Special cameras help NICU families stay close, even when separated

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - The most recent March of Dimes report shows the number of pre-term babies in the U.S. are at an all-time high.

It means even more families have babies spending months in Neonatal Intensive Care Units—or NICUs. Now, technology is helping families stay close to their newborns, even when they can’t be physically close.

At the Children’s Hospital at TriStar Centennial near downtown Nashville, it’s called the “AngelEye” system. Part of the system includes a web camera positioned over each infant’s bassinet. Using a special app with a secure login, family and friends can access their child’s camera at any time. They can also receive updates from doctors and nurses on their child.

Miranda Womack has a baby girl in the NICU at TriStar Centennial. She says the system has made a huge impact on her mental health.

“It has been probably one of the biggest things and managing my anxiety about the whole situation,” Womack said.

Miranda’s daughter, Sutton, was born 13 weeks early. Healthcare providers say babies born significantly early often stay in the NICU until at least their due date, if not longer.

The Womacks live nearly an hour and a half away from Nashville. That means the couple has spent more than three months juggling between staying with family who live closer to Nashville, commuting in and out of Davidson County for work, and spending nights apart. Miranda says it’s been a complicated schedule to figure out, but having the AngelEye system gives her peace of mind.

“I check it every night right before I go to bed. And that helps me to sleep for sure and get sound sleep and then as soon as I wake up, it’s the first thing I look at.”

TriStar Centennial is not the only hospital in Middle Tennessee offering a webcam system for NICU babies. St. Thomas Midtown and Rutherford campuses also offer similar systems.

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