Friday: Closed
The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is where your newborn will stay for days, weeks, or possibly longer, depending on the baby’s degree of prematurity. This department or area in the hospital is where hospital staff care for newborns who have medical complications, or babies who have been born prematurely. Here, your baby will be provided with the optimal environment for growth.
And you can be right there the whole time. Though the environment in the NICU can be intimidating, health care professionals will familiarize you with it so you can participate in the care process.
Advances in neonatal care—from the amount of oxygen administered to how a neonate's temperature is monitored—have helped take some of the questions and worry out of the NICU. These innovations have made the process of caring for a premature baby more safe and comprehensive than ever.