The Department of Pediatrics

Welcome to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Saint Barnabas Medical Center

Saint Barnabas Medical Center is a Regional Perinatal Center. The centerpiece of the pediatric component of the Regional Perinatal Center is the 56-bed NICU, which offers the most advanced intensive care for premature and ill newborns. The NICU was selected as a model by The Vermont Oxford Network, a non-profit collaboration of health care professionals dedicated to improving the quality of medical care for newborns.

The NICU is under the direction of dual board-certified neonatologists and staffed by specialized neonatal intensive care nurses using the latest techniques and modalities in the field. Specialists in other pediatric subspecialties are available for prompt consultation and care, as are physical therapists and social workers. Parents are encouraged to participate in their baby's care.

What is unique about this NICU is the quality of care it delivers. There are neonatologists in-house at all times (eight in the day time and two at night) ready to deliver the best possible medical care. As a result, the survival rate of the smallest and sickest babies is high and the morbidity rate is low compared to national and international data.

After discharge, high-risk NICU babies are seen on an outpatient basis by the neonatologists in the High-Risk Infant Follow-Up Program. A developmental psychologist is also on staff for follow-up of overall developmental status. A NICU Support Group is also available by calling (973) 322-5300.

For a list of NICU articles published from the Family Health Magazine, please click here.

High-Risk Infant Follow Up Program
This program offers a team of professionals who provide developmental evaluation, follow-up, and referral for very small premature babies and infants determined to be at risk for developmental delay. The team includes a neonatologist; pediatric physical, occupational, and speech therapists; dietician; developmental psychologist; and nurse coordinator. The nurse coordinator schedules a baby's first appointment prior to discharge.
Please call (973) 322-5314 for more information.

Infant Apnea Program
This program provides follow-up assessment, evaluation and data interpretation for infants on home apnea monitors. These monitors, prescribed by a doctor, are utilized when a baby is at risk for apnea, a condition which occurs when a baby stops breathing or has a low heart rate (bradycardia). The team includes neonatologists, case managers and a nurse coordinator, all with training and experience in the evaluation and treatment of infants on apnea monitors.
Call (973) 322-2631 for more information.

Caring for the Premature or Sick Infant
Saint Barnabas neonatologist Teresa Stec, M.D., recommends that parents have contact with their infant in the NICU as soon as the baby’s condition stabilizes. While newborns are kept in incubators to help maintain body temperature, parents can hold them for 10- to 15-minute intervals. In addition, parents can reach into the incubators to stroke a tiny hand or a head. Once parents overcome their initial fear of “breaking” such a tiny infant, the physical contact promotes bonding. Even the most premature baby will curl a hand around a parent’s finger.

Many parents decorate their baby’s incubator with family photographs and other loving touches. Some families place a tiny tape recorder in the incubator. The parents read stories into tapes and the familiar sound of their voices comforts the baby and helps him or her to distinguish their voices from others.

NICU parents can participate in the care of their baby, including changing diapers and feeding, either through bottles or a syringe into a feeding tube. Mothers are encouraged to store milk if they are interested in breast feeding and the NICU offers a pumping room.

The days spent in the NICU provide time for the premature infant to develop organs, especially the lungs and heart. Because premature babies sometimes experience health setbacks, the NICU offers a support group for parents. Another source of strength can come from other NICU families. Despite the sometimes frightening circumstances, Dr. Stec has found that the overwhelming majority of couples turn to each other and work together throughout the experience.

When parents finally bring their baby home from the NICU, they may still feel their childrearing experience is different from others. Dr. Stec recommends that parents of premature infants avoid comparing their child with other full-term babies born in the same time period. In the premature baby, every part of the body that was supposed to continue to grow inside the mother has to mature outside the womb. At one year of age, a child who was born four months premature may be the developmental equivalent of a 9-month-old. “This developmental delay usually corrects itself by 18 months to two years of age,” reports Dr. Stec. “Although the more premature the baby, the longer it may take.”

For the 10 to 15 percent of premature infants who may continue to experience developmental or health problems, Saint Barnabas offers the High-Risk Infant Follow-Up Program. Babies receive physical and occupational therapy to improve gross and fine motor skills, as well as assistance in a variety of areas.

For more information, please call (973) 322-5314.

Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Articles

Smallest Baby to Survive in New Jersey

Second Smallest Baby to Survive in New Jersey Thrives One Year Later

Baby Miraculously Survives Lifeless Condition at Birth

A Christmas Baby Benefits from the NICU

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