Trident Welcomes Newborns with New Lullaby Bell

When a baby is born at Trident Medical Center (TMC), a member of the newborn’s family presses a special button, sending the tender notes of “Brahms’ Lullaby” throughout the hospital for 15 seconds. The lullaby's melody was composed by German pianist and composer Johannes Brahms. It is one of the most famous and recognizable in the world, used by countless parents to sing their babies to sleep.The system was installed to the hospital sound system which is heard throughout Trident Medical Center.

The new lullaby system has been instantly popular and soon will be introduced at Summerville Medical Center (SMC), is an unmistakable sign of larger efforts at both hospitals to give newborns the warmest welcome and best care possible.Because SMC is a favorite choice for many local families in our growing area, it recently expanded its nursery by 50 percent. The Level 2 nursery, which is intended for newborns who are sick or have special needs, now allows for a “quiet-time area” and encourages moms to spend more time there. “They have a more welcoming space to visit their babies and to engage in their babies’ care,” says Trident Health neonatologist Dr. Arthur Shepard.Noise-reducing ceilings make for a more peaceful environment.

Also, the SMC nursery added advanced technology such as state-of-theart cardiac monitoring and an Accuvein © device that reduces the number of IV and blood draw sticks in newborns. New Giraffe Beds serve as radiant warmers or incubators for critically ill patients. Plus, the patented Baby Susan mattress rotates 360 degrees and can slide out for procedures or to promote parental bonding.Likewise, TMC looked to the latest research on what its youngest patients really need when it invested in new Panda Warmers for newborns. The Panda bed bathes a newborn in soothing warmth, helping to avoid hypothermia, which may be even more important to the baby’s outcome than originally thought. Plus, the warmer has built-in components for monitoring and respiratory therapy – including the ability to deliver blended oxygen rather than 100 percent oxygen. “These beds represent state-ofthe- art integrated resuscitation stations,” says Dr. Shepard. “We have everything we need essentially at our fingertips.”

In a larger sense, Trident Health will extend its reach as a leader in neonatal care as it participates for the first time in the Vermont Oxford Network, a non-profit voluntary collaboration of health care professionals dedicated to improving the quality and safety of medical care for infants and their families. The network includes more than 900 neonatal intensive care units around the world, and will provide Trident Health with a range of quality management tools, research and other opportunities to continuously improve how it cares for babies.