GALVESTON, Texas - "We are anxious to see how the little ones have grown," said Dr. Sunil Jain, assistant professor of neonatology at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston Children's Hospital.
Jain speaks of a special event he says is close to his heart and something he has wanted to do for years - host a reunion party "for all the little patients we have cared for in the infant special care unit here at Children's Hospital."
The party will be held Saturday, April 12, from 2 to 4 p.m. in the first floor lobby of Children's Hospital at Ninth and Market streets.
Jain and the UTMB infant special care unit invite all families who were once part of the unit to the first annual ISCU graduate reunion.
Infants receiving care in the ISCU are very small, often weighing only 2 pounds. They need special nurturing to help them develop before they are able to go home.
"When the babies are in the ISCU, all of the families and staff get so close," said Jain. "It will be nice to visit with all of them again and see how the children are thriving."
In an effort to ease the often overwhelming experience of parents with infants in the ISCU, UTMB created the ISCU "Memory Lane" scrapbook project, which offers therapeutic journaling, photography and memento preservation as a way of documenting significant events and milestones in a premature baby's development, such as the first feeding by mouth, the first bath or removal of breathing tubes.
The ISCU staff regularly take photos of the infants for their parents' scrapbooks and provide imprints of tiny hands and feet. Clips of hair are saved, as well as the first pacifier.
Jain hopes the families will bring their treasured scrapbooks to share with others.
The party's special guests from the university include Dr. Garland D. Anderson, executive vice president and provost, and Dr. Joan Richardson, interim chair of the department of pediatrics and director of the division of neonatology and the ISCU.
"Our tiniest patients are our greatest miracles," says Richardson. "It's hard to express the joy we feel when a parent sends us a graduation announcement, or a former patient sends us a photo of their new healthy baby."
UTMB delivers more than 7,000 babies annually. About 600 of these babies are ill or premature at birth and require the most comprehensive infant intensive care available. Led by Richardson, the neonatal intensive care unit, which includes the ISCU, has an expert team of nearly 150 health care professionals, with 21 intensive care beds and 21 immediate care beds. In 2004, 12.5 percent of live births were born premature in the United States, compared to 13.7 percent in Texas.
For more information on the reunion party, call Teri Tullous at 800-794-0469. To RSVP, call Kathleen Collins at 409-772-2815. Light snacks and beverages will be served.