Neonatology

Children’s Minnesota has added CCM Health in Montevideo, Minnesota, as a new Children’s Minnesota: Neonatal Virtual Care program partner.

We take great pride in every newborn who graduates from the NICU, but that’s truly just the beginning of their journey. Unfortunately, many premature babies face a range of challenges, including staying on track with growth milestones, delays in speech and fine motor development, and learning differences and disabilities, just to name a few. That’s where Children’s Minnesota’s NICU Follow-up Clinic comes in.

Mycaela Scalzo and Donovan Martin, parents of one with another on the way, were going to their 20-week ultrasound appointment with the typical feelings of anxiousness and excitement parents have. During this appointment, the baby’s size, organs and overall health are checked. But Mycaela and Donovan’s excitement soon turned to fear. During the check-up, an unknown mass was found on their baby’s face. The provider suspected it was oral teratoma – a noncancerous but still potentially dangerous tumor that could block the baby’s airway, create feeding issues and more.

Mycaela Scalzo and Donovan Martin, parents of one with another on the way, were going to their 20-week ultrasound appointment with the typical feelings of anxiousness and excitement parents have. During this appointment, the baby’s size, organs and overall health are checked. But Mycaela and Donovan’s excitement soon turned to fear. During the check-up, an unknown mass was found on their baby’s face. The provider suspected it was oral teratoma – a noncancerous but still potentially dangerous tumor that could block the baby’s airway, create feeding issues and more.

Kris Karlsen, PhD, APRN, NNP-BC, FAAN, is a board-certified neonatal nurse practitioner who authored The S.T.A.B.L.E Program, the most widely distributed and implemented neonatal education program to focus exclusively on the post-resuscitation/pre-transport stabilization care of sick infants.

Mindy Torres has dedicated three years to working at Children’s Minnesota. When Mindy was just 22.6 weeks pregnant, her water broke due to a pregnancy complication and her baby Javier was then born at just 24.3 weeks, which meant that he was nearly four months premature! Javier was immediately brought to the NICU where he spent 133 days slowly getting stronger and stronger every day.

When Darby, and her husband Brad, went in for a routine check-up at their family care provider in Fort Dodge, Iowa, the doctors diagnosed baby Muller with spina bifida, a birth defect that occurs when a section of the baby’s spinal column does not form properly and a gap appears.

Children’s Minnesota announced the expansion of its neonatal service offerings at Ridgeview’s hospital campus in Waconia, which will now offer families an enhanced Level II Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), caring for babies as young as 30 weeks gestational age.

In honor of Neonatal Nurses Week, September 13-19, 2021, we are highlighting Jill Bauer, registered nurse and health professional liaison for neonatal at Children’s Minnesota. Jill has been an RN for 40 years and has been a NICU nurse for 36 years.

Families in the Twin Cities north metro now have access to 24/7 neonatal experts providing care for even more prematurely born infants.