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A Tour of the NICU
Everything You Need to Know About the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
By Katherine Bontrager
The actual setup of the NICU will vary depending on location. "Everybody does things just a little bit differently, but most of the NICUS are probably larger rooms with babies lined up around the outside," says Jill Anderson, a neonatal nurse practitioner in the Level 3 NICU at Littleton Adventist Hospital, in Littleton, Colo. "The newer remodeled ones are really making an effort to create individual spaces – they know that's what families want. A quiet, homey environment that provides privacy for visiting your infant and activities like pumping or breastfeeding is ideal."
The nurses helped design the NICU at Littleton Adventist Hospital. "After working for years in the sterile rooms with harsh light and noise, we opted for individual spaces with hardwood floors and carpeting, warm colors and cherry wood," Anderson says. "Each space has its own phone, computer, refrigerator, sink and recliner. Various lighting options and extra soundproofing help create a more relaxed and comfortable environment, which is important when your infant may be a patient for a couple months or more."
Smith's NICU is also one of a growing number of NICUs across the nation that has private rooms for infants. "When you walk into our unit, a quiet, calm environment greets you," she says. "The parents still have an emotional time when they first see their baby hooked up to all the machinery, but in our NICU, that's a private experience and the parents aren't on display as they would be in a typical NICU."
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