Pediatric Nurse

“I’ve always had a fascination with babies. As a kid, I loved to put diapers on my dolls – and on my cat! So, when I was in high school, I looked for colleges that had nursing programs. There, I studied things like the human body and tiny organisms like viruses and bacteria. I also got a lot of hands-on experience caring for people of all ages. 

But I was happiest when I was taking care of babies. After I passed my exams and got my nursing license, I started working as a nurse at the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (NICCU), which stands for Newborn and Infant Critical Care Unit. I’ve been taking care of babies there for 26 years, mostly helping infants who are born earlier than expected. 

Usually, babies are born after nine months and are about the size of a big loaf of bread. At the hospital, we can care for babies that are up to three months early, who are extremely tiny. The smallest baby I ever took care of was only the size of an iPhone. When babies are born early, their brains, hearts and other organs need to grow more. We keep our patients in special beds, called incubators, that keep them warm and moist, like their mothers’ bodies do. Everything is tiny, even their little diapers. If we must use a Band-Aid, the teeniest one you can find still covers their whole leg.

Premature babies usually need to stay in the NICCU for three to seven months. That entire time, nurses are responsible for figuring out and scheduling the babies’ care. We work with doctors and special therapists who help them learn how to breathe and eat and teach families how to take care of them. The day when a baby gets to go home with the family is the most rewarding part of my job. I’ve taken care of thousands – and I’ve even met some of my former patients, who are now driving and graduating from high school!”

Pediatric Nurse Brenda Barnum’s story, published in the Philadelphia Inquirer on May 29, 2022