Reporter ISSAQUAH | SAMMAMISH
Friday, July 12, 2013
www.issaquahreporter.com
ECA settled Sammamish finally agrees on environmental regulations Wendy Colgan, nurse manager for obstetrics and pediatrics at SwedishIssaquah, stands by a state-of-theart incubator for premature babies at the new neonatal unit.LINDA BALL,
BY KEVIN ENDEJAN KENDEJAN@ISSAQUAHREPORTER.COM
Issaquah & Sammamish Reporter
LOVING CARE Swedish-Issaquah ready to accept premature babies
BY LINDA BALL LBALL@ISSAQUAHREPORTER.COM
S
wedish-Issaquah is ready to take on the tiniest, most fragile patients with the opening of its Level II nursery.
Monday, the neonatal unit for premature babies opened for business. The unit is housed on the second floor, which is completely dedicated to women’s and children’s health. The floor contains labor and delivery rooms, the obstetric and gynecologist clinic, high-risk ob/ gyn and pediatric in-patient rooms. Every patient room looks out on a rooftop garden which changes colors with the seasons. The nursery is opening in two phases as the team eases its way into caring for these small patients. Half of the beds are for babies born at 34 or more weeks of gestation, The other half will have 15 beds for babies born as young as 32 weeks of gestation and will open sometime in the fall. Born at 32 weeks gestation, a baby needs oxygen support and IV support for nutrition because the child’s brain hasn’t had time to process how to suck, swallow and breathe
“Even though we’re caring for the baby, we’re also caring for the family.” - Debra Bender, nurse practioner at the same time. According to the March of Dimes, a baby’s brain at 35 weeks weighs only two-thirds of what it will weigh at 39 to 40 weeks of gestation, so a majority of brain development happens in the last few weeks. Instead of the baby being in a big ward with other infants, the infant has its own room with a fold out bed for a parent to stay overnight, and a rocking recliner for skin to skin contact with mom or dad. Each room also has a private bathroom with shower for the parents. The televisions are set up for relaxation channels. Babies respond to peaceful sounds or sounds like a heartbeat, so the setting is to
recreate where they just came from — humid and calm, hearing mom’s heartbeat. “Even though we’re caring for the baby, we’re also caring for the family,” said neonatal nurse practitioner Debra Bender. State-of-the-art incubators keep the baby warm, even when a caregiver reaches in the holes on the side to care for the baby. “Cold is a stressor for babies who are already in jeopardy,” said Wendy Colgan, the nurse manager for obstetrics and pediatrics. Bender said a premature baby’s evaporative state is high because their little bodies are 85 percent water. Therefore, the incubators are maintained at 80 percent humidity. For more at-risk babies, radiant warmers are used instead of incubators for more hands-on access for the caregivers. Bender said it’s no longer the case that even a few weeks early is okay. Because of developmental organization, there is still a great deal of growing going on in the final weeks of a normal pregnancy term of 39 to 40 weeks. Until now, babies born prematurely at Swedish-Issaquah were transferred to other area hospitals to receive neonatal care. Swedish received approval for this Level II nursery SEE BABIES, 2
More than a year’s worth of scientific research, evaluations by the Planning Commission and often heated debate between landowners and environmentalists reached a conclusion Tuesday night in Sammamish. In its sixth session of discussing and amending rules and regulations, the City Council finalized a new Environmental Critical Areas ordinance with five of the seven members in favor. “Call it a compromise rather than a consensus to help citizens both that own property and those concerned about the environment,” said councilmember John James, one of the five who reluctantly voted in favor. “I can live with the fact that it’s better than it was before and if we go back to what we have today ... it will all be for not.” The exact wording and code still needs to get the final stamp of approval at Sammamish’s July 15 City Council meeting, but it is essentially a done deal. A hot topic in the ECA revolved around pilot programs that would allow landowners to build in areas previously off limits because of environmental concerns — areas like streams, wetlands and terrain prone to erosion, like hillsides. Landowners and potential developers wanted looser regulations, while environmentalists wanted to deny the programs all together. The council decided to fall in the middle, allowing restricted No Disturbance Area pilot programs. “We are moving forward SEE ECA, 2