NEONATAL INTENSIVE CARE
Find Comfort Knowing Your Baby is in Special Hands
Neonatology, the study of newborn babies and their special problems, is one of the newest and fastest growing medical sciences. Babies who once would never have taken a first breath now survive and thrive because of the medical staff and medical expertise available to them at Northwest Health’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
At the NICU, trained professionals such as nurses, social workers and respiratory, physical, occupational and speech therapists support the medical staff to provide the extra attention your baby needs.
Designed with the Needs of Your Baby in Mind
The NICU is located at Northwest Medical Center - Willow Creek Women's Hospital where board-certified neonatologists, neonatal nurse practitioners, and neonatal nurses provide exceptional care for these most delicate of patients -- patients who have weighed less than two pounds at birth and whose systems are immature and need constant help to function. The NICU is the largest Level III C neonatal facility in the region. The Level III C designation indicates that the facility has an on-staff pediatric surgeon and pediatric surgical services available.
With Northwest Arkansas’ only pediatric surgeon and the region’s largest NICU staff, we are well equipped and ready to care for the very special needs infant. The most critically ill babies receive care at a one-nurse-to-one-baby ratio.
“The NICU doctors and staff will always have a special place in our hearts,” said Blake Cosper, father of Katie Cosper, who was so tiny at birth that her father’s wedding band fit around her knee. She weighed 1 pound 14 ounces. Today she is healthy and one of more than 1,000 former NICU patients from the greater region: Northwest Arkansas, Northeast Oklahoma and Southwest Missouri.
We're There When Minutes Count
After the birth of a very sick baby – one who was born too early, with congenital conditions, or with a very low birth weight – the infant is immediately transferred by specially adapted ambulance or helicopter to the NICU at Northwest Medical Center - Willow Creek Women's Hospital. Accompanying the child during transport is a team that may include the neonatologist, neonatal nurse practitioner, neonatal nurse, respiratory therapist and others on the neonatology team when they are needed. At the hospital, the sickest infants are placed on a special, high-frequency ventilator that “breathes” for the child. This may be alarming to the parents, as when it is in use, it looks like the baby’s chest is vibrating, but it is just what the doctor ordered. Tiny intravenous lines are inserted so that medication and nourishment can be given at any time.
The babies are also evaluated by the physical, occupational and speech therapy department staff to determine what needs they have that various therapies can help. For premature babies, therapists conduct a developmental assessment. Various physical, occupational and speech therapies help the babies gain weight and thrive: they receive infant massage, therapies to help develop their muscles and their circulation; they learn to suck and swallow, and they learn to be calmed among other things. And, as one therapist said, “It feels good to the babies.” What could be better?
Family Centered Care Benefits You and Your Child
Northwest Health pairs technologically advanced neonatal care with a warm, family centered approach. Physicians, nurses, therapists and other staff are dedicated to providing a safe and caring environment for your baby. This approach encourages families to spend as much time as possible with their infants, communicating through touch, affection and sound. This is a time when your baby needs your love and support just as much as the care we are able to provide.
Northwest Health understands the concerns and worries of new parents with babies in the NICU. With this in mind, we make sure your questions are addressed and you understand the nature of your baby’s health condition every step of the way. The Northwest Health NICU is available, serving as a beacon of hope, a provider of reassurance, comfort and compassion for babies as well as parents.
Benefits of the NICU Include:
- Largest Level III C neonatal intensive care unit in Northwest Arkansas
- Only pediatric surgeon in the state outside of Little Rock
- Board certified neonatologists
- Certified neonatal nurse practitioners
- Respiratory therapists with specialized training in the care of fragile newborns
- Air and ground transport teams ensure safe transport of newborns from hospitals throughout Arkansas and the surrounding region
- Physical, occupational and speech therapy
- Family-centered care
- Pastoral services
- Social workers
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