Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
Few expectant parents consider the possibility that their baby may need special medical care after birth. Rest assured, that Northridge Hospital features a brand new Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) staffed by expert neonatologists and neonatal nurses. It’s twice the square footage as our previous unit, allowing for private rooms, double-sized rooms to accommodate twins, lactation areas and sleeping accommodations for a parent/care partner.
Intensive care for infants is provided at three levels. Level I NICUs treat normal newborns requiring a bit of additional nursing care, while Level II NICUs treat moderately ill babies.
A Level III NICU, like ours at Northridge Hospital, provides advanced treatment for seriously ill, low birth weight and premature babies, including micropreemies. This is a designation only given to hospitals that can care for the most complicated births and provide immediate surgery, if needed, for premature babies.
Our NICU gives infants a greater chance to thrive. It’s designed to provide an atmosphere that limits stress to the infant and meets basic needs of warmth, nutrition and protection to assure proper growth and development.
We offer:
- Giraffe Omnibed Incubators – feature a supportive microenvironment for “preemies”.
- Two 4-bed specialized bed pods – Designated area for the highest acuity NICU patients who require the latest specialized technology.
- Cool Cap for NICU – the only FDA-approved device to treat newborns with oxygen deficiency, also known as hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). Cool Cap can prevent or significantly reduce the severity of neurological injury.
- Inhaled Nitric Oxide Therapy increases the survival rate of infants 35 weeks gestation and above suffering from respiratory failure secondary to Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension.
To ensure a smooth transition home with baby we offer new parents an opportunity to spend a night just before discharge in the hospital with their baby. This provides parents a chance to care for their newborn with the added assurance, that if needed, medical assistance is close at hand. We also provide a convenient family pantry and lactation room for new mothers.
Visiting hours
Visiting hours are 24 hours a day for parents and care partners with the exception of 6:45 to 7:30 a.m. and 6:45 to 7:30 p.m. to allow for our shift change. Siblings may visit the NICU when accompanied by a parent or legal guardian; please discuss with your nurse in advance.
Neonatal Transport Service Team
Newborns at other hospitals who require the specialized treatment are stabilized and then transferred to Northridge Hospital. Other subspecialty support is provided by the UCLA Neonatology Program.
Infants requiring even higher levels of support are transported to UCLA to meet the baby’s immediate needs, and then are transferred back to Northridge Hospital when consultative care is completed.
Learn More About Having Your Baby At Northridge Hospital Medical Center
For more information on our neonatal intensive care unit, please call (818) 885-5434. To find a physician, please call (818) 908-8677 or use our search tool to Find a Doctor.