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Snoedels Help to Heal Spirits in Country’s 4th largest NICU |
In time to share the spirit of the holidays, the principals of family-owned Snoedel, Inc. arrived at Winnie Palmer’s Hospital for Women & Babies in Orlando, FL to present a generous gift of Snoedels® to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Snoedel,-pronounced “snoodle”-is the Original Sleeping and Bonding Aid ™ for babies made of natural fibers and hand-crafted in Brevard County, FL. Once a baby stabilizes in the NICU, leading Neonatologist Dr. Gregor Alexander employs tactile and auditory measures – using touch, sound of voices, smell, visibility, and feeling -to stimulate all its senses. With the donation Dr. Alexander and Developmental Specialist Linda Lowman are adding the Snoedel to their treatment for spiritual healing and to comfort the babies with “aromatherapy of the best kind – the scent of a mom.”
Dr. Alexander explains, “Although difficult to measure scientifically, this approach adds to the healing of the baby’s spirit and soul.” In 1975 the survival rate for babies born under two pounds was only 10%. During his thirty years with the Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children and Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women & Babies, Dr. Alexander has integrated a spiritual approach to his care giving and has been instrumental in increasing survival chances for these tiniest babies to 80%, one of the highest rates in the country. According to Dr. Alexander, the success that began at Arnold Palmer’s NICU was the catalyst for the building of the country’s 4th largest and renowned neonatal unit at Winnie Palmer.
Over ten years ago, the Snoedel was introduced at the Arnold Palmer NICU to minimize infant stress, comfort parents, and to continue the baby/parent bonding process when babies are separated from their mothers following birth and placed in incubators. While presenting the first shipment of 118 Snoedels (one for each crib in the Winnie Palmer NICU), Snoedel, Inc. owners and family members Sandy Chandler, Sharon Haw, Helen Kirkland, and Maria Sulick received a guided tour of the expansive facility. With levels of care separated into different wings, the nationally recognized NICU was created so that each crib was designed to fit inside a pod-like room, simulating the dark and quiet environment inside a woman’s womb, and allowing for individualized care by the medical staff and intimacy for the infant and its family.
We were inspired and teary-eyed by the stories of the mothers we met, the site of the tiny hands on the preemies holding the Snoedel, and the miracles we were witnessing at Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women & Babies. We are dedicating this page on our web site to the NICU at Winnie Palmer and will post updates on the progress and growth of Connor and Logan Findlay, Nathaniel Tayer, and Lauren Renee Terranova. |
The Snoedel Family, Neonatologist Dr. Gregor Alexander and
Developmental Specialist Linda Lowman
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Lauren Renee Terranova
Jennifer Terranova, a mom who admits that “sitting in the dark ‘pod’ with no light, no sound was hard at first.” Jennifer’s water broke just days after she was told by her doctor that she was a model, healthy pregnant patient. That was during the 25th week of her pregnancy. One week later, she gave birth to 1 pound, 10 ounce Lauren Renee and has spent every day since by her daughter’s side.
Unprepared for the emotional roller coaster ride since her daughter’s birth, Jennifer admits it feels like taking “two steps forward, one step back” as she watches her daughter grow and helps her learn how to breathe, eat, and sleep with the assistance of the NICU’s “amazing nursing staff”. Jennifer has remained positive and praises the spiritual healing methods used at Winnie Palmer in conjunction with the high tech medical care. The Snoedel soothes Lauren allowing her a more restful sleep and may be speeding her recovery. On December 8th, Jennifer and her husband Joe received an early Christmas present when Lauren Renee was released and send home from the hospital.
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Lauren home from the hospital. |
Lauren Renee Terranova now at the age of 16 months and weighs a whopping 20 pounds (still very tiny). Lauren was born 3 months early at 1lb 10oz, so it is amazing how much she has progressed. She is pretty much just like all the other 16 month old kids other than her size; walking, talking (loves our big dog Argos that she calls Args), climbing everything and has a mouthful of teeth. Very healthy and happy child. She loves to give big hugs and kisses too; such a blessing in our lives!
16 month old Lauren
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5-day old Lauren Renee Terranova held
by her dad,
Joe,
in ‘Kangaroo Care’ fashion
46-day old Lauren Renee Terranova,
blanketed by her pinstriped Snoedel,
inside her incubator
46-day old Lauren Renee Terranova
and her mom Jennifer |
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Nathaniel Taylor
Nathaniel Tayer is a preemie that spent the first month and a half of his little life in critical condition at Winnie Palmer’s NICU. Now that he is stabilized, it is vital for Nathaniel to remain calm to aid his growth, and mom Beatriz Marzuca admits “you can tell he relaxes more” with the Snoedel. Placed also in Nathaniel’s incubator for soul-healing are a small bible, a rosary, and photos of his mom Beatriz, father Eytan, and 5-year old sister Sievan.
Giving birth in the 26th week of her pregnancy, Beatriz knows that under normal conditions, her son Nathaniel, born 2 pounds 13 ounces, would still be growing inside her and protected by her body. But Beatriz remains strong and healthy, heeding the doctors’ advice and trusting her faith; just as she did during her pregnancy. She talks to Nathaniel often, soothing him with her words: “Don’t worry. You're like me and your father. You are strong, like us, and we are in this together.”
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Nathaniel Tayer at 3 pounds 4 ounces
in incubator,
outfitted with Snoedel,
bible,
rosary and family photos.
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"For better weight and for better brain development," Beatriz explains the advice given to her by the nursing staff: “you only breast feed and you spend as much time as you can with your baby at the NICU. They feel you there, hear your voice, smell you, feel your presence.” When Beatriz has to leave her “first shift” at the hospital to attend to her “second shift” at home with her daughter and husband, she leaves Nathaniel with the Snoedel so he can still smell her essence.
Beatriz knows that healing her son's little heart will speed the healing of his body. Of strong faith and sent this challenge from God, Beatriz is on a mission to give back to other moms by using her soul, her spirit, and her story: “I am so thankful that I still have my baby with me, I’m very blessed. My husband is Jewish and I am Catholic, but everyone was praying for my baby, no matter what religion.” Beatriz found herself asking, “What does God want me to learn? We are living our life worried about materialistic things and are really forgetting to pray for the world, which costs nothing. I want to give back to other people and get the word out about what you get here (at Winnie Palmer). The nursing staff is not just qualified and well trained, but they are also caring, special people. They support you and are realistic that every baby with its little heart is different, and we parents must take it day by day.”
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Logan
and Connor Findlay
Since September 4th when she gave birth to her twin boys, Jessica Findlay has also learned to take it day by day and has found the Snoedel coming in handy. Logan (1 pound 15 ounces) and Connor (I pound 13 ounces) were born in the 27th week of Jessica’s pregnancy. Logan has been her “super preemie”, needing no surgeries and spending most of his time growing and learning how to eat. “It’s so important for them to learn to suck, swallow and breathe,“ admits Jessica. Although “big” brother Logan has been challenged with these skills, Jessica boasts that “little” brother Connor “has those down!” But Connor has spent much of his life in critical condition on ventilators and oscillators due to his chronic lung disease and has needed a blood transfusion. Because he breathes at an irregular rate, Jessica can’t let him cry too long and needs to calm him down so he doesn’t tire out.
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Brothers Logan and Connor Findlay
at 11 weeks old spooning with
their Snoedels
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"I wasn't really sold on the Snoedel," admits Jessica. However, Jessica's
opinion of The Original Sleeping and Bonding Aid ™ as a developmental tool is changing with the encouragement of Developmental Specialist Lowman, the promising stories of its success with other 'multiples' (twins and triplets), and her own eye-witness report. On November 24th Logan was released from the hospital to go home and Jessica could no logner spend her time with both boys. Jessica's husband, Cory, on a leave-of-absence from his job, began spending his time with Logan at home while Jessica spent much of her daytime with Connor at the hospital. . Thinking hospitalized Connor would be the one that would have a hard time adjusting without his brother nearby, Jessica was surprised that it was the healthier Logan that stopped eating and needed to be held all the time, due to the changed environment. Linda Lowman suggested placing Connor’s Snoedel over Logan's bassinet at home. One evening standing in the doorway of the baby room, Jessica watched in disbelief as Logan scooted his way over to the side of the bassinet, grabbed his brother’s Snoedel and held it in his grasp, along with his pacifier. Witnessing firsthand how Logan became comforted and at first a "non-believer", Jessica is fast becoming a Snoedel advocate.
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Brothers Logan and Connor Findlay home from the hospital.
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| Snoedels is very happy to have an update on how Connor and Logan are doing, and today is their birthday, HAPPY BIRTHDAY CONNOR AND LOGAN!! Here's the update from their mom, Jessica - "Connor and Logan are doing very well they will be turning 1 on Sept, 4th (Friday). We are very excited to celebrate their 1st Birthday, it will be a very special day for our family as we are very grateful to have the boys with us . It is amazing to me how big they are getting and how fast they are catching up after only weighing 1 pound 13 ounces and 1 pound 15 ounces at birth and being born at 27 weeks gestation. They have come a long way in this past year. Connor was our baby that came home on oxygen, he stayed on his oxygen for a few months once he got home but he continued to grow and get stronger. He finally came off the oxygen about two months after being home and hasn't looked back since. Logan came home machine free and has not looked back since either. Both boys continue to grow and are getting stronger each day. They are developing and catching up pretty fast. They are still behind a full term baby but are catching up quickly. They are even doing most developmental skills that a baby their actual age would be doing which is very encouraging. Both boys were evaluated through Early Steps this past spring and passed without problems.They continue to follow-up with their Pulmonologist appointments for their lungs and they also still receive Synagis shots during RSV season to help keep them healthy. We are still very careful about exposing them to unhealthy situations since they are still preemies but they are very active, happy boys. We are a very blessed family!!!" |
Happy 1st Birthday Connor and Logan.
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