DENVER — As the tiniest of patients receive care at Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children's neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), the floor holds a distinct ambiance. Staff knows the crucial role they play in helping families navigate through the toughest of times.
"I’ve been here 32 years just in this NICU alone. I’m really passionate about meeting new families and helping babies and parents and families be successful with their transition to home from this crazy NICU experience that they have," said Brenda Lala-Black, an RMHC neonatal occupational therapist.
Caring for these tiny babies is a job that deeply fulfills Lala-Black, who has been working at Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children for decades. This month, she played a crucial role in bringing NICU Babies With Books to the hospital.
NICU Babies With Books is a student-led organization that gives books to NICU families and educates parents on the importance of reading.
"If we can get families interacting with these babies now when they're small and very, very fragile, we hope that they will feel more confident in supporting that language development and that literacy after they go home," Lala-Black said. "Just interacting with their baby and just enjoying that human-to-human interaction and bonding can be very, very challenging when you're a parent in the NICU."
There are several books for families to choose from, and also words of encouragement for parents to read to their babies.
"I've had a couple of families that have been so excited about it and going out and purchasing new books that they can interact and read with their baby," Lala-Black said. "What's great is it gives them an opportunity to do something normal and something kind of typical that you would do with a baby that was at home, and not just necessarily here in the NICU."
The 84-bed NICU supports the smallest and sickest of babies as they receive medical support. The Burchfield family has been by their daughter Kennedy's side in the NICU for the past 140 days and counting.
"Kennedy is a very, very special baby for all of us. She was one of our smallest babies that we've ever had here, born at 300 grams and 23 weeks gestation," Lala-Black said. "She is truly a fighter and has jumped over a lot of different hurdles."
Kennedy's parents said they've received an immense amount of support from staff during this challenging time.
"The doctors have shown up, the nurses have shown up for us," said Kendra Burchfield, Kennedy's mother. "So every single day has had its own challenges, its ups and downs, but they have done so well with us. And we've just collectively done as much as we could."
Among the medical supplies and baby blankets are a collection of books that Kennedy's parents have read to her.
"We have probably at least 25 books rotating," Burchfield said. "We got a lot of books from her baby shower. Friends and family have purchased. And we've even gotten books from the hospital, too. So it's like a collective group bringing everyone together."
Burchfield's parents kept "The Little Mermaid" book series they read to her as a child. Now, she is reading the series to her daughter.
"I'm just so excited to be able to bring that joy and bring it into Kennedy's life and hopefully help her along the path with maybe introducing her to new things and things that she can maybe fall in love with," said Burchfield.
As the Burchfield family finds love and support at this NICU, they know their daughter is finding strength, too.
"She was facing the wall and I picked up the book, started reading to her, and her head turned towards me just because I started reading. So that's more on my heart, but that also gave me the cue that she is listening," Burchfield said. "She does love this and I will continue to do it every day."
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