Cabinets look like small houses. Comfortable rocking chairs sit in front of each of the isolettes where mothers can hold and feed their children. Isolettes are clear plastic units that keep the temperature constant. Heartbeat and breathing also can be closely checked. Fifty of the 200 staff members who work in the unit are respiratory therapists.
Breathing is a major concern because the lungs are the last organs to develop.
With the Dayka twins, the staff was concerned about their health, so sharing an isolette created a stir. Traditionally, the twins never would have been put in the same isolette. New thinking is that twins bond quicker if they can touch as soon as possible after birth. Their mother read about that on the Internet, and the staff worked it out for the twins. Those who work in the neonatal unit love babies.