Patient Guide: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)
The NICU has specially trained nurses, neonatal nurse practitioners, physicians, physician assistants and respiratory therapists who all make up a part of the care team required to care for these special newborns.
What to Expect
At Delivery
Sometimes the NICU team may be present at the delivery of your baby so they can immediately start to address any needs your baby may have.
Admission
If your baby goes to the NICU, a medical team is present and oversees the care of your baby 24/7. The team also works collaboratively and closely with parents to keep you updated and informed about the care of your baby.
Parents are viewed as an essential member of this care team. Visitation is limited to just the parents during the NICU stay but are allowed to visit 24/7. We encourage skin to skin holding with both parents and will seek to make physical contact between you and your baby a priority as soon as possible.
The nutritional needs of your baby are also always a priority. If you are planning to breastfeed, as soon as your baby can safely feed by mouth we will support breastfeeding. Prior to that we support and encourage pumping and as soon as your baby is able to receive milk we can provide your breastmilk to them.
Infection Prevention
Due to the immunocompromised nature of many patients in the NICU, parents are asked to do a health screening daily before entry into the unit and are asked not to visit if they are experiencing any symptoms of illness. During some seasons of the year, we provide everyone entering the NICU (parents & staff) with a mask to provide extra protection against respiratory illnesses.