Kyte Baby has the privilege of donating to a different NICU every single month through our Nominate-a-NICU initiative. This October, we have chosen Kentucky Children’s Hospital as our NICU of the month. Neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) provide specialized medical care to newborn babies who are premature, ill, have birth defects or other medical challenges. Thanks to advanced technology and trained healthcare professionals, these very sick babies face much better outcomes when cared for in a NICU.
About Kentucky Children’s Hospital NICU
Located in Lexington, Kentucky, the NICU at Kentucky Children’s Hospital is a 90-bed, Level IV NICU that cares for the tiniest and most critically ill babies from all over the state.
Features of Kentucky Children’s Hospital NICU
This NICU is a state-of-the-art space with features that include:
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Friendly neighborhoods: Each corridor has a designated Kentucky nature theme that is useful for wayfinding and establishing a sense of community within each neighborhood.
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Twin rooms: The unit has two rooms that allow parents of twins to stay with both babies in one room.
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Patient rooms: Each room in the NICU is private and has a daybed, kangaroo chair, and breast pump.
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Home amenities: Family showers, a kitchen, and laundry facilities ensure that long-term patients and families have as many home amenities as possible.
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Family lounge: A family lounge area with planned programming encourages community and support among NICU families.
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Care-by-parent rooms: Two care-by-parent rooms allow parents to slowly begin caring for their child on their own to prepare them for the transition when they go home.
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Circadian rhythm lighting: All patient rooms have circadian rhythm lighting to mimic natural light cycles and help infants with weight gain, growth, oxygen saturations, and reduced crying and fussing.
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Staff spaces: The NICU includes fresh and functional staff spaces with workrooms, a lounge area, a quiet room, a staff terrace, and a simulation room to allow staff to work and have downtime while staying close to patients.
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Infant nutrition room: Formula and breast milk are prepared in the infant nutrition room, a space managed by registered dietitians to ensure that the nutritional needs of neonates are met.
Follow-Up Care at Kentucky Children’s Hospital
The care team at Kentucky Children’s Hospital works with families to help deal with their baby’s medical emergency, and the care doesn’t end once their newborn leaves the NICU. The hospital offers comprehensive follow-up care to help families take on the challenges of caring for a high-risk newborn.
The Kentucky Children’s Hospital NICU Graduate Clinic provides specialized medical and developmental follow-up care for babies and young children up to 3 years of age. This clinic serves babies who were cared for in the NICU and also children born prematurely who are at risk for developmental problems.
The NICU Team at Kentucky Children’s Hospital
The NICU team includes doctors, advanced practice providers, nurses, respiratory therapists, dietitians, social workers, and discharge planners. These healthcare providers all work around the clock to help deal with each individual aspect of patient care.
Words From the Kyte Community
“My son spent two months here after coming into this world unable to breathe. He was ventilated numerous times and, as a parent, I was immobilized by fear. Not only did this NICU take care of my son, they cared for me in ways that I didn't know an institution could. Fellows came and answered my numerous questions over and over again. A primary nurse cared for my son like he was her own. A social worker saved me when she walked me to L&D to have a postpartum screening after she watched deteriorate the first week we were there. This hospital didn't just save my son. They saved me.”
-Kayla W.
“This NICU took phenomenal care of my son for weeks. The staff was so supportive of our situation and involved me in his care. Their fantastic care is what inspired me to go into nursing!”
-Kelsey F.
“My last baby spent 17 days in the NICU here. They made sure that he received the best care, we were involved in rounds with the doctors, and we were notified of any changes. As a nurse practitioner myself, I could not think of a more deserving unit to receive this. The nurses, respiratory therapists, and doctors truly care, and my baby boy is healthy today because of them.”
-Samantha L.
“Their phenomenal staff saved my granddaughter's life on multiple occasions. Not only that, they truly cared for her as if she were their own. Had it not been for them, the experience for my daughter, who left her baby there at night to return home to her other two children, would have been unbearable. There is really no way to express our gratitude for all they did.”
-Melinda P.
“I have truly seen and experienced miracles at the Kentucky Children’s Hospital NICU. Those miracles come in the form of 22-week-old to full-term babies. The babies we serve at KCH NICU are warriors. They are born with all odds stacked against them, but the team there helps them survive and thrive. We are a Level 4 NICU with the sickest and smallest babies. I am beyond proud to tell people I work at Kentucky Children’s Hospital.”
-Makayla S.
“This is the NICU I work at and I can say that I have never worked with nurses that care as deeply about their patients as my coworkers here do. Every single one of us works so diligently to provide not only great medical care but also wonderful developmentally-appropriate care, which is so important when caring for preemies. My coworkers and myself not only care about how the patients do while they’re in the NICU, but also about how the care we provide will affect them for their entire lives.”
-Catie M.
How to Give
If you would like to give to the NICU at Kentucky Children’s Hospital, you can make a donation through their giving page.
How to Nominate a NICU
If you have a NICU that you would like us to donate to, you may submit a nomination along with your story on our Nominate-a-NICU page.
