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Mother kisses her newborn child

Most newborns are born healthy but when extra care is needed, we offer a dedicated Special Care Nursery for the little lives who may have special needs. Our Special Care Nursery provides better outcomes for premature babies and high-risk deliveries. Our team of experts are specialized in areas like high-risk deliveries, labor & delivery, prenatal care, and more. Our job is to be prepared for anything.

As a Special Care Nursery, we are certified to care for the smallest of babies, which allows mom and baby to be treated and monitored after delivery at the same hospital.

At UM Capital Region Health, we are prepared to support any unexpected delivery and stabilization of infants requiring all levels of care. If your baby requires specialized services of a higher level NICU, we will continue to support your baby until they are transported to an appropriate NICU.

Special Care Nursery Team

Our Special Care Nursery team is led by neonatologists who work in partnership with a team of specialists, including:

  • Dietitians
  • Obstetricians
  • Occupational therapists
  • Respiratory therapists
  • Specially-trained neonatal nurses

Conditions Treated

Our team is highly skilled in caring for neonatal conditions such as:

  • Breathing problems
  • Developmental issues
  • Feeding or nutrition problems
  • Low birth weight
  • Prematurity
  • Genetic diagnosis

Family-Centered Care

At UM Capital, we promote family-centered care and strive to achieve a family feel, especially in the Special Care Nursery.

Parents are encouraged and welcomed to take part in our daily multidisciplinary rounds, so you can talk with everyone on your baby's care team and ask questions. Rounds take place at the same time every day, so parents can more easily plan to attend.

Our Special Care Nursery team provides individualized care based on the child's specific condition.

We also provide and encourage 24-hour parent visitation and breastfeeding/lactation consultations.

24-Hour Parent Visitation

We want you to spend time with your baby. (Please note that we may be required to implement some visitation restrictions at times because of COVID-19 or other extreme situations).

Breastfeeding/Lactation Consultants

Available to help moms with breastfeeding and pumping at home. We provide:

  • Breastfeeding pumps
  • Insulated cooler bags for milk storage and transport
  • Support
  • One on one breastfeeding instructions

Taking Your Little One Home

The Special Care Nursery team ensures that you are comfortable and confident in caring for your little one when he/she is finally ready to go home. We make sure you have all the instructions and discharge teaching you need to take care of your baby at home.

  • We go over car seat safety during the car seat tolerance screening for premature babies. We encourage your presence during the screening so your baby's nurse can go over how to properly secure your baby in the car seat, so on the day of discharge, you will be able to do this yourself.
  • We go over how to prepare your baby's milk for home to meet his/her particular nutritional needs.
  • If your baby is going home on medication, we make sure that you are comfortable drawing up and giving your baby the medicine.
  • We also teach parents infant CPR before your child is discharged so you are more able to care for your newborn.

As needed, the Special Care Nursery team can arrange for parents to spend the night with their baby in our family parent room as they prepare to return home with their child. Our nurses stand ready to help parents with any issues as they practice caring for their baby on their own.