The life expectancy in the US has been dropping for years. As the wealthiest country in the world, according to GDP, the United States has one of the worst health outcomes for their income bracket.
According to new provisional data from the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics, from 2020 to 2021, life expectancy at birth in the United States declined from 77.0 to 76.1 years. This decline took the U.S. life expectancy at birth to its lowest level since 1996.
Pediatric and infant health is also drastically lower in the US. The United States has the highest infant and maternal mortality rates out of any other high-income nation while simultaneously spending the most on health care. The health outcomes of children are especially concerning for nurses like Ami Bulsara. As a nurse, Bulsara is on the front lines of America’s healthcare crisis. She chose her medical specialty to help the most vulnerable of populations.
“After various clinical experiences, I realized that I want to work in a NICU,” said Bulsara. The neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is a specialized hospital wing that provides around-the-clock care to sick or premature babies. The NICU has been home to new families worried about their newborns’ lives. For many nurses, it is a rewarding but stressful work environment.
“We get very sick children as small as 23 weeks old that can’t breathe on their own,” explained Bulsara. “They have breathing tube IV lines to get fluids and several other life-threatening problems.”
Helping families deal with the traumas associated with NICU care is part of what makes Ami Bulsara an exceptional nurse. She has expanded her role beyond clinical services to provide holistic care to families in her hospital.
On top of her clinical work, Bulsara helps her infant patients by helping their families. “We don’t even realize how challenging it must be to have a baby prematurely. As a mom and dad, being discharged from the hospital when your baby is still there is such a difficult time for those parents,” explained Bulsara.
As a liaison between the hospital and families, Bulsara updates parents by explaining medical jargon and provides mental health checks for families experiencing anxiety & depression. Once parents are ready to take their child from the NICU, she educates them on best practices to ensure their child’s health.
“Helping the parents bond with their babies by holding them is the greatest privilege and joy,” said Bulsara. Ami Bulsara’s role as a carer for families is part of a movement to offer holistic services, especially for newborns. Research by the Journal of Nursing Sciences found NICU babies can have trouble bonding with parents, and nurses play a key role in facilitating healthy family bonds in the NICU.
Historically, midwives have been instrumental in helping families bond with their babies, but prices for midwives can range anywhere from $3000 to $9000. Many families cannot afford extra help for their kids, so Ami Bulsara’s extra efforts are a welcome relief.
“Watching these tiny babies grow and overcome so many obstacles and then be able to go home with their parents is miraculous.” Her hope can make a huge difference for families waiting to take their new babies home.
