Neonatal Intensive Care
Find Comfort Knowing Your Baby is in Special Hands
Premature infants and sick infants often need the kind of medical attention and care only found in a newborn intensive care unit like those at Northwest Health. Babies who once would never have taken a first breath now have the opportunity to survive and thrive because of the knowledgeable and experienced medical staff available in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs).
In the NICU, trained professionals such as neonatologists, neonatal nurse practitioners, nurses and social workers as well as 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
Northwest Health offers NICU services at two hospitals. A Level III NICU is available at Willow Creek Women's Hospital (WCWH) while a Level II NICU is available at Northwest Medical Center-Bentonville. Board-certified neonatologists, neonatal nurse practitioners and neonatal nurses provide care around-the-clock for these most delicate of patients -- patients who have weighed less than one pound at birth and whose systems are immature and need constant help to function. The most critically ill babies receive care at a one-nurse-to-one-baby ratio.
The Willow Creek NICU provides care for babies born as early as 23 weeks gestation. The Bentonville NICU cares for babies at or older than 32 weeks gestational age. Thousands of former NICU families from the region we serve – Northwest Arkansas, Northeast Oklahoma and Southwest Missouri – are thankful for the services these professionals provide.
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 to the NICU. Willow Creek offers a specially-equipped neonatal transport team and ambulance for those born outside of Northwest Health's system.
The NICU transport team picks up fragile and premature babies born at hospitals that do not have a NICU. Neonatal nurse practitioners (APNs) also attend high risk deliveries at outlying hospitals where an infant is expected to need NICU care but their mother was unable to be transported to Willow Creek Women's hospital prior to delivery. The transport team includes a NICU-trained registered nurse and respiratory therapist to bring baby to WCWH, where the neonatal specialists can provide the care baby needs.
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. Willow Creek's NICU is the only one in Northwest Arkansas with high-frequency ventilators. Tiny intravenous lines are also inserted so that medication and nourishment can be given at any time.
The babies are 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 may help the babies gain weight and thrive. They receive infant massage as well as therapies to help develop their muscles and their circulation. They also learn to suck and swallow and they learn to be calmed, among other things. As one therapist said, "It feels good to the babies." What could be better? There is also a specially-trained dietician that helps monitor these littlest patients, according to the growth chart.
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 strive to make sure your questions are addressed and you understand the nature of your baby's health condition every step of the way. The dedicated NICU staff members' goal is to serve as beacons of hope as well as providers of reassurance, comfort and compassion for babies as well as parents.
Benefits of the NICU Include:
- Board-certified neonatologists
- Certified neonatal nurse practitioners
- Respiratory therapists with specialized training in the care of fragile newborns
- Brain monitoring to rule out seizures
- Body cooling for patients who experience a lack of oxygen at delivery
- 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