According to the
National Library of Medicine, around 10 – 15 percent of all babies born in the
US spend time in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
September is NICU
Awareness Month – a month designed to honor NICU families and the health
professionals who care for them.
A NICU offers one of
four levels of care, specializing in caring for ill or premature infants and
newborns.
While in the NICU,
specially-trained neonatal doctors and nurses work closely with other
specialist to care for infants in need of advanced care after delivery.
Aspirus Health
provides a Level III NICU at Aspirus Wausau Hospital (AWH) which delivers
comprehensive care for more seriously ill newborns.
“At AWH we take in
critical ill babies from all over the state. These very fragile and vulnerable
patients need extra special care so that they can go home with their families
as soon as possible,” says Emilie Puig, registered nurse and clinical educator
in the NICU at AWH. “Whether a child stays with us for four hours or four
months, we want the parents and child to feel as comfortable and assured as
they can here.”
AWH has the region’s
only single-family room model for critically ill babies, meaning parents can
stay with their infant 24/7.
Each baby has
different needs and it’s important that the hospital is prepared to aid in
anything that may be. Hospitals in the United States that provide special
nursing and medical care for babies are divided into four
levels depending on the degree of care offered.
Level I (Well
Newborn Nursery) care for:
- Babies who are born
on time (at about 40 weeks) who are stable (for example, they can breathe on
their own and can maintain their body temperature)
- Babies who are born
at 35 to 37 weeks and are stable
- Babies who are sick
or born before 35 weeks, but only until they can be moved to a nursery with a
higher level of care
Level II (Special
Care Nursery) care for:
- Babies who are born
before 32 weeks or who weigh less than 3.3 pounds, but only until they can be
moved to a nursery that provides a higher level of care.
- Babies who have just
gotten out of a neonatal intensive care unit (also called NICU)
and are growing and doing well before being able to go home.
- Babies who
need equipment to
help them breathe. These babies should stay in this kind of nursery only for
about 24 hours or less; if they need breathing help longer, they should be
moved to a higher level of care.
Level III (NICU)
care for:
- Babies who are born
before 32 weeks who weigh less than 3.3 pounds
- Babies of any age or
weight who are critically ill.
- Babies who need
equipment to help them breathe to stay alive.
- Babies who may need
surgery.
Level IV (Regional
NICU) care for:
- Babies who may need
special surgery for birth defects
and other disorders.
For more
information, visit https://www.aspirus.org/nicu.