Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)
–In the event your baby should require specialized treatment, our dedicated and highly-trained neonatal intensive care team will monitor your baby’s health 24 hours a day. Our NICU provides cutting-edge services for prematurely born infants or full-term infants who are otherwise medically compromised.
Jamaica Hospital Medical Center’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit is a Level 3 NICU. Evidence shows that babies with very low birth weights and premature infants have better outcomes when born at Level 3 centers. Our 19-bed unit is located on the second floor adjacent to the Labor and Delivery Unit and Mother-Baby Unit.
Our NICU provides expert newborn care for premature and seriously ill babies. Our expert neonatologists, experienced nursing staff and other health professionals are dedicated to providing the best and most advanced care possible to newborns with critical health challenges.
The NICU team will guide parents, educate, and communicate with them throughout their newborn’s progress. We welcome parents 24 hours a day and encourage them to touch, hold and feed their babies as much as possible.
Meet Our Team
As a Level 3 NICU we have a wide variety of staff that is highly trained in taking care of premature or very ill newborn babies.
- Neonatologist
- NICU House Officer
- Registered Nurse
- Neonatal Nurse Practitioner
- Respiratory Therapist,
- Physical and Occupational Therapist
- Pharmacist,
- Licensed Social Worker
- Lactation Consultant
- Audiologist
Supporting Staff
Physicians from other specialties such as pediatric cardiology, pediatric surgery, neurology, ophthalmology, and endocrinology may be a part of consultant teams involved in caring for your baby in the NICU.
NICU Breastfeeding/Chestfeeding Support
Some babies cannot be fed by mouth right after birth. Our Lactation Consultants, who support mothers and babies with breastfeeding/chestfeeding in the NICU, will teach and assist you with expressing and storing human milk for your baby. We’ll also help mothers and babies with positioning and latching on to the breast.
For more information about breastfeeding/chestfeeding, click here.
NICU Skin-to-Skin Care
Kangaroo Care or skin-to-skin is holding your baby against your bare chest to promote bonding and provide extra warmth. Skin-to-skin benefits include better breastfeeding/chestfeeding success, calmer babies, better blood sugar levels, improved respiratory rates and better temperatures. When babies are very small but stable enough to be held, we encourage skin-to-skin care. Our NICU staff will offer the support you need.
