One in ten babies in the United States is born prematurely, according to the March of Dimes. Prematurity can cause problems for babies throughout their lives. Until recently, most premature babies born at Blessing Hospital were transferred to a neonatal unit in Springfield, Illinois or St. Louis, Missouri. That is changing now that Lacy Nichols, APRN, NNP, is on the job as Blessing Health’s neonatal nurse practitioner.

A 16-year veteran of Blessed Beginnings, Blessing Hospital’s Birth Center, Lacy continued her education and became a nurse practitioner specializing in neonatal care. A neonatal nurse practitioner specializes in the care of preterm and full-term newborns through 28 days of life. 

“Providing safe and appropriate care to these tiny patients who cannot verbalize their own needs is so important,” Lacy said. “I wanted to specialize in neonatal care to be an advocate for this vulnerable population.”

“My extensive training allows me to care for many high-risk newborns right here at Blessing Hospital. It is important to me to keep these babies and their families here in our community,” she continued.

That is exactly what Lacy did on her first day as neonatal nurse practitioner for little Brantlee House.

Late on the night of March 4 after a full day of work, Lacy received a phone call asking her to return to Blessing Hospital and attend the birth of the premature baby of MacKenzie House of Louisiana, Missouri.

“MacKenzie would be delivering Brantlee at 33 weeks gestation, and he would need specialized care being born 7 weeks early,” Lacy explained. “She delivered him just after midnight on March 5. I stayed overnight with him and managed him during his most critical hours. He did really well for a premature baby, and after consulting with the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in Springfield, it was decided that Brantlee could stay at Blessing Hospital with very close monitoring.”
Lacy stayed in touch with neonatologists in Springfield every day during Brantlee’s first week, to make sure that she and the Blessed Beginnings team were providing the most appropriate care for him.

Brantlee spent 19 days at Blessed Beginnings with his mom at his side. 

“I really did want to stay here,” MacKenzie said. “I wanted to be close to him.”

“I think MacKenzie’s biggest fear as a new mother was the possibility of being separated from her newborn,” Lacy shared. “It was a very real possibility that Brantlee would need to be transferred to a NICU after birth and she would have to remain a patient at Blessing Hospital. Fortunately, my new role allowed me to provide the care Brantlee needed so he and MacKenzie could remain together at the same hospital.”

Brantlee and his mom went home from Blessing, without Brantlee ever needing to be transferred. Lacy said he was the most premature baby that the Blessed Beginnings nursery has kept instead of transferring in many years.

Clark Andelin, MD, MPH, board certified obstetrician/gynecologist, Blessing Health, was MacKenzie’s doctor.

“Part of OB/GYN training is taking care of pregnant women of all gestational ages, and we have very competent pediatricians and nurses at Blessing Hospital who take great care of babies” he said. “Lacy Nichols recently completed her neonatal nurse practitioner training. With her on staff at Blessing Hospital we’re able to expand the services we can provide to newborn babies to keep mom, baby and family closer to home.”

Lacy has touched the lives of many other families in the short time she has had her new role, including meeting with families prenatally to discuss anticipatory care as they plan for their high-risk deliveries; managing numerous infants requiring level II nursery care; and attending more than a dozen high risk deliveries.

“I understand that I am not only caring for their newborn, but also providing support for the entire family during a time of uncertainty and significant stress,” Lacy said.

There is nothing more rewarding than watching a baby overcome obstacles and celebrating those wins with the family.”

MacKenzie is grateful for the care that Lacy provided to Brantlee, and to her.

“She prepared and taught me, and gave me pep talks just to assure me it was going to be okay,” MacKenzie concluded.

“I am very passionate about caring for the babies in our community, and I knew I would eventually get the chance to prove how important my role as a neonatal provider would be,” Lacy said. “I never expected that I would get that opportunity less than 24 hours after starting as a nurse practitioner, but Brantlee obviously had other plans.”

Blessed Beginnings is recognized by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois with a Blue Distinction® Centers for Maternity Care designation. A facility earning this designation must prove it delivers quality care safely and effectively. Based on data from the current designation cycle, facilities designated under the Blue Distinction Centers for Maternity Care program demonstrate higher-quality care compared to non-Blue Distinction Center facilities.

For more information on maternity care at Blessing go to blessinghealth.org/BlessedBeginnings.