Nursery

Our Level II Nursery is staffed 24/7 by pediatricians and registered nurses who are specially trained to care for your newborn. Most of the newborns delivering at UM BWMC will be cared for in the Well Baby Nursery. We encourage families to have the newborn room-in with mom during the hospital stay. This is an important time to bond and practice caring for your newborn and yourself. We can support you in learning to rest while your infant is sleeping, learning their cues of when they are hungry and ready to nurse or feed.

The nursing staff will always be involved in caring for your newborn whether they are in your room or the nursery. Your newborn may visit the nursery for routine screenings throughout their stay.

Neonatal Special Care Unit

Our Level II Nursery cares for babies as young as 32 weeks, including those with respiratory and feeding difficulties or those that require antibiotic and IV therapy. Infants requiring a higher level of support until they are ready to go home are cared for in the Neonatal Special Care Unit, also located in the Mother/Baby Unit. The special care unit is staffed around the clock by pediatricians and supported by a neonatologist who specializes in the medical care of newborns and infants. Our physicians and highly-skilled nursing staff, provide life-saving care until babies are stable. Parents are welcome in the nursery and encouraged to stay involved in their baby's care. The infants in the special care unit stay in the nursery and are not routinely brought out to the mom's room.

What if My Baby Needs a NICU?

The Pascal Women's Center is committed to providing a safe home like birthing experience for our families. As a Level II facility our focus is on women delivering infants greater than 32 weeks or infants who are larger than approximately three pounds. The majority of infants born at 32 weeks or above do not require the services of a NICU.

The UM BWMC delivery team is fully prepared to support the unexpected delivery and stabilization of the newborn requiring NICU care; these are the infants that would require transfer to a higher level of neonatology care. If your baby requires full-time neonatology services and a NICU after delivery, and it is safe to move you prior to delivery, we would refer you to a hospital that has the services your newborn needs prior to the delivery. If safety of you and/or your newborn requires delivery prior to transport, we are fully prepared to support all levels of care and have the Maryland Neonatal Transport System, a combined team of the University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins Neonatal ICU teams, readily available to transport your infant to one of their Level IIIC NICUs. Level IIIC NICUs are the highest level of NICU care in the state.