Research and Clinical Trials
Return to Partnering with Parents Overview
More on Partnering with Parents
For Patients, Families & Visitors
Return to Partnering with Parents Overview
More on Partnering with Parents
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
Partnering with Parents
We encourage families to be involved in the care of their infant from the very beginning. We recognize that parenting in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit is a process that begins with feeling like a visitor to finally feeling like a real parent. Participating actively in their baby's experience and care in the NICU is an important part of the parental bonding process, and we understand that for many parents, this occurs gradually over time.
Within the NICU, there is space for parents to sleep next to their child's isolette. Depending on their infant's clinical status, a parent may be able to assist in some of the daily care routines, such as taking the baby's temperature, changing his or her diaper, feeding, or bathing.
Since premature babies are generally hospitalized for several months, parents are often anxious about discharge and returning home with their infant. As part of our commitment to providing family-centered care, we help parents make this transition by offering them the opportunity to spend the night before discharge in a homelike furnished bedroom with their baby, who is now able to sleep in a crib. Here, parents take care of the baby's needs throughout the night, knowing that if they require medical assistance, nurses are close at hand.
We want to assure parents and families that in addition to providing the highest quality of care for their baby, the NICU also offers many educational and emotional support resources for mothers, fathers and siblings. Our nurses are here to assist in any way possible. For more detailed information on the NICU services and programs for parents, please refer to the drop down links above right.
