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Expert NICU Care Paves the Way for Happy, Healthy Life

Jocelyn Petermann is nothing like the lethargic, medically fragile baby she was when she was born nearly seven years ago.

Today a thriving first-grader, aggressive soccer player, eager learner and hard-core WWE Wrestling fan, Jocelyn entered the world at HonorHealth Scottsdale Shea Medical Center—but not with the healthy cry parents Brandon and Jamie expected. Instead, the umbilical cord was dangerously tangled around her neck, arms and legs. Fortunately, the hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), where Jocelyn spent her first eight days of life, was right there to provide the expert care she needed.

Specifically, Jocelyn’s internal temperature was lowered to reduce the risk of permanent damage to her brain. A specially trained NICU nurse was at her side 24 hours a day.

“It was absolutely incredible and neither one of us could believe the level of treatment our baby was receiving,” recalls Brandon.

“The first nurse assigned was simply amazing, as were all the other staff members. She made sure Jocelyn was completely comfortable; treating her almost as if she was her own daughter. She made sure the lights were turned down low as she played soft music. She even talked to Jocelyn and sang her a few songs,” Brandon added, noting that other nurses were equally as compassionate.

As their daughter grew, Jamie and Brandon became more aware of the minor hearing loss Jocelyn was born with, which was likely amplified by her traumatic birth. Jocelyn now wears hearing aids—or “helpers” as she calls them—customized in her favorite colors of purple and green.

According to Brandon, Jocelyn doesn’t mind showing her “helpers” to her friends and explaining how they work. “After everything that happened during the birth, a slight hearing loss is nothing. It could have been so much worse,” he says.

“Both Jamie and I truly believe that Jocelyn’s amazing outcome would not have happened if we had been at any other hospital,” Brandon says gratefully. “Time truly has flown by, but we have been blessed every single day thanks to the amazing staff at HonorHealth’s NICU.”