While most babies are healthy when they are born, Baptist Health hospitals offer specialized care to babies who are premature, sick, underweight or who need surgery, advanced therapy or observation.
Our NICUs are staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week by neonatologists – doctors with extensive knowledge of newborn health. Nurses and nurse practitioners, also with specialized training to care for newborns who are premature or sick, care for the babies and educate parents and caregivers about their babies’ needs.
A NICU level, as defined by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), is a rating that shows how equipped a hospital is to care for premature or seriously ill babies, with higher levels indicating more advanced medical support. We provide Level III neonatal care at Baptist Hospital, Bethesda Hospital East and South Miami Hospital. This level of care is reserved for babies born before 30 weeks of pregnancy who weigh less than 1250 grams and newborns who are critically ill, need surgery or who require special equipment to breathe.
Level II neonatal care is also provided at Baptist Hospital and South Miami Hospital as well as at Boca Raton Regional Hospital. This level of care is given to babies with health problems that require immediate treatment or ongoing monitoring that doesn’t rise to the severity required for Level III care. Newborns who do require a higher level of care will be stabilized in a Level II NICU before being transferred to Level III or a Level IV regional facility, equipped to handle the most critical or life-threatening situations. Babies who are born at Homestead Hospital or West Kendall Baptist Hospital and need neonatal intensive care are transported by our neonatal transport team to either Baptist Hospital or South Miami Hospital for their NICU care.
Baptist Health NICUs have access to pediatric surgeons, cardiologists, neurologists, ophthalmologists, neurosurgeons, gastroenterologists, pulmonologists, orthopedic surgeons, plastic surgeons, urologists and infectious disease specialists should babies need additional specialized care.
Patient- and family-centered care
Our doctors, nurses, therapists and other providers offer patient- and family-centered care in our NICUs. Additionally, lactation consultants, physical therapists, occupational therapists, nutritionists, psychologists and social workers all work together with babies and their parents to provide quality care in the NICU setting. We view parents as our partners on the care team, which enhances patient care, safety and outcomes. Parents are not “visitors” and are welcome in the NICU at any time. Siblings, other family members and friends, as designated by the parents, are also invited into the NICU with prior arrangements.