Neonatal Intensive Care

Our Compassionate Beginnings program helps parents and medically fragile infants form loving, bonded relationships within a high-tech medical environment. Our NICU staff use the Compassionate Beginnings program to teach parents how to communicate in their baby’s first developed language — the language of touch.

With the help of a trained healthcare professional, such as a registered nurse, respiratory therapist or physical therapist, NICU parents learn how to read their baby’s cues and behavior to identify when their little one is ready to be touched.

Talk with your care team for more information.

Our High-Risk Infant Follow-Up program helps babies get off to a healthy start. If your baby meets certain high-risk criteria, you may be asked to schedule follow-up appointments three to four times during the first three years of life. These checkups allow our providers to monitor your child’s progress and suggest services that can encourage optimal growth and development. Before your baby is discharged from the NICU, your care team will talk to you about the program.

Our NICU Family Advisory Council works with former NICU parents and staff to create a comforting environment for babies and families during tough times. The council takes on various tasks and raises funds to support families facing severe financial hardship. The goal is to remove obstacles keeping parents from spending time with their baby and to provide resources for a safe return home.

Talk with your care team for more information.

Nothing is more stressful for a parent and family than having a hospitalized child. Named in honor of its major benefactors, the Bill and Elizabeth Shea House is a four-bedroom home on hospital grounds that provides a safe place of respite for out-of-town families to be close to their hospitalized children. Since its opening, more than 270 families have benefited from the comfort of a home-like environment across the street from the hospital.

Talk with your care team for more information.