“I get to hold babies—walk around and hold a baby. And I get paid for it,” says Nancy Gates, a registered nurse and developmental specialist at Banner Health. “I started out as a cuddler. I did that for four years then I decided to go back to school and become a nurse.”"The NICU is definitely a world of its own,” says RN Nichole Long, who also works at Banner as an outreach specialist."Some days I'm jumping for joy, some days I'm hugging my son a little tighter.
“I want these parents to be an expert at their child's care when they leave this hospital,” Gates says.“These are my fraternal twin girls, Charlotte and Madison,” Eckart says, introducing me to the two."They were born at 24 weeks and they both weighed about a pound and a half.”"It doesn’t feel so much like a hospital anymore, because of the nurses,” Eckert says."I can leave knowing my babies are taken care of.
"The babies that stay here for long periods of time, I get attached," says Long."I probably shouldn’t get attached but I get attached.”Heidi Alagha is an anchor and reporter for KGUN 9. Heidi spent 5 years as the morning anchor in Waco where she was named the best anchor team by the Texas Associated Press. Share your story ideas and important issues with Heidi by emailing heidi.alagha@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.