Your First Visit to the NICU
 When your baby is transferred to the neonatal intensive care unit within Baystate Children's Hospital, you will be asked to wait in the family room while your baby is being admitted. As soon as your baby's nurse has your baby settled in, you are welcome to visit. There are no set visiting hours in our NICU as we are a family oriented unit.
On your first visit, your LDRP nurse will escort you to our unit. At our reception desk window our secretary will greet you. She will announce your arrival to your baby's nurse. The secretary will open our doors for you as she controls the automatic doors. The doors stay open for a few seconds to allow for equipment to come in. If you see the doors open we ask that you do not enter unless the secretary has been made aware of your visit. When you enter the NICU, you will notice large sinks to your right. The sinks are automatic and turn  on when you stand in front of them. The soap dispenser is controlled by a step pad on the floor. A green light will go on above the sink when two minutes have been completed.
You will then be led to your baby's bedside. Our unit is set up in five pods in the intensive care area and four pods in the continuing care unit. There are six to nine bed spaces in each pod. Each bed space in a pod is designed to meet the needs of your baby. Our nurses are assigned to a permanent pod to give your baby continuity of care. There is always a nurse covering your baby even during the meal and coffee breaks.
When you first come into the unit after washing your hands you will then go to your infants bedside. You may be startled by the bells and buzzers you hear and the unfamiliar equipment but your nurse will attend to these. Your baby is initially admitted to a special bed called a radiant warmer. The warmer controls the baby's temperature while still allowing us to closely monitor your baby's breathing and color. You will also see attached to your baby wires which assist us to monitor your baby's heart rate and breathing. Another wire is around the baby's foot or hand. This wire measures the oxygen level in the blood.
The admission of your baby includes lab work and placement of an intravenous line for IV Therapy and Medications. The IV will be on a pump at the bedside. Your baby will probably have a bandage on the wrist as we need to draw our initial blood work from the artery. Depending on your baby's condition, you may see lines in your baby¿s umbilicus. These allow us access for IV fluids, to monitor blood pressure , and lets us draw labwork for frequent tests. As your baby's condition improves these special IV lines will be removed.
If your baby requires help with breathing, you will see a ventilator at the bedside. If your baby requires maximum assistance with breathing he/she will have a tube placed in the airway and and attached to a ventilator. If your baby does not need to have the breathing tube he/she may be placed on nasal cpap. A hat is placed on the baby's head and prongs are placed in the nose with tubing attached to the hat to hold it in place. This delivers a constant pressure to help make your baby's breathing easier. Sometimes a baby is placed in an oxyhood to deliver oxygen rich air to a baby that does not require ventilator support.
On your initial visit your nurse will explain all NICU policies and procedures to you. We expect that you will be overwhelmed with all that is going on with your family. We also know that during this trying time you may not hear everything that we are saying. Feel free to ask us anything and we will do our best to answer all your questions. You may want to keep a log at your baby's bedside and jot down questions as you think of them. We will provide you with our phone numbers and an information booklet upon admission.
Primary Care
Those of us who work in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) believe that every infant admitted deserves the very best of care. We strive to provide care that is consistent, professional and compassionate. To provide excellence in every aspect of care the NICU adheres to the "primary care giver role."
This means that soon after your infant arrives at NICU, a primary nurse will be assigned to care for your infant as well as associate nurses. This allows for continuity in nursing care in that your infant will be cared for by the same core group of nurses on a daily basis. The primary nurse assigned to your baby is responsible for establishing a plan of care, ensuring that the plan of care is current throughout your infant's stay. She/he will coordinate with staff members physicians, respiratory therapists and physicians who may be consulted to ensure that every transition is as comfortable as possible for the patient - your baby, and you. The primary nurse (as well as the core group) will be teaching you about medication administration, answering your questions about possible procedures and most importantly, being an advocate that lends a voice to your baby.
Primary Physicians
Baystate NICU also feels that every family deserves a primary care physician. At Baystate , the family has the luxury of selecting a Primary Care Physician to work with your baby In a short period of time, you will have met our select group of neonatologists who work closely at the bedside. Our neonatologists, residents, nurse practitioners, physicians assistants and respiratory therapists are all "in house." This means that in a serious situation, these critical staff members will never require a page and in affect, are always within the unit to provide care. Your primary neonatologist will coordinate and collaborate care with all staff, contact and request referrals from other doctors that may be called in to administer specialty care and most importantly, provide you with an immediate point of contact so that your needs are always met. "Primary Care Givers" can help you to adjust to the NICU by enabling you to become comfortable as quickly as possible. In a short period of time, you too will become part of the NICU family and find that while stressful at times, that the NICU experience can be tolerable.
INFORMATION FOR FAMILIES
Discharge Guidelines
Frequently Asked Questions
Medications in the NICU
NICU Glossary
Links to other NICU information
Parent Education
S.H.A.R.E. - Support group for parents who have lost their babies
Infant Safety
Understanding Your Preemie
NICU STAFF
Neonatologists: You might also hear them referred to as "Attendings." These are children's doctors who have special training in the care and management of sick or premature babies. They will be making decisions regarding your baby.
Residents: Children's doctors who will be part of the team taking care of your baby.
Neonatal Nurse Practitioners: Registered nurses who have special training in the medical care of premature or sick babies.
Physician's Assistants: Professionals who have specialized training in the care of premature or sick babies so that they can perform many of the same tasks as the doctors.
Primary Nurses: Registered nurses who will work with you and coordinate other members of the team to care for your baby.
Clinical Nurse Manager: The head nurse in charge of all of the nursing functions of the NICU.
Respiratory Therapist: The person who takes care of the special breathing needs of your baby.
Technical Associates: (TAs) Trained staff people who assist the nurse with the care of your baby.
Case Managers: Registered nurses who will assist you in planning your infant's discharge.
Lactation Consultants: Nurses who have received specialized training to help breastfeeding mothers.
Neonatal Social Workers: Social workers who provides support and information to the families of the babies in the NICU and in the CCN.
Neonatal Nutritionists: Registered dietitians who are trained in children's nutrition, they watch your baby's growth and food intake.
Cuddlers: Volunteers, who work with the nursing staff to hold, feed and cuddle the babies in the CCN. They provide the tender loving care at the times when you can't be with your baby.
Pediatric Subspecialists: In some cases, your baby may need to see a physician who is trained in a specific area of pediatric medicine and who can help with your baby's specific problems:
- Cardiologist: Heart
- Endocrinologist: Hormones
- Gastroenterologist: Feeding and growing
- Hematologist Blood
- Neurologist: Brain and nervous system.
- Nephrologist: Kidneys
- Ophthalmologist: Eye exams and/or problems
- Pulmonologist: Breathing and lungs.
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