For Some Families, Holiday Season Can Be Both Joyful and Stressful
By Michelle Durham
CAMDEN, N.J. (CBS) -- Santa Claus paid a visit today to some of his littlest followers at the intensive care nursery of Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center, in Camden.
Addison Hall is 17 days old and tips the scale at a little over one pound. Her mother, Katrina Hall, says Addison's spirit is second to none.
"She's very feisty! She likes to pull all her tubes out -- she keeps the nurses on their toes. She's nothing but spunk in there," she said today.
Hall says they deliberately chose Our Lady of Lourdes for Addison because of the hospital's track record for getting premature babies to thrive.
"Some days are very tough, and we roll with the punches," says Donna, Addison's nurse, who has been a neonatal intensive care unit nurse for 23 years. "Sometimes we are very happy and have a happy celebration, and some days we are very sad."
This unit cares for 400 babies a year. She says families of premature babies need a lot of support.
Meanwhile, Santa Claus says Addison has been a good little girl, as have all the other little boys and girls in the intensive care nursery, and he hopes all will be able to go home soon.