"The best experience:" Sheboygan hospital introduces video-chatting with newborns in the NICU

SHEBOYGAN -- For some newborn babies, their first weeks or months are spent in the intensive care unit at local hospitals until their strong enough to go home. For the parents this could be the hardest part to leave them behind when they go home -- but one local hospital is making that time in their life a little easier.

Kris and Nicholas Wychesit

Nicholas and Kris Wychesit became parents just three weeks ago.

"This is the best experience I've ever had. This is just totally awesome. I love it," said Nicholas, Mason's dad.

But it didn't start out so happy. Their son, Mason John, was born seven weeks early.

Mason John Wychesit

"Scared, not knowing what's going on. You don't know whether it's a false alarm or if you are actually going into labor," said Kris, Mason's mom.

Everything turned out fine but because he was premature, Mason couldn't go home without mom and dad.

Nicholas Wychesit

"Sad. It's hard going home and not having him with you," Kris.

Nicholas and Kris visit as often as they can but they can't be here 24/7 like they wish they could. But parents can still connect with their child using video-chat.

"The first time we used it was with the snowstorm that we had a week ago and it was great," said Nicholas.

Aurora Sheboygan Medical Memorial Center's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) implemented the technology last month.

"It really calms them down when they hear their parents voices," said registered nurse, Staci Krahn.

And it gives parents a chance to love on their newborn when they otherwise couldn't physically be there.

"Very grateful," said Kris.

Video-chatting in the NICU is only found at a handful of hospitals across the nation.

"Just seems like something every hospital should be doing, like we should have been doing this sooner," said Krahn.

Parents can also give permission to two other people to video-chat, which means grandparents or siblings can also have some face time with their new family member.