DURHAM, N.C. — Mothers like Stefanie Stewart are bedside night after night with their kids at Duke Children's Hospital this holiday season. 

But recent changes aim to make things more comfortable for both parents and children.

Stewart and her son Daxton Stewart, 5, are among 150 families who made the switch from an older building to a newer facility last weekend.

What You Need To Know

Furniture converts into beds for family members 

The hospital features two pediatric cardiac catheterization labs and a state-of-the-art pharmacy service

Stewart and son Daxton will likely be at the hospital three months

“I would say trust the process. It is scary. You take it day by day,” Stewart said.

She says her son’s in-patient room is cozier than one they moved out of a week ago.

"I can get dressed and ready for the day without being in the way of the caregivers,” Stewart said.

For parents expecting prolonged stays, the added space and amenities are a win.

Two televisions are on the wall, and there is a full-sized bathroom for parents and their sick children. 

This is second time Daxton has changed rooms in the first three weeks of his time at Duke. But now, wherever he sleeps, so can his mother.

Doctors and nurses lighten the mood, though no one can replace the rest of the family three hours away in Virginia.

Stewart says her husband visits when it’s feasible. Her other two children are in elementary school.

"With COVID-19 restrictions and such we can’t have our kids come in," she said.

Stewart is managing the new lifestyle as well as she can.

"It’s definitely going to be different," she said. "It will be an adjustment for all of us, including my kids at home."

It’s a lot for a tired little boy with Down syndrome, familiarizing himself with unfamiliar faces. Room number two is their home away from home.

“So to have more of a home-like feel in the room is wonderful for him,” Stewart said.

The previous in-patient hospital rooms at Duke North were built in 1980 and are more cramped, staff said. The furniture in the new rooms becomes a bed at night.

“We’re going to be here possibly for months,” Stewart said.

Christmas will be the second holiday in a row in a hospital room for Daxton. 

Daxton is receiving treatment for a rare genetic disorder called x-linked adreno-leuko dystrophy. XALD affects the nervous system and adrenal glands in his body. Duke is one of only two hospitals in the country where doctors perform a stem cell transplant to rapidly halt the progressive effects of the disease.

When the procedure is over, Daxton faces weeks of physical therapy.

“Putting the play mat in the floor of the other place, you couldn’t open up the door," Stewart said. "To have a bigger space where there is physical therapy in the room now will make a huge difference for him." 

Related

N.C. teen gets new heart after first-of-its kind surgery at Duke University Hospital

EXCLUSIVE: Inside the room of a COVID-19 patient

A first look inside a children's ICU during the pandemic

The chief operating officer for the Duke Health system said parents were consulted on the design of the rooms. The layouts are twice the size of previous rooms.

There is also a new state-of-the-art pharmacy service inside the building and children’s activity rooms.