Neonatal Intensive Care

We provide the highest level of intensive care to sick and premature newborns. In fact, we rank among one of the best in neonatal care among children's hospitals, according to U.S. News & World Report.

Our neonatal expertise expands beyond our hospital campus in downtown Akron. We also own and operate NICUs at a few adult hospitals, as well as special care nurseries at our Beeghly campus and a couple other adult hospitals.

We provide a quiet and nurturing environment that closely mimics the womb with subdued lighting and noise; slow, gentle motions when treating preemies; and swaddling to provide a sense of security and flexion.

Research has shown that these practices result in:

• fewer days on the ventilator
• earlier feeding success
• shorter hospital stay
• reduction in complications
• improved neuro-developmental outcomes during the first 18 months of life

Once settled in the unit, your baby will receive care tailored to his specific needs. We are not only committed to providing the most advanced neonatal care, but also to providing you with the emotional and practical support you need through parent mentors and lactation consultants.

Among the common prenatal conditions we treat are breathing, intestinal and surgical problems, congenital heart defects, prematurity and very low birth weight.

Advancing treatment.

We're always looking for ways to improve neonatal care and give our tiniest patients the best quality of life possible. We evaluate neonatal patient outcomes and benchmark our results against other neonatal intensive care units across the U.S. and Canada.

We're a member of the Vermont Oxford Network, a data-sharing collaboration of neonatal professionals worldwide, and one of only 12 centers to be part of the network's quality improvement initiative called, "Your Ideal NICU." One improvement that came from this initiative is cue-based feeding, which reduces hospital stays and feeding issues. Cue-based feeding sets standards for how premature babies are transitioned from tube feedings to bottle.

Oxygen therapy is another advancement. We now know that more oxygen is not better with premature infants. Following a model called POLAR, infants who are on a ventilator and weigh less than 1500 grams (3.3 lbs) get the least amount of oxygen. Studies have shown that POLAR reduces risks associated with chronic lung disease and a potentially blinding disorder, known as retinopathy of prematurity.

Other initiatives are less high tech, but equally proven. Kangaroo Care, or skin-to-skin contact between parent and newborn, has been found to stabilize vital signs, such as heart and respiratory rates, and lessen the need for oxygen, while also encouraging bonding.