Pediatrics - Neonatal Intensive Care

Learn about the new South Pavilion at Women & Infants

The majority of infants admitted to the NICU are low birth weight and premature infants. Nearly 25% of newborns at WIH are born to high-risk mothers, and 11% are premature. We have survival rates for very low birth weight infants that are well above national averages. In 2004, 89.5% of infants born between 750 and 1000 grams survived, and more than 98% of those infants born weighing 1000-1250 grams survived.

We also care for a large number of infants with complex medical problems requiring surgery or subspecialty interventions in the newborn period. Pediatric faculty on our staff from Hasbro Children’s Hospital provide a complete complement of services in all subspecialties. Not only do we have an innovative, interdisciplinary Program in Fetal Medicine, but we are also able to care for the whole range of metabolic and other disorders that affect newborns. In 2004, our neonatal services cared for nearly 1,300 babies in the NICU, for a total of 23,006 patient days.

We provide comprehensive care with the coordinated efforts of social workers, occupational therapists, nutritionists, respiratory therapists, neonatal nurses, neonatal nurse practitioners, neonatal-perinatal fellows, and attending neonatologists and pediatricians. Practitioners skilled in the care and stabilization of sick newborns are available in-house 24 hours a day. Our commitment to empowering families in the care of their babies materialized in 2004 with the hiring of a full-time parent advocate sponsored by a grant from the Rhode Island Parent Information Network and the hiring of a March of Dimes’ parent advocate.

SPECIAL CARE UNIT

Convalescent care at Women & Infants Hospital is provided in a 20 bed unit where many of our youngest patients grow and gain the skills necessary to join their families at home. It is called the Special Care Unit, where a team including occupational therapy and nutrition develop individualized and developmentally appropriate feeding and care plans.

NEWBORN NURSERIES

The majority of newborns born at Women & Infants Hospital are cared for in one of the three newborn nurseries. Based on a model of mother baby care, the emphasis in the newborn nurseries is to ease the early transition to parenthood, to foster the family unit, and to promote the well-being of the newborn.

The newborn nursery service is lead by Dr. Marcia W. VanVleet. This service includes a team of pediatricians, pediatric and family practice residents, and medical students from Brown Medical School. This team of physicians works in concert with the mother-baby nurses, lactation consultants, and other subspecialty consultants to meet the specific needs of the family and to ensure continuity of care. Over the last year the newborn nursery service has expanded to include community physicians with specialized interest in the care of the newborn and the supervision of residents to provide pediatric attendings seven days a week.

Additionally, the newborn nursery is “building for our future” with renovations of the nurseries that allow technologically advanced care to be provided in a warm environment. This caring environment is enhanced with the involvement of our dedicated community and voluntary medical staff who partner with us to provide individualized care to our families.

For further information 24 hours/day, please contact the Special Care Nursery at 401-274-1122, extension 1216 or 1217.