Wan Dahlia at Jessie MacPherson Private Hospital in Monash Medical Centre

The special care neonatal servies at Monash Public Hospital are divided into 8 "bays" (approx the size of a large room 20m x 10m) where they fit between 6 - 8 babies per bay.

Bay 7 and 8 are the Neonatal intensive Care Unit (NICU) bays and are for the really premature babies requiring extra special care. Bay 1 and 2 are the bays for those babies who are doing well and are getting ready to go home, putting on weight and growing well.

Wan Dahlia started in Bay 5 on her day of birth and was moved to Bay 3 the same day. She was there for few days and was doing well. However, when she was just s few days old she had an infection for which the doctors were unable to diagnose the cause (viral or bacterial). In fact, her blood platelets were low and had to have some transfusions. The doctors also gave her antibiotics and some antivirals. She recovered by her second week. She's a strong fighter!

The photo above is of the special care nursery at the Jessie MacPherson Private Hospital, located at the Monash Hospital (just doen the corridor from the public side). It is the equivalent of Bay 2. The first photo is of Suriani talking to one of the nurses, Mary who looks after Wan Dahlia every weekday. The third one is of Wan Dahlia after her first "shampoo" and just before her bath.