Hektoen International

A Journal of Medical Humanities

Tag: NICU

  • Learning about children

    Canon Brodar Miami, Florida, United States   The Infant Hercules, ca. 1785–89. Sir Joshua Reynolds, British. Princeton University Art Museum. Museum purchase, Surdna Fund. I began my first clinical rotation excited but fearful. Medical students are taught about pediatric pathology and developmental milestones, but nothing about working with children and their families. I had heard…

  • Sidelined

    Katherine C. White Rockville, Maryland, United States   David Adam Kess / CC BY-SA. Source From the safety of my home, I watch the unfolding of the slow-motion car wreck that is the COVID-19 pandemic. Retired from the practice of neonatal medicine for over eight years, my medical license has been inactive for half that…

  • Two hearts beating: the history and benefits of “Kangaroo Care”

    Nursan Cinar Hamide Zengin Sakarya, Turkey   Mother and her baby during kangaroo care  Two Hearts Beat at the Same Time Photograph: Hamide Zengin The rate of preterm birth is between 5 and 18% worldwide. Prematurity is the most important cause of neonatal mortality and morbidity, especially in developing countries. According to the World Health…

  • In the NICU – The Tumor

    Lydia Kang Omaha, Nebraska, USA   Poet’s statement: “In the NICU” is a piece that reflects upon a mother’s feelings of guilt and imperfection as she holds, for the first time, her own sick infant in the NICU. “The Tumor” involves a patient’s experience of being diagnosed with a brain tumor. In the NICU A pear…