Why Your Baby May Be in the NICU
New parents eagerly look forward to bringing their newborn home, so it can be frightening if your baby needs to be admitted to the Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
Babies who need to go to the unit are often admitted within the first 24 hours after birth. Babies may be sent to the NICU for one of the following reasons:
- Premature birth
- Difficult delivery or delivery with complications
- Signs of a problem in the first few days of life
Only very young babies (or babies with a condition linked to being born prematurely) are treated in the NICU. They're usually infants who haven't gone home from the hospital yet after being born.
How long these infants remain in the unit depends on the severity of their illness. A baby's NICU stay can be difficult, but it can also be rewarding as you watch your child grow and progress day after day.
At University of Utah Health we employ the latest treatments in medicine and technology and use the healing power of caring and touch to give infants the best care possible.
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Contact the Preterm Birth Prevention Clinic
For patients coming to University of Utah Health, please call the Maternal-Fetal Medicine office at 801-581-8425. You could ask your current physician for a referral to our clinic, and we would be happy to see you.
The Prematurity Prevention Clinic is located at University of Utah Hospital in the Maternal Fetal Diagnostic Clinic.
Maternal Fetal Diagnostic Clinic
Rm 2185
University of Utah Hospital
50 Medical Drive
Salt Lake City, UT 84132
Intermountain Health Care
Call the Maternal-Fetal Medicine office at IMC at 801-507-7400.