Caitlin Whyte (Host): Welcome to In Their Words, a podcast from the UPMC Pinnacle Foundation and UPMC and Central PA. Here, we share the stories that remind us why compassionate care, innovation, and community support matter so deeply.

In this episode, we'll step inside two UPMC and Central PA NICUs to hear from the nurses who brought the Sweet Pea Project to life at UPMC, Harrisburg and UPMC Lititz. Through milestone ribbons and graduation caps, Tammy, Kayla, and Jasmee found a way to bring moments of joy, encouragement, and hope to families during one of the most difficult journeys of their lives.

Kayla: So, there is a group called the Sweet Pea Project. And Tammy and I-- I can't speak for Jasmee, but this is how we started at Harrisburg. Tammy and I had went to a conference last year in Florida. And this was one of their like sponsors set-up table-type situation. And we got a lot of information on it and we just thought that it was a really, really great idea for our patients and our families.

So, something that they have more than just what we're utilizing, we have the graduation caps, and then we also have a milestone ribbon. But they have other products as well. But those are the two products that we chose to bring to Harrisburg.

Jasmee: Yeah, I work at UPMC Lititz. So, we got involved because we actually saw it through Harrisburg. Because sometimes, every once in a while, we'll get a transfer if, you know, the family lives closer to Lititz, but had to transfer out to Harrisburg for a higher level of care. And if they can, sometimes they'll transfer the baby back. And so, we saw them coming with these milestone ribbons. And we're like, "Oh, that's such a great idea." But we didn't have them in our location so we couldn't finish the ribbons for them or do the graduation cap that they were doing.

And I was also up there shadowing with our educator, Patty, and I was getting my masters done. And so, I got to see them at all the baby's bedsides. And I was like, "Oh, that's such a great idea." Like we would do milestones, but it was like paper, and it like cluttered the bedsides, hanging them up. And so, it was just a nice, neat way to show the milestones these babies were reaching and show the progress of their care and a nice keepsake for the parents to take home when they're discharged.

Tammy: Well, for me, I think when we attended that conference, it sort of solidified for me how our families, it's a huge rollercoaster ride for them, their experiences in the NICU. And having a baby prematurely, their whole birth plan, the whole idea of their pregnancy is sort of upended. And it's very hard for them to find the positives in what's going on because they're, especially moms, blaming themselves maybe for what happened. And to me, this was a tangible way for them to see that there is progress. So, they gained another pound. So, it's not just one more day of them being exhausted coming in, or exhausted pumping and feeling like we're not making any progress.

But now, they visually see each week, we do it once a week, that we go around and pass out the new pins. So, each week, I'm amazed at how many people will come. Right now, it's on a Thursday we do it. And they're like, "Oh, we've been waiting all week to see what pins we got." And I think I know which ones we've earned, and just seeing. And the other day at discharge, a family who said to me, "We just wanted to ask about the ribbon and I think that there's one more we've earned before going home," and just clarifying with us what it is and how excited they are. It's nice to have something that they're always happy and excited about in the NICU, because it isn't always a happy place.

Host: What began as a simple idea spotted at a conference table has now grown into something much more. For NICU families in Harrisburg and Lititz, milestone ribbons and graduation caps are more than keepsakes, they're symbols of hope, progress, and resilience during a difficult journey.

Jasmee: I agree with what Tammy's saying. It can be daunting for parents, because a lot of the times they're not expecting to have a baby come to the NICU. So, it totally changes their expectations. And, like she said, some days, the baby's kind of status quo, you know, we're just keeping with the same care plan and not changing much. So, it can feel like it's taking a long time, especially towards the end when they're just like learning how to feed. So, it can feel like not a lot's happening, but having the ribbon there to show them visual representation of milestones they've met. They get different things. There's different buttons like coming off respiratory support, coming off IV fluids, first bottle, first bath. So, all those moments, we can give them a pin for the parents or family members. Whoever's caring for them places those pins on the ribbon for them to see that they are making progress and they are reaching those milestones.

But we're actually in the beginning phase of things. We just got approval for funding. So, I actually haven't put it into practice, but I've seen it up at Harrisburg. And I thought they were doing a great job and that it was such a great idea. So, they inspired our unit for sure.

Tammy: I just celebrated 30 years.

Kayla: Congratulations.

Tammy: Thank you.

Kayla: I've been with the system since 2008 as a nurse extern. And then, I started my nursing career in 2012 in the NICU at Harrisburg.

Jasmee: I have been here 10 years, almost 11.

Tammy: I will say it was right around the time that we all merged down to Harrisburg Hospital. I was just looking for a new direction. I really liked women and children's, and I was doing postpartum, a little antepartum. And I just decided I wanted something different. And when I came to the NICU, it just felt like a really good fit. The doctors were all amazing. They all very much listened to what we were doing and saying, and it just seemed like I saw a lot more maybe just positivity in the NICU. The staff all really enjoyed what they do. The nurses in the NICU all really very much love the babies, and there seemed to be big connection there between the staff and the families and the physicians. And I really liked how we all worked together for this one goal of getting these babies healthy enough to go home.

Kayla: So, my mom's a nurse. So, I grew up around nursing. I volunteered in the hospital starting at a younger age. Then, obviously, I went through nurse extern while I was in college. But I always was drawn to the NICU, and that was always where my heart was and that's where I wanted to be. Even though at that time as a nurse extern, I was on a med-surg telemetry unit. And then, I eventually went to the ICU too as a nurse extern. But my heart, my passion was NICU. And I did my senior practicum in the NICU at Harrisburg and just so happened there was a job opening at the time, interviewed, and I've been there ever since. I love it and I wouldn't change it.

Jasmee: Well, initially, I got involved with healthcare through volunteering, which I was doing for high school. We would do like a school project. And so, I went to the hospital my mom worked at, and that got me interested in healthcare. And I definitely knew I wanted to do nursing. And then, I always liked working with kids. So, outside after school, I worked at a medical pediatric medical center, and we would get some babies who had been discharged from the NICU. So, that first piqued my interest and I loved working, I mean, with all the kids of course. But yeah, I found that very interesting.

And then, I knew some coworkers who had gone on to work in a NICU and, you know, they're explaining to me what they would do and how it was like a very team-oriented care. And that sounded good because I love working as a team and helping everybody out. So, it just sound like an environment that I would enjoy and getting to be along in that experience of caring for these babies, watching them grow and seeing them discharged just sounded like a great experience. So, I went to the NICU in Lititz, and I've been there ever since.

Tammy: I took care of a family years and years ago, around the time I was pregnant with my daughter. And they were the sweetest, most normal people, you know, that you'd ever expect. And they had a daughter who was born-- she was 20-- I think she was just barely 24 weeks when she was born. And this was 20 years ago. And I just remember her course was so difficult and she had so many ups and downs. Her parents were scared to death to hold her. She was intubated for the longest time. Ended up having to get a trach, and a G-tube and go home on a ventilator, and just the worst course. And I just remember how they stepped up to the plate but were scared to death.

And when she finally came home, settling into having home nursing and all the other things that went with it. And then, when my daughter entered kindergarten, she was her classmate. So, they went to school together. They still live close, but moved out of the district. But I think it was when my daughter was in around 9th or 10th grade and just seeing the full course of her growing up, you can see all the different ways that you've impacted that family.

 They had no medical background. They were well educated, but just this was not anything that was ever on their radar and how they stepped up, but also all of the things that we did that gave them the ability and the courage to take that journey. And they embraced it and she is super, super smart. And again, all the things that I was told years ago, you know, when you have a 24-weeker, their chances of cerebral palsy or their learning deficits that they might have, their developmental impact, that all of these things that have happened to her, what her outcome would look like. And she surpassed everyone's expectations to be very much a normal kid who's in college and, enjoying life. And I often think of her. You know, I don't get that much follow up from every family, but it's good still to know that we do have that impact and that these kids, that a lot of people doubt, really can succeed.

Jasmee: I don't know if I have this one specific case that's coming to mind right now, but it's just making those connections with families, just really makes a rewarding job, being there to help them provide care for their infants. Like Tammy said, it can be daunting and scary at the beginning, and helping them become comfortable with assessments like getting baby's temperature and changing the diaper. They have a bunch of IVs and respiratory support on, it can be intimidating. But it's great to see them become comfortable and then just kind of do it on their own without even like waiting for us to just start helping with the cares and baby's bath. And so, it's rewarding to see them feel comfortable and take on that role and realize, "This is my baby. I can do these things." And also, we have a very small unit, so I just feel like we really get to bond with the parents, because it's an open unit. We only have nine beds, so you interact with them a lot and you get to know them really well.

I remember there was one scenario. We had a baby who wasn't doing so well not shortly after birth, and we had to transfer the baby out. And the baby just kept alarming. And we just were like, "We need a higher level of care." And so, the mom was of course very scared and the helicopter was coming to transfer the baby out. I remember one of my coworkers, because our shift was just starting to end. And the mom was on her own and my coworker went up to the other hospital after her shift to go see the mom, because she was single mom and had kids, so they were at home with other people. So, she just went to go be there for her for a little bit and just provide some comfort, which I thought was really amazing because that's not required of us. But she wasn't working the next day and she was going to be off. So, she said, "I'll just go up and make sure she's doing okay," which I think is awesome. So, we have a nice bond with the families, which is really great.

Host: For these nurses, the Sweet Pea Project isn't just about ribbons or pins. It's about empowering parents, lifting spirits, and celebrating every small victory. And thanks to support through the UPMC Pinnacle Foundation. Programs like this become possible-- adding light, joy and comfort to families during some of their hardest days.

Kayla: I don't have one prominent story that stands out. I've been a primary nurse for several different patients throughout my years working as a NICU nurse. And just each one is very unique, different. But just like Jasmee said, keeping that connection, forming that connection with those families. They stay in touch via social media. They'll randomly send you pictures of them, like just getting to see like you had a part in that and you got to help them bring their daughter or son home. It's just something that feels really well.

And then, I also had two NICU babies of my own, so I can relate to parents in that regard. Just knowing that this experience is very, very roller coaster, full of emotions, hard to say like the positives. You don't always see them. So with the Sweet Pea Project, we bring those positives out to them, and just celebrate those milestones with them, which it warms my heart to know that we're bringing light, we're bringing a little piece of sunshine to those families' days when those days can be very long and tiring and exhausting.

Tammy: I just really would like to see, you know, our projects continue. I love the support that we get from the foundation. We've been keeping track these sort of logs for two purposes in case anybody ever wants to know how successful this project is. But also, for our keeping track of sort of the milestone badges that we've handed out.

And the other day when I looked, we're at like 300 packs we've handed out at this point. And I think that's pretty impressive. And 300 families that we've touched, and given something positive to is also pretty impressive. And that's just the milestone badges. That's not even including the graduation caps.

Jasmee: I hope once we start this program, we're planning to get feedback from the parents and see what they think of it and everything. And I hope they find a positive in it and something they'd be happy to have and take home with them and get feedback from the staff as well. Because I think, as a staff member, it's kind of nice to see that as well. I mean, I know we know the work we do, but seeing that up there and being able to involve the parents in the care can be rewarding on both sides.

Host: Thank you for listening to In Their Words. The Sweet Pea Project is a powerful reminder that even the smallest gestures can bring light and comfort to families during their NICU experience. We are grateful to the dedicated UPMC and Central PA nurses and staff who champion innovative programs like this, and to the UPMC Pinnacle Foundation donors whose generosity makes them possible. To learn more about how you can help bring comfort and hope to patients and families across Central Pennsylvania, visit upmcpinnaclefoundation.org. Until next time, friends.