Neonatal Staff Thanked at Reunion

The last time Robin Martin was in Kaiser Permanente Woodland Hills Medical Center, he was a rosy-cheeked baby who had problems maintaining his temperature.

Robin’s mother, Karen, said her son was losing weight in utero and his birth may have been high-risk because of her rising blood pressure. Doctors had to induce labor and Robin was watched closely for nearly two weeks before he was allowed to go home.

That was 14 years ago. Now, Robin and scores of other children returned Saturday to celebrate their health at a reunion party with the nurses and doctors who treated them. The event, held every other year, brought together families who needed neonatal care for their children.

“I know how scary it can be for parents,” said Karen Martin, who lives in Simi Valley. “We came because we thought it would be a kick for other parents to see one of these kids all grown up.”

Indeed, many of the children who attended the party were either toddlers or could barely walk. While the kids kept busy eating cake, bouncing on rubber balls and watching Disney movies, grateful parents expressed their appreciation to the hospital’s staff who helped them through a difficult time.

“We have developed quite a bond with these families,” said Nancy Owens, a registered nurse who works in the hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. “When they come back, it’s really a high point for us because we get to see how healthy they are.”

Owens was looking forward to seeing one particular family. Sure enough, an hour hadn’t even passed before Ralph and Aisha Hester of Sylmar made their appearance. Owens has kept in contact with the couple since they left the hospital.

The couple’s 11-month-old daughter, Salima, might have been stillborn if not for a few pointed questions by a hospital nurse during a routine checkup.

Seven months pregnant, Aisha hadn’t felt the sharp kicks most mothers feel. After a nurse “happened to ask the right questions,” it was discovered that her amniotic fluid was very low and she was actually having contractions. Her daughter was born by caesarean section two months premature. Salima weighed only 2 pounds and measured just over a foot long. Her breathing was aided by a ventilator for two weeks, and she spent two months in an incubator.

Life was tough for her parents during that period, but now they, like others, wanted to thank the hospital staff for their work.

“It was so overwhelming and it’s hard for you to even smile at that point,” Aisha said. “But this is a time to tell the nurses and doctors how much they mean to us. If it wasn’t for them, our daughter wouldn’t be here.”