her for two hours.\u201d<\/p>\n

The couple utilized the Kangaroo chairs \u2013 special chairs designed for the practice of skin-to-skin between parents and their babies in the NICU. Skin-to-skin has numerous benefits for infants, including helping regulate the baby\u2019s body temperature and enhancing the bonding experience.<\/p>\n

Comforts of privacy<\/h2>\n

Lindsay came to the NICU every morning in time for rounds, and Brendan would relieve Lindsay when he got off work.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe private rooms in the NICU were so nice,\u201d Lindsay said. \u201cIt\u2019s such a difficult time in your life, and it was comforting to have that privacy to consult with the care team and the lactation consultants.\u201d<\/p>\n

The O\u2019Rourke\u2019s were also thankful for the meals that are provided to parents in the NICU\u2019s family dining room. \u201cIt was a gathering place where you would meet other parents and get some perspective,\u201d Lindsay said.<\/p>\n

A special experience<\/h2>\n

\"\"Leonie was in the NICU for 39 days and came home without any need for medication or help with her breathing.<\/p>\n

Leonie is now a rambunctious 1-year-old who started walking a month shy of her first birthday. She is at her actual age for all her milestones.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing in the NICU isn\u2019t something anyone wants to go through, but I feel like it was kind of a special experience,\u201d Lindsay said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo many people took such great care of our tiny, tiny baby. I could never praise the nurses and neonatologists highly enough.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You hear many say, \u201cEvery pregnancy is different.\u201d When a couple decides they want to start a family, there are always many unknowns. Will the mother have a bout of morning sickness? Will the baby be a boy or a girl? Will the labor be long or quick? For Lindsay O\u2019Rourke, of Pekin, her pregnancy […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[118],"tags":[625,413],"coauthors":[690],"class_list":["post-2413","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-birthing-center","tag-neonatal","tag-premature-baby"],"yoast_head":"\nNICU Amenities Provide Comfort to Pekin Family\u00a0| OSF HealthCare<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"For Lindsay O\u2019Rourke, of Pekin, her pregnancy had been pretty smooth and uncomplicated. 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