Barcelona hospital opens new space for families of premature babies

Vall d'Hebron, one of the biggest hospitals in Barcelona, has opened new neonatology facilities for families of babies born premature or with chronic pathologies.

At the space, families can spend nights at the hospital while newborn babies can receive care under the guidance of medical professionals.

The space allows for privacy, as doctors recommend skin-to-skin contact and breastfeeding as some of the best ways to help recovery.

The idea to open the new facilities came from an initiative from the family of a child who was born at 25 weeks, weighing 650 grams. Álvaro is now 5 years old and healthy, and was able to visit the newly inaugurated facilities.

'Just like home'

Alessa was born at 26 weeks, weighing less than 1kg. Two months later, she is one of the babies growing and gaining strength in the arms of her mother and father at the new space, named 'Com a casa', or 'Just like home'.

"She has come on really well. She is gaining weight and is now practising attaching to my chest and feeding directly through her mouth, because she is still using a tube, explains Alessa's mother, Ana Padrino.

"In this space, the attention is great. We are getting to know Alessa and learning what is needed to be prepared for when we get home."

The family hailed the improvement that the new facility has brought for both their daughter and them, after the anguish they had at night when they had to go home.

"I can be with her 24 hours a day now," Padrino said, also praising the tranquillity of the room.

It was this anxiety of having to return home at night while their son was still in hospital that motivated Alvaro's family to push for this project with a fundraising campaign.

"Although we received a lot of support, the almost 100 days that Álvaro spent in the ICU were very hard. It was difficult when night came and we had to go home," Álvaro’s mother, Lali Arnau, said at the inauguration of the space on Tuesday.

Medical staff also extolled the benefits of the room. "The family is part of treating the baby and their involvement is essential. If the family is comfortable, in an intimate space, the family is better off," Dr Félix Castillo said. "If the mother is nervous, the child is nervous. If the mother is calm, so is the child."

According to research from Dr Castillo, the so-called kangaroo method, where parents hold their baby against their chest to provide skin-to-skin contact, reduces heart problems and breathing difficulties in premature babies. Staff hope that the new facility will aid recovery, reduce admission time as well as promoting health education for new parents.

Raquel Rodríguez, nursing supervisor at Vall d'Hebron's Neonatology Service, says that the facility enables higher rates of breastfeeding, something especially positive for the development of premature babies.

The 440m² facility has twelve family rooms, including four for twins. They are equipped with the necessary technology to care for premature babies or babies with chronic illnesses who, due to their complexity, cannot be discharged from hospital. All the rooms have the necessary equipment to become ICUs if needed.

Sound and light controls

The rooms are insulated from outside sounds, and the light intensity can be adjusted. This environment helps the babies sleep and their neuronal development, as well as helping the families to rest. The risk of hospital-acquired infections is also low as each family has a private space.

The new facility opens after a total investment of more than €2.5m, and has received numerous donations from companies and individuals. The La Caixa Foundation has contributed €250,000.