Project ‘Love Bell’ celebrates the discharge of babies from the ICU at the Transamazon Hospital
Nursing initiative reinforces the humanization of care for premature children
One of the rules in the hospital is to maintain silence, but there is one day when it can be broken: when the bell rings to announce that another baby has triumphed and is ready to go home. The ‘Bell’ project is carried out by the Public Regional Hospital of Transamazon (HRPT), in Altamira, southwest of Pará, and this time it rang to celebrate the discharge of Asaf de Jesus Lima, exactly one month after his birth. Premature, Asaf needed to be admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
“He came in a hurry, at 31 weeks and two days,” jokes relieved mother, Raquel Oliveira de Jesus, about the delivery a month and a half earlier than expected. “It was concerning, but today there is a great calmness due to the attention given by the hospital team. I want to thank everyone and may God bless each one,” adds Aldicinei de Oliveira Lima, the father.
When he came into the world, at seven months, Asaf weighed only two kilograms. He was so tiny that he fit in his father's hands. With treatment at the Regional Hospital, in addition to gaining weight, the baby gained strength and increased the immunity that was almost nonexistent due to prematurity.
Áurea Machado is one of the nursing technicians responsible for caring for the children. From changing clothes to special feeding when the mother cannot breastfeed, she is the professional who helps with everything. Áurea says that, of course, she hopes for the improvement of the babies and that they can go home as soon as possible, but she admits that she feels a sense of longing. “It’s a routine of care, it’s just gratitude for their going home, but we get attached, there’s no way not to get attached.”
Another mother who celebrated the discharge was Luana Abreu, mother of Elisa, who was born around the same time as Asaf and is still recovering in the ICU. She shares that, due to the hospital routine and the absence of family and familiar faces, the mothers form bonds and support each other. “All the mothers go through a process, we live together, as if we were in the same house, there aren’t even words to explain.”
Little players - The Regional Hospital of Transamazon is a reference in medium and high complexity care and carries the seal of excellence in the treatment of premature babies and newborns. The recognition comes with each new project, like the ‘Bell’, created in September of last year.
The ICU team was looking for ideas to provide more quality for mothers and babies, from arrival to discharge. That’s when Fernanda dos Santos Tameirão, who has dedicated her life to nursing for thirteen years, thought: “why not celebrate with the mothers who spend up to four months with their babies in the ICU?”
The idea worked, pleased everyone, and became a sort of signature of the department. It’s like celebrating a football match, but in this case, instead of a goal, the little players fight for survival, and they have a strong cheering squad. “Each little baby is a bit ours, we give ourselves, we do our best for each one here admitted. We want to see them going home with their parents. The ‘Bell’ is that, it involves a lot of love,” explains Fernanda. Since the project was created, 55 babies who needed to be admitted to the Neonatal, Pediatric, and Nursery ICUs have ‘touched’ the bell.
According to the nursing coordinator of HRPT, Cleiton Araújo, “the main objective of the ‘Bell’ project is to improve the period that mothers spend in the hospital and celebrate the achievements that are made with the baby, from the admission process.” About 12 premature newborns are admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of the Regional Hospital of Transamazon every month.
Text: Rômulo D’Castro (HRPT)
