Jennifer Gandel Kachura Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)

Jennifer Gandel Kachura Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)

Preemie Care

Premature babies, known as preemies, come into the world earlier than full-term babies. Preemies have many special needs that make their care different from that of full-term babies, which is why they often begin their lives after birth in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The NICU is designed to be a place that limits stress to the baby and meets basic needs of warmth, nutrition and protection to ensure proper growth and development.

Family-Centered Care

We believe that the best health results occur when the baby’s family members play an active part in providing emotional, social and developmental care. You are the only constant in your baby’s life. Help us to help you provide care for and bond with your baby.

Be involved in your baby’s care as much as possible. Having a baby in the NICU can be difficult, and it can feel like everything is out of your control. You are the voice of your baby. Remember, you are the parent and an important member of your baby’s care team, not a visitor. Ask questions and be proactive in your baby’s care and needs.

• We will be caring partners in your family’s care.

• We will provide your family with the best health care.

• We will always welcome you as a valuable part of the NICU family.

Treatments

The institute also provides noninvasive and minimally invasive, state-of-the-art procedures, as well as nonsurgical options, to treat a variety of pelvic disorders. These treatment options are designed to meet the needs of each individual.

Developmental Care

Developmental care is a way to help reduce the amount of stress and pain that a preemie is exposed to in the NICU. Since NICU units can be loud, bright places where alarms and blood draws make it hard for babies to rest, grow and get better, developmental care helps NICUs be more "baby friendly."

Using developmental care may help babies grow and get well faster and promote brain development. Developmental care helps make the transition from womb to world a little bit easier for preemies. It is something that you can learn to do to help your baby.

Developmental care techniques include:

• Positioning babies in comfortable, curled up (flexed) positions

• Clustering nursing care (and doing vital checks all at once) to provide longer periods of sleep

• Turning down lights and providing a quiet, dark environment

• Encouraging parent visitation and skin-to-skin care

Family Rooms

Through the generosity of several donors, the NICU offers two private rooms, which provide a resting space for two primary caregivers actively involved in the care of their newborn. Families can speak to their baby’s nurse to sign them up for the Pink or Blue room.

Nurseries

Preterm and critically ill infants are admitted into the NICU. As the baby grows and develops, he or she may be moved to the Special Care Nursery. This room is right next to the NICU and staffed by the same medical team as the NICU. In the Special Care Nursery families are prepared for discharge with individualized teaching based on their baby’s needs.

Donor Milk Program

Did you know that Sinai’s NICU is the first in Maryland to offer its smallest patients a diet of 100% human milk.

Mothers of premature infants weighing less than 1,250 grams — about 2.75 pounds — have the option to feed their babies donor breast milk if they are unable to provide their own.

For these babies, breast milk is treated with a fortifier called Prolacta made completely from human milk to give them sufficient calories, phosphorus and calcium. This human milk diet protects the most premature infants from the dangerous condition of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC).