For infants born prior to 31 weeks gestation, best practice is to complete a retinal exam at about four weeks of life. Currently, MercyOne Waterloo Birth Center is working toward being able to meet this requirement in-house; however, the birth center isn't quite there yet.
Usually, when infants are transferred for this exam, the accepting hospital keeps the infant until they are ready to be discharged home. This can range from a couple of weeks to a month or more. The transfer takes the family away from their community and support system. If other children are in the home, parents may have to make difficult choices about who to stay with.
We had an infant born at 30 weeks and the infant needed to be transferred for the exam. Chas worked diligently with the family to determine what would work best for them. This family has other children at home and their entire support system is in the Waterloo area. Chas was able to arrange for the infant to be transferred to UIHC, the exam to be completed the next day, and then the infant would be transferred back to MercyOne the day after that. These efforts minimized the impact of the transfer on the family!
The remainder of the infant's stay will be in their community and at the hospital of their choosing. To top it off, the exam needs to be repeated every two weeks until discharge. Chas was able to arrange the follow-up appointment to be completed in town as an out-patient. Chas has gone above and beyond in order to provide personalized care. This is only one of the many things Chas does for our tiniest of patients and their families. She is an amazing nurse and case manager.