What is a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)?

A neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) provides specialized care and monitoring for premature or ill newborns.

Babies may be admitted to an NICU if:

They are born prematurely
They are diagnosed with a health condition or abnormality “in utero” (during pregnancy)
Problems occur during or immediately after delivery
They shows signs of a health problem in the first few days after birth

There are four levels of NICUs, each staffed and equipped to care for different levels of newborn needs, as follows:

Level I: Regular nursery care available at most hospitals that deliver babies, for healthy and low-risk newborns; also known as “well-baby nurseries”
Level II: Intensive care for premature and sick newborns who are stable or moderately ill
Level III: Comprehensive care for more seriously ill newborns, including sustained life support and prompt, readily available access to a full range of pediatric subspecialists for treatment of medical or surgical conditions
Level IV: The highest level of neonatal care available for treatment of the most premature and critically ill newborns, including 24/7 availability of a full range of pediatric medical and surgical subspecialists and pediatric anesthesiologists for major surgery

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