“It’s a privilege to be able to make that kind of difference in someone life,” explains nurse Heather Payne.

Every single day, the nurses in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida are called upon to handle some very delicate and critical needs for babies that are born weeks, sometimes even months, before their due date. “When I first started working in neonatology, the smallest babies were around 28 weeks, 1200 grams. Now we’re saving babies as young as 23 weeks and 500 gram babies have survived,” says Payne.

Payne has worked with babies for more than 30 years and says it’s more than just a job. “I have a set of twins that years ago, after years of infertility, the mom got pregnant with twins. She delivered at 24 weeks and I was her son and daughter’s primary nurse, and I got to take care of them through their whole hospital stay. They are 10 now and they still send me cards every Christmas.”

The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit is the only one of its kind between Tampa and Miami and is recognized for having one of the best infant success rates in the state.

With precise care and big hearts, these nurses not only care for the babies but develop close relationships with family members as well. “We get to know the baby really well and we get to know the family really well. They develop a trust and a rapport with us and we want them to feel comfortable and care out their baby too,” says Payne.

Michelle Waddell is the Director of Neonatal Services and adds, “NICU nurses are passionate. It’s kind of an old fashioned phrase to say ‘it’s a calling,’ but I believe that from the bottom of my heart. You are called to do this.”

The unit is also looking to expand. “ We’re going to start total body cooling, which is a really new treatment for babies who have birth asphyxia, and we’re going to do it here, we’re part of a big study,” hints Payne.

In the meantime, these nurses are just happy to be able to help these precious young lives grow to live healthy, long ones.