HOUSTON -- A new kind of neonatal intensive care unit is being built in Houston that researchers say is making sick babies heal faster.
A local family with triplets recently used the new procedure to help save their babies.
Addison, Brody and Caden Enriquez have been growing stronger every day. But when they were born only 33 weeks into their mother's pregnancy, doctors were not sure if they would live.
"They all three ended up having to have some help with their breathing, and it's hard to watch your kid go through that," said their mother Tory Enriquez.
Because their chosen hospital was full, it was by chance the Enriquez family ended up at the new NICU at Memorial Hermann Memorial City Hospital.
"In our old environment, it was an open ward. Everybody was within three feet of each other," said nurse Roxanne Cabori.
Cabori saw how babies didn't breathe as well in a crowded, noisy NICU.
"Oxygen saturation would drop, especially in the smaller sicker babies," she said.
The Enriquez family noticed the health benefits of the private NICU in their most fragile baby, daughter Addison.
"Without a doubt, it made a difference, especially for her," said Tory.
Addison responded well to the quiet room and dim lights, as well as the benefits of being with her mom and dad all day.
"In a private room, we're able to do what’s called the kangaroo, and you're able to bond with the babies," said their father Eddie Enriquez.
Research shows the kangaroo, or skin to skin contact, helps babies. Quiet rooms stabilize heart rates, which means the babies sleep better.
The only complaint came from nurses going room to room to watch their babies.
To help the nurses, the hospital came up with a system. All the nurses now carry a regular cell phone that is connected to all the baby monitors. Should one of their babies' heart rates go down, their cell phone will sound off like an alarm.
Doctors say the babies' private NICU is a big reason why they made a full recovery. On Friday, all three of the Enriquez children woke up at their home for the first time.
