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Catholic Health is a regional leader in neonatal intensive care. Babies born prematurely or those with certain health conditions may be admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Sisters of Charity Hospital or Mercy Hospital of Buffalo.
Our NICUs set us apart from other hospitals by providing family-centered care with a comprehensive approached that is personalized for each baby. Having both an ICU and NICU in the same hospital also allows us to treat mother and child at the same facility in a matter of minutes, resulting in the best possible outcomes.
In our NICUs, one nurse is assigned to only two or three babies.
Our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Sisters of Charity Hospital is designated level III, set up to provide care for babies born as early as 23 weeks gestation, as well as babies born with critical illness at all gestational ages.
Our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Mercy Hospital of Buffalo is designated level II, set up to provide care for babies born earlier than 32 weeks, or those with significant health concerns.
When babies are born prematurely, they have yet to meet their full term milestones. To help your baby gain these skills, he or she may receive therapy while in the NICU.
Working with your baby’s doctors and nurses, our therapists create a care plan for your baby to address his or her unique needs. They also support mom and dad, teaching you how to care for your baby with confidence.
For babies in the NICU, cuddling can lead to better tolerance of pain, more stable body temperatures and stronger vital signs.
The NICU Cuddler Program supports the development and growth of premature babies by providing advanced volunteer “cuddlers”. The volunteers are hospital-trained to interact with premature babies during times when their parents can’t be with them at the hospital.
Our volunteers put babies at ease in the midst of beeping monitors and the echo of machines at work. The cuddlers hold the babies, read to them or quietly sing to them. This serene interaction provides comfort and appropriate stimulation, which helps premature infants to grow faster and hopefully go home sooner. Volunteers do not feed, change diapers or walk around with the babies.
Our cuddlers go through extensive training beyond what is required of a typical volunteer at the hospital. They must maintain strict infection control practices, in addition to all the hospital and NICU policies and confidentiality requirements.
If your baby has a prolonged stay, therapy will focus on skills that are addressed in the Early Intervention (EI) Program. This is a program offered by the New York State Department of Health.
After your baby is discharged, he or she may be referred to the EI program for continued therapy at home.
